WWE Evolution About More Than Winning A Championship For Trish Stratus [Exclusive]

Age is nothing but a number and Trish Stratus continues to withstand the test of time.

The WWE Hall of Famer has been dolling out heaping portions of Stratusfaction for 25 years now, and she could be celebrating her milestone anniversary in grand fashion Sunday night by capturing her first WWE Women’s Championship in nearly two decades.

Having already hoisted the gold seven times through out her professional wrestling career, Trish will face reigning title holder Tiffany Stratton in a generational bout at WWE Evolution. But for Stratus, this match is about so much more than adding another belt to her collection.

“It’s about continuing to defy expectations. At this stage in my life and career, people love to ask, ‘Why are you still doing this?’ And my answer is simple: because I can. Passion doesn’t have an expiration date.”

Stratus made her return to WWE this past February when she competed as a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, entering the contest from the very appropriate No. 25 position.

She would go to team with Tiffany Stratton at WWE Elimination Chamber in her hometown of Toronto a month later, picking up a tag team victory against Nia Jax and Candice LeRae nearly a quarter century to the day that she made her WWE debut.

Ahead of her match at Evolution, Trish told the The Takedown on SI that she’s found herself a new purpose for stepping back into ring.

“It’s not just about proving something to the audience or to my opponent – it’s about proving it to myself, and showing my daughter that you don’t have to fit into the box the world tries to put you in. You can evolve, reinvent, and keep showing up, no matter where you are in life.”

Stratus is nearly two years removed from one of the greatest steel cage matches of all time, when Becky Lynch and herself went to war with each other at WWE Payback 2023.

It was a truly incredible performance that any veteran would have been proud to have called their last, even in defeat, but Trish knew deep down that she had more to give the WWE Universe.

“Win, lose, or draw, I want to walk away from this match [at Evolution] with the fans knowing that I gave everything I have – physically, emotionally, spiritually. And if I can inspire even one person to chase their dream a little harder or silence that voice telling them they’re ‘too old’ or ‘past their prime,’ then I’ve already won. It’s not over until you say it’s over.”

Stratus retired as a full-time WWE competitor back in 2006, but has enjoyed multiple brief stints with the company in the years since.

Her most recent stretch of performances began with the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble Match, which was her first time wrestling in nearly seven years up to that point. Several months later, she’d be back as a part of the first ever WWE Evolution at the Nassau Coliseum in New York.

Trish teamed up with her bestie Lita to defeat Mickie James and Alicia Fox on a night she described as empowering, emotional and a little surreal.

The energy of the crowd that night and the camaraderie backstage in the locker room was unlike anything Stratus had ever experienced before in her Hall of Fame career.

“There was definitely this shared feeling, like, ‘We did it.’ Not just the women on that card, but every woman who had laced up boots before us, who fought for more time, more opportunities, more respect. Evolution was a statement. A celebration. And yeah, there was so much hope. You could feel it…. like the beginning of something huge.”

While there is no denying that Trish Stratus significantly helped set the table for this modern era of women’s wrestling to succeed, without the stretch run of the mid-2010’s spearheaded by the likes of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Mercedes Moné, it’s entirely possible that the ‘Thank You Trish’ tour never would have came to be.

“Thinking about it and certainly something I didn’t realize it at the time, but Evolution was maybe the spark for me personally,” Stratus said. “It lit something inside me. In a way, looking back, probably starting with participating in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble, then teaming with my bestie at Evolution – doing that with Amy by my side, it kind of opened the door to everything that I’ve ended up doing in the ring since then.”

The build to this year’s Evolution happened incredibly quickly. Moments after being brought back to SmackDown for the July 4 episode, Stratus was informed that she’d be challenging for the WWE Women’s Championship for the first time in 18 years.

Her response to the news was met with an enthusiastic, “It’s about damn time!”

It also comes at a time when Stratus has been busy on the set of the upcoming feature film Karate Ghost, a movie role that fell into her lap roughly around the same time WWE reached out about Evolution.

Impressively enough, Trish was able to strike the right balance of stunt training, conditioning and recovery that allowed her to commit to both opportunities. All while her kids were off from school for the summer. Super mom powers activated.

Some people are just built different and Stratus has always found that she delivers her best when pressed into difficult situations. And she’ll need to be at her best Sunday night when she steps into the ring with Tiffany Stratton.

“What’s been so cool for me is seeing a little bit of myself in Tiffany’s journey. I was there during her first WrestleMania season, leading up to Elimination Chamber, and even back then, you could tell she had something special. But what I’ve seen since then is real growth – not just as a performer, but as a woman finding her voice in this business.”

The comparisons between Stratus and Stratton are easy to draw. Both women were thrust into the national spotlight at a young age and both were able to navigate through a sea of detractors and doubters to reach the top of their respective divisions in short order.

“I remember that pressure – having to go out there night after night and prove you do belong. And that’s exactly what Tiffany’s been doing. She’s showing the world that she’s not just style, she’s substance.”

Watching Tiffany evolve into the confident WWE Women’s Champion that she’s become over the past several months has reminded Trish of the hunger that she once had at Stratton’s age. You know, back when Stratus was the star of all those VHS tapes.

Yes Tiffany, that comment struck a nerve for those of us who bought those tapes as well.

Regardless, Trish Stratus recognizes that Tiffany Stratton is not just stepping into the spotlight, but she’s completely owning it. And she’s excited to join her there Sunday night at Evolution.

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