Trish Stratus Recalls WrestleMania Match Finish Being Changed
The phrase “plans change” is very common in pro wrestling and it was for Trish Stratus as well during a high-profile WrestleMania match.
There have been many stories told in pro wrestling history about a company planning to do one finish for a match and then the person in charge changes their mind to something completely different.
Any wrestler that is in the business for a long period of time likely has experienced it, even some of the greatest of all time like WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.
In 2004, Trish Stratus was part of a storyline with Chris Jericho, Christian and Lita. The story was that Jericho and Christian made a Loonie ($1 Canadian) bet about who could “hook up” with Trish or Lita first. Trish was developing genuine feelings for Jericho at the time, but when she learned of the bet, she wasn’t happy about it.
All of this led to Jericho facing Christian at WrestleMania 20 in 2004. As expected, Trish made her presence known. It appeared as though she accidentally cost Jericho the win, but later we found out she did it on purpose. She also kissed Christian before making their way backstage to show that Christian definitely “won” in that storyline.
The story turned Trish heel after about three years of being a face while Christian remained a heel and Jericho became a sympathetic face because the girl he desired ended up hooking up with his former friend.
During an appearance on the Getting Over podcast, Trish Stratus explained that there was something completely different planned for that match at WrestleMania 20.
“There are a couple of crazy things. I believe everything happens for a reason. During that storyline, it was supposed to be, the whole beginning of the storyline was for Chris Jericho and I to end up together and we were going to be Trishtopher, and we were this quirky Canadian comedy duo, which people get annoyed with but find endearing. That was supposed to be the whole thing.”
“When Vince came to us, the night of WrestleMania, and said, ‘I think we’re going to change things up. We’re going to have…’ and he explained I would go heel. ‘What? This is so many months of storyline to get to this moment.’ We were excited about it. We thought fans wanted this, and they did, and that’s why he changed it. Fans wanted it so bad, he thought no one ever expected me to turn. For me, personally, it was a great moment and I was able to turn.”
As she continued, Trish Stratus spoke about how the heel turn ended up being a big thing for her career.
“That was the first change that allowed for something positive. Christian ended up getting injured, I hate to say it, it helped my character because I wasn’t a side piece anymore, I was ‘the one.’ It was basically Jericho vs. Trish Stratus. The guys were fighting on my behalf, maybe Tomko would have a match, but the storyline was Trish and Jericho.”
“It allowed me to grow as a heel, work alongside Jericho, who is amazing and I learned so much working in that capacity. It could have been really good, but I think everything happens for a reason. That was my best work as a heel, and my most enjoyable time, for sure. Who knows what it could have been had Christian continued, but it was what it was, and I think it worked out pretty good.”
Looking ahead to this year’s WrestleMania 39 event, Trish Stratus will team up with Lita & Becky Lynch against Bayley, IYO SKY & Dakota Kai in a match taking place on April 1st or April 2nd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.