Reviews

TJR WWE Network Table for 3 Review with Trish Stratus, Lita and Alexa Bliss

TJR Wrestling

This episode of Table for 3 is called “Future Empowered” featuring Trish Stratus, Lita and Alexa Bliss with a run time of 23:00 on WWE Network. It was taped during WrestleMania weekend and added to WWE Network on July 9. The three women were seated alone in a restaurant with Trish on the left, Alexa in the middle and Lita on the right.

Note: The last episode was posted featuring The Hardy Boyz and Edge/Christian in late May with my review here. I don’t know why there was such a gap between new episodes, but here we are.

They started talking about rubber bands they wear on the wrist at the start for some reason, which led to some laughter.

Lita pointed out the last time they were all together was the Royal Rumble even though Alexa Bliss was at ringside watching the match. Bliss said she wishes she was in the match. Bliss said she got cold chills (goosebumps?) when Lita’s entrance hit and she made her entrance. Bliss said she had cold chills for Trish’s entrance and when Stratus was eliminated by Sasha Banks, Stratus crawled in front of her with Bliss saying that they had a private moment. Lita joked that she was given a devastating blow by Kairi Sane in the match and Charles Robinson was there to check on her. Lita joked like “what the hell man?” She laughed that she was okay.

Bliss talked about how she always wanted the women to headline a WrestleMania and to have a big battle royal like a Royal Rumble. Bliss claimed that the women’s revolution started before the Four Horsewomen with the bra and panty matches and the two second matches (a clip aired of a short match with Layla pinning a Bella Twin). Bliss said if those didn’t happen we wouldn’t have the revolution we have now. Bliss said we need a battle royal type match and then we have that moment, but she wasn’t even in it. Lita talked about how that’s only because Bliss was the champion. Bliss said it was cool to watch it back and take it all in. Stratus said that she hasn’t been around it for a while and said that the work that the current women have done is why this match was happening.

The discussion turned to their main event match on Raw. Bliss knew it was on Raw. Stratus asked Bliss where it was, but she didn’t know. Lita noted that she knew where it was because it was Charlotte because Charlotte Flair was in the crowd. There was a video of Charlotte Flair in the crowd. Stratus said this was the most epic match of their entire career, but they didn’t know what to wear. They talked about how they had worn outfits at live events, but they weren’t sure what to wear. The match was the main event of the December 6, 2004 edition of Raw. Stratus said they put on their live event/house show stuff and it was fine. Highlights aired of Lita winning the match and the Women’s Title with a moonsault. Stratus said that outfit of hers ended up on an action figure.

They talked about wardrobe malfunctions. Settle down, boys. Bliss said she is always double reinforced. Bliss said she has support straps underneath so if the top ones go undone then nothing would happen. Bliss said she wrestled in the Freddy Krueger gear once and the top fell off, but the strap was in her hair. Eventually, she got it sorted after she got backstage. Lita had a story about a building that had media and she couldn’t find the flusher on a toilet. It was a bidet that wet her shirt all over. It was TV, so she went out there with her shirt all wet. No story from Trish about that, I guess.

Bliss said that work is her happy place and when she comes home, that’s when the stress hits. Stratus said that’s why she picked up yoga. Stratus talked about how they traveled with DVD players and she found one that got her into yoga. Stratus said it was something else for her body that helped. Bliss talked about downloading meditation apps because they help her relax. Stratus said you’re constantly thinking about matches and what you’re going to do on TV.

Lita asked about Bliss’ pet pig Larry Steve. Bliss called her the “love of her life.” Bliss said that he weighs about 35 pounds now. Bliss described her pig and the everyday life of her pig. She said that the pig likes baths. Bliss said that the pig is deaf, so she sprinkles Cheerios to help him take a bath. Bliss noted that the pig is obsessed with food, he knows he is eachother and he sleeps in the bed with her sometimes. Bliss said when she got Larry Steve she went complete vegetarian. Bliss told the story of Nia Jax trying to feed the pig bacon and a clip aired of that scene on Total Divas. Bliss said she couldn’t do it and she can’t eat meat. Bliss said she’ll show Stratus baby pictures of Larry Steve. Thrilling.

Analysis: This was the weirdest discussion I’ve ever seen on a Table for 3 show.

Stratus talked about how in her fitness days, she would cut her food and eat every three hours. Stratus claimed she was notorious for keeping lipstick on for an entire meal. Bliss claimed it was her first time eating with lipstick on. Lita said it’ll be fine like wrestling.

Bliss talked about her bikini fitness modeling days. Stratus said that she was about to do it, but then she signed with Muscle Magazine and then going to WWE after that. Bliss said she had just finished bodybuilding, she got her pro card and she wanted to do something else. Bliss noted her trainer said that WWE was having a tryout, so she cut an audition promo. The promo aired during the Table for 3 broadcast.

The promo showed clips of doing a promo saying she had “baby swag” while also modeling a bikini. She said if any diva tries to mess with her, there will be a serious throwdown. Bliss noted that she got a call saying that she got a callback. Bliss was sent to Los Angeles for a day with all these models and then she ended up making it.

Lita told her story about how she took martial arts. She went down to Mexico, she tried to figure out how to do it and she sat outside an ECW show. She said she sat outside one day, they let her in and Tommy Dreamer watched her have a five-minute match. That led to her getting into ECW. A clip aired of Lita as Miss Congeniality in 1999.

Bliss said she had no idea there was indy wrestling or that there were other places you could try. She said when she watched WWE they just became WWE superstars. She noted that Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey the trainer at the Performance Center) noted that some people come from indies, but some come from bodybuilding, fitness and elsewhere. Bliss said it’s crazy to see how their backgrounds are so different, but they are able to end up in the same place loving WWE. Lita said that everybody has a learning curve, but it’s really cool to see people hit their stride. Stratus said that everybody has that moment where they make it.

Lita spoke about the Four Horsewomen in NXT (Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch) and she remembered talking to Bliss about wondering why she wasn’t in that conversation. Lita said it’s really made her happy watching Bliss take off. Lita said who cares where her name was in that conversation because of where she is now.

Stratus said that everybody’s background is what makes them all unique. That’s why it was so cool when they had the 30-woman Royal Rumble and fans can relate to them whether it’s one or more. Lita talked about how cool it is to be a bonding force for a family.

The show ended with the women eating their salads while trying not to mess up their lipstick. That was it after 23 minutes.

Final Thoughts

The episode was okay. I like all the women, but there wasn’t as much laughter or funny stories here as there have been in other episodes of Table for 3. A discussion about lipstick staying on while eating? A pet pig? I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s not that interesting.

With all due respect to Bliss, I think the convo would have been better if Mickie James was involved since she’s a current women’s star that worked with Trish and Lita as well. They likely would have had better stories to tell too. This reminded me of the Jeff Jarrett, Road Dogg and Elias episode where Elias seemed so out of place compared to the other two since they were from a different era. A lot of this felt like an interview of Bliss with Stratus and Lita asking questions. I know that it’s about WWE wanting to have a current star join former stars. It doesn’t make it a better show, though. I would have rather heard some funnier stories from Stratus and Lita.

I thought it was odd when Bliss said she didn’t know about independent wrestling before she tried out with WWE. Really? Most casual wrestling fans would know about indy wrestling, so for her to claim she didn’t know about it is peculiar.

My gripes are minor because it was a fun show that was easy to get through. I like all three women a lot (Trish the most) and you could tell they had a fun experience. Table for 3 is an easy show to watch.

That’s all for now. Check out the Table for 3 archive here because we have reviewed nearly every episode. I’ll be back for more when the next episode gets posted.