Trish never joined the WWF with the intention of becoming a wrestler. Her very first appearances revolved around her acting as a valet for Test and Albert. She would always accompany them to ringside, occasionally interfering in matches, but staying away from the more physical side of the business. Before joining the WWF, Trish had been a successful fitness model appearing in numerous muscle magazines, and thus it would seem appropriate if she was nothing more than a piece of eye-candy to grace our screens for a limited amount of time. She joined the company toward the end of the ‘Attitude’ era and the WWF had relatively recently said goodbye to the likes of Sunny and Sable, both women who largely filled the T & A role. Thus Trish’s racy lingerie table segments were to be expected, as well as enjoyed, with the belief that she would not be around for long. However, when a few shows later she was put through a table it soon became apparent that Trish was destined for a slightly different stay in the WWF.

A few more shows down the line and Trish competed in her first proper wrestling match. Admittedly she was part of a tag team who did the bulk of the fighting and carried the match, but this cannot detract from the fact that she got in the ring and got physical with Lita. Many of her early matches revolved around basic hair pulling and slapping. Soon Trish began to utilise the bulldog and it was not long after that she began to attempt suplexes and her repertoire began to expand noticeably. Considering her early choice of moves, it is thus perhaps not surprising that the simple bulldog and variations of it would become her finishing move for a number of years. This evolution in terms of her wrestling ability was however fuelled by her own desire to improve herself and to become at least competent in the ring. Had Trish become simply as good as Torrie Wilson in the ring, then many of us would not have been surprised, but at the same time would respect her for at least having tried.

The women of the WWF and later WWE train extensively with people such as Fit Finley who teach them how to handle themselves in the ring. Trish also put in extensive training sessions with technically brilliant wrestlers such as Dean Malenko. Trish’s desire to excel and improve is what made her ask to be put through the table by Bubba Dudley, taking the full brunt of the impact herself, and also what made her quickly rise above the ranks of so many wanna-be wrestling Divas. For a time it appeared that Trish would be on a par with Torrie Wilson and Stephanie McMahon, but after putting in innumerable hours backstage, the results began to pay off, and she would only be booked against these Divas in gimmick matches, rather than fully fledged wrestling matches.

Trish’s success is largely down to her determination to be remembered as a wrestler, rather than just as another pretty face, but also due to several other factors. It would be naïve to think that Trish’s looks had no part to play in her achievements thus far. They are what gave her the break in the first place, and carried her on when her wrestling abilities were frankly appalling. Trish’s progression over the years into generally wearing more conservative clothing is a good indicator of a falling reliance upon her looks to get her by. Where a short skirt and low-cut top were once the key to winning the crowd’s support, her wrestling ability has now taken over. This is not to say that Trish does not still flaunt her looks, and this is unsurprising as she is still regarded by many to be one of the most attractive Divas out there, but she has now also come to realise that a bra and panties aren’t necessarily the most practical things to wrestle in.

For all of the bad things that can be said about the WWF/WWE, they were not stupid when it came to realising the marketing potential of Trish Stratus. Barely weeks into her career she was promoting the Postcards from the Caribbean video that she had recently taken part in. the company realised that they had a very attractive blonde amongst their ranks, and there was a strong chance they could make a large amount of money out of her. Demand for her merchandise grew, the better she became in the ring. People began to see her more as a credible wrestler, rather than a beautiful one-trick pony rolled out as eye candy. Evidence for the success in the sale of her merchandise can clearly be seen in the existence of her own DVD. She joins the ranks of Sable, Chyna and Lita in this regard; who I’m sure you’ll agree have all been important Divas in the history of the WWF/WWE during their respective careers. Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler may indeed be popular, but as yet do not have their own programs made about them. The production of a DVD in Trish’s honour is a reflection upon the amount of time and effort that Trish has been willing to pump into her career and the company’s means by which to recognise this fact.

Although many may consider Trish to be nothing more than another buxom blonde, it is important to remember that she has some very unique selling points, and these may also go some way in explaining her success in terms of marketability. Trish quite obviously works out and has a good looking body, but her body shape can probably be best described as average. She has stayed away from the large, muscular frame that both Tori and Chyna had, and has also prevented herself from looking as ridiculously thin as Stacy Keibler for instance. Instead she has stuck to a middle path that best suits her body type and also makes her more attractive to a wider audience. Whereas a limited number of men may find Chyna attractive for instance, the vast majority will find the regular, more ‘normal’ appearance of Trish appealing.

Despite having retained the body of a fitness model, she is still able to carry her weight around the ring. Trish quite literally is the perfect mix between brawn and beauty. Looking at her, you may not think it, but she has quite happily thrown around the likes of Lita, Ivory, and Christy Hemme in the ring. By no means are these Divas the heavyweights in the division, but neither are they the lightest. Trish’s obvious strength has not been translated into an overly muscular physique, and it is this that allows her to be both a good wrestler, and an incredible model at the same time.

Adopting a more cynical approach to the length of her career thus far, it could also easily be argued that once again her looks have played a part. On WWF/WWE television, one Diva accusing another of sleeping her way to the top has become par for the course. I am not for a minute suggesting that Trish or anyone else has done any such thing, but there is strong evidence suggesting that wrestling ability alone is not the sole factor in deciding an individual’s future in the business. In recent years, the WWE has said goodbye to Molly Holly, Gail Kim, Jazz and Nidia. What makes these women particularly noteworthy is the fact that none of them possessed the instant marketability of someone like Trish. Like Chyna these Divas had relatively niche followings. With the exception of perhaps Nidia (who in fairness was doing her best to improve her game) all of the mentioned women were accomplished wrestlers, but lacked the universally accepted idea of ‘good looks’. Realistically very few people were excited when it was revealed that Jazz would be appearing in a swimsuit magazine along with the rest of the Divas. To say she was wholly repulsive would be unnecessarily harsh, but her looks did require an acquired taste. However, there is no doubting her prowess in the ring. Technically on a par with the likes of Molly Holly, but with the power of women such as Chyna, Jazz was a fearsome and unique wrestler, having many incredible matches during her stay with the WWE. Gail Kim who was with the company for a relatively short time was also no stranger to the squared circle, but like Jazz lacked the kind of mainstream fan base enjoyed by Trish. Both Nidia and Molly Holly (particularly toward the end of her WWE career) had a larger number of people finding them attractive, but still not enough to set sales figures of their merchandise alight. Molly Holly is arguably the best technical female wrestler out there, and Nidia was doing her best to better herself in the ring, but even this was not enough to save them. At the same time, Divas such as Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler remain, who offer little more than a bit of T & A every now and again.

Trish as mentioned before has the right balance between beauty and wrestling ability, but considering all that has just been said, there is the strong likelihood that her continued employment with the WWE can be attributed to her physical appearance. If this is not convincing enough, then consider the two RAW Diva searches. These have made a point of choosing girls based upon looks alone, and at times actively discriminating against those who expressed a desire to wrestle during the early stages of the contest. The WWE is currently hell-bent on sacrificing the long-term future of its Women’s Division for a bit of easily forgettable T & A now. Women such as Summer Delin, in the current Diva Search, may indeed be attractive but will almost certainly never step into the ring and help improve women’s wrestling in the WWE.

Trish’s abilities are not simply limited to an ever-improving wrestling ability, but also to an impressive range of microphone skills, as well as a genuine and interesting personality. Trish is by no means the best female wrestler out there. She may be one of the most solid and capable of putting in a good match despite difficult conditions, but in terms of technical ability, she still has some way to go. For a large part of her career, her in-ring skills were poor to average, but with definite signs of improvement and potential. Had she been fired, many would have considered it to have little effect upon the quality of wrestling on offer in the women’s division at that time.

It was her ability to cut a good promo, and to hold her own, on the mic, in the ring by herself, that helped to set her apart. Simply being able to turn up to a match, make a relatively good go of it and then head for the back, is not enough to secure a long career. Being able to provide a convincing context to it is however. What has made some of Trish and Lita’s epic battles most exciting has been the events leading up to it backstage and on the microphone as well as the actual in-ring competition. Trish can now hold a promo for as long as many of her male counterparts, something more or less unheard of when her career began.

Trish has helped to define what being a women’s wrestler in the WWE is all about. Despite several shaky early attempts on the microphone, she persevered and has become as skilled linguistically as she has physically. Chyna may have helped lead the way for women’s wrestling in the WWF, but Trish has helped expand this role to encompass everything that is expected of the male superstars as well. This is both good and bad, it means that we the fans demand a better calibre of women’s wrestler now, and are thus sometimes rewarded, but it also means that the likes of Christy Hemme and Candice Michelle now fall woefully below the mark. Had they debuted at the same time as Trish, they may have been tolerable, but now they are nothing more than attractive annoyances eating up money that could be better spent on real women’s wrestlers. I know this is a particular favourite subject of mine, but the amount of money currently being spent on the RAW Diva Search, could employ three of four quality female wrestlers, such as April Hunter, for at least a couple of years. I can almost guarantee that this kind of move would be far more welcomed and appreciated and boost ratings higher, than bringing in yet another batch of bimbos.

Trish also has an interesting and unique personality. Although this statement may in itself be a cliché, it is nonetheless justifiable when you compare her to the likes of Torrie Wilson who has all the charisma of a wet dish cloth. Trish has been equally impressive as a face and heel during her time in the company. For almost two years, following her feud with Stephanie McMahon, Trish had been a face character. Many wrestlers would have grown tired of this kind of angle, and would have lost the ability to work the crowd, but Trish did not. Trish was able to keep the fans interested and there was almost a feeling of resentment when she initially became a heel character. This was soon replaced however, by a newly found love for the bitchier, rougher side of her character, which was now capable of quickly turning a crowd against her.

It is rare that a wrestler can excel both as a face and as a heel. Victoria’s recent run as a face was largely met with apathy. When however she returned to being a heel, the crowd was once again fully behind her. Trish has worked hard at her in-ring persona, but at the same time, a lot of what we see in her, is reality, and not simply conjured up for the cameras. This makes things easier for her, but at the same time makes her more endearing and believable. It is thus little wonder that her fans love her regardless of her desire to be a face or heel.

Before I draw this piece to a conclusion, it is also important to consider that there are finer points about the wrestling craft, easily overlooked and ignored. The ability to react to an opponent’s situation is crucial to creating a good match. If an opponent kicks you in the chest, it is only logical that you grab your chest in pain and not your foot. Trish has never made such glaringly obvious mistakes, largely because she has always remained alert to what her opponent is doing.

At New Year’s Revolution for instance, during her match with Lita in which she injured her knee, Trish was quick to latch onto Lita’s predicament and react accordingly. Trish worked the crowd more so than usual, appealing to them and questioning the referee’s decisions, all the while giving the injured Lita time to recover. Furthermore, she always allowed Lita to make the first move when executing moves that could affect her knee. Rather than drag her to her feet, she allowed Lita time to stand up, and then focused her attacks on other body parts, only focusing on the knee to finish her off. Other less skilled wrestlers, such as Christy Hemme would fail to consider this sort of action, and it is this that consistently makes their efforts laughable when compared to women such as Lita, Trish, or Victoria. Trish has truly mastered the art of wrestling, and is perhaps the best true female wrestler to have ever stepped into a WWE ring.

The mere mention of Trish’s name nowadays conjures up images of a beautiful, but talented young woman. Her name has become synonymous with someone that has worked hard to become a proper female wrestler; not simply another pretty face who has tried her hand at the sport. Trish Stratus is respected by her peers and the fans and has become symbolic of how anything is possible if you try hard enough. Looking back at Trish’s fitness pictures from five years ago, it is almost impossible to believe that she would later become arguably the most successful and best female wrestler to have ever stepped into a WWE ring. Other Divas may be more skilled in the ring, but Trish is the total package combining good looks, athleticism, technical ability, and above all originality. Trish may be just another blonde, but unlike the hordes out there, she has not solely used her looks to get by. Trish has worked hard to reach the position she is in now, and the WWE owes it to her to offer her the best possible competition. Trish has proved a worthwhile investment for the company, and it is now time that the WWE invests in her career. More quality female wrestlers are desperately needed in the RAW Women’s Division; otherwise all of Trish’s hard work thus far may have been for nothing. Trish has come too far to simply be used for T & A again, and thus there is a need for a return to real women’s wrestling. Trish has persevered to overcome numerous difficulties in her career, but it could all sadly go to waste if the WWE fails to take the women’s division seriously. Trish owes much of her success to the former supportive nature of the company, and it is this attitude that now needs to be reverted to, to allow a fresh breed of exciting, new female wrestlers to step into the ring and rekindle the interest in women’s wrestling.