Perhaps more than any other performer, Trish Stratus helped change the way women's wrestling is perceived.
DAZN looks at the career accomplishments of the Canadian superstar.
Who is Trish Stratus?
Trish Stratus didn't take the typical route to professional wrestling stardom.
Born Patricia Stratigeas a week before Christmas 1975 in Toronto, Stratus had a fairly normal upbringing in the Canadian metropolis, excelling in various sports but focused on a non-athletic post-school career. A chance meeting with a magazine publisher in her early 20s changed Stratus' trajectory and she became a fitness model, which afforded her media opportunities that weren't previously there.
Stratus' love of wrestling led to frequent apperances on a local radio show dedicated to the sport. These spots combined with her modelling helped gain the attention of the WWE, which signed Stratus to a contract in late 1999.
After a few months learning the (literal) ropes of the business, Stratus made her WWE TV debut as a valet for Prince Albert and compatriot Test in March 2000. Working as a heel, Stratus frequently took bumps from opposing wrestlers, eventually leading to her in-ring debut in June of that year.
It didn't take long before Stratus was part of the women's title picture, as she competed for the then-WWF Women's Championship on numerous occasions before the year's end.
Despite getting over as a title contender, it wasn't until Survivor Series 2001 that Stratus, who had turned face, won ger first Women's Championship. She lost the title to Jazz a few months later, but actually won the WWE Hardcore Championship for a brief period on May 6, 2002 before recapturing the women's belt later that month.
Stratus continued atop the women's division for several years until her first retirement from the business in September 2006, the same month she got married to her longtime boyfriend.
Despite withdrawing from the full-time roster, Stratus was never too far away from WWE TV, appearing in non-wrestling and in-ring roles sporadically throughout the next decade. It was during this period that she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, although her continued work for the company may have made the induction premature.
Stratus fully stepped away from the WWE in 2019 as she focused her attention on non-wrestling ventures and raising her young family.
Then, in 2022, Stratus returned from her three-year hiatus to rejoin WWE on a full-time basis, and she continues to work for the company as one its top heels.
What championships has Trish Stratus held in wrestling?
WWE
WWE Hardcore Championship (1 time)
WWE Women's Championship (7 times)