WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus has had an incredible in-ring career, on and off for over 25 years. Having debuted as a heel back in 2000, she held the then WWE Women’s Championship for a record 445 days back in 2005 and into 2006, before dropping the title to her nemesis, Mickie James at WrestleMania 22, and is considered one of the best to ever to it by many in the women’s locker room, then and now. When it was her turn to be inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2013, she chose Stephanie McMahon (this year’s Hall of Fame class 2026) to do the honors at the ceremony.

Fast forward and April’s WrestleMania 42 week in Las Vegas, Michael Fairman TV had a reunion with Trish for this very special interview. For when Trish started in the WWE, Fairman was working as a writer/producer for ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown’ and as told in their discussion, recalled how he worked with an upstart Stratus to help her learn her lines for her promos and more. Now two and half decades later, we caught up at Trish’s WrestleMania 42 pop up at Flankers at Mandalay Bay entitled First Crush by Trish Stratus. Trish had created an immersive experience for wrestling fans, Trish fans, and offered on stage Q&A’s with special guests and much more.

Backstage, she sat down with us to take a trip down memory lane, share her picks for WrestleMania 42 in the top women’s bouts (see if she predicted, correctly!) and talked some of her greatest moments. opponents. and friendships in the ring and out, plus what keeps getting her to come back when she has already accomplished so much in her iconic career.

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TO SINK OR SWIM IN THE WWE

Trish shared on being a rookie in WWE with little to no experience, explaining, “I was thrown right into it. I was a fan of wrestling, watching it, enjoying it. Started to dabble into fitness modeling. So suddenly, I was kind of a public figure all of a sudden. Modeling is very different than actually speaking. They (WWE) literally threw me into the water and it was like sink or swim. The wrestling was one thing and they threw me out there for my first couple matches. Most people come up in the independent wrestling circuits. I had done some wrestling, but it was foundational kind of stuff. It wasn’t like performance yet and they gave me my first promo and I was the green one.

In the world of pro wrestling its all about getting the moment to prove yourself and making something out of it, Trish did just that when she became the beautiful manager/wrestler of the late Test and Albert, and suddenly they were known as .. yup … you remember … ‘T and A.”

BAD GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

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Stratus recalled, “I was sitting backstage waiting for them to find the storyline. I remember just chilling actually with Lilian Garcia (then the ring announcer.) We bonded right away. She was my little bestie. I was on the road for a couple weeks in a row and, and then finally they came to me like, ‘Today’s the day. … we’re putting you out there.’ So, there I was with Test and Albert, otherwise known as T-and-A … get it! Those were the days of the double entendres. We were told we were bad guys, and we had to flesh out our characters.   had to get people to boo me right off the bat.”

“I love being a heel” Stratus said passionately. However, when she comes out of retirement or makes special appearances, or comes back for a lengthy storyline she prefaces it with, “The thing for me to come back to the business for a little while means leaving my kids. I have to make sure that it checks all the boxes, right? I want be challenged as a performer, number one. I want to make sure I’m coming back and giving back to the businesses. Not just being self-serving.  So, when I can check those boxes, it’s exciting, and makes it fun to come back.”

BECKY LYNCH AND MICKIE JAMES

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Trish revealed her favorite WrestleMania moments through the years and her perfect opponents; the women she feels she created magic with in the ring. “When I returned in 2023, we had done the babyface come back. I’ve come back and they’re cheered me and they’re excited to see me. Nobody expected that, and that’s what I love doing. I love the unexpected. I was working with Becky Lynch.  I knew she was the perfect babyface to be a bitch to and to turn on; bringing in the bestie so that I could turn on her with all those years of history, that’s juicy to me. I love it.”

As to her WrestleMania match resume, it was an easy pick fo Stratus, “I’m going to do with Mickie James WrestleMania 22. We like to call us the hashtag ‘longest rivalry in history.’ Becky Lynch and I might have rivaled that rivalry just because we did have a lot. But, I’m all about the stories, and to make sure there’s a meaning behind it. I want to foreshadow a little. I want to understand what my character’s thinking when I go into this. We had the fans captivated. I think at WrestleMania 22, with the way the crowd reacted and the way they were so invested in our storyline, I feel like we got them.”

Proud of what she and Mickie accomplished, Trish added, “They were like, ‘the women can hold a crowd, like the men can.’ I think that was like the moment we kind of had arrived. I have to say the Jazz/Trish stuff, the Victoria/Trish stuff, this is all stuff that planted the seeds. Mickie James and I, right there at WrestleMania, and we’re talking about a WrestleMania moment. I’m also going to give a shout out to WrestleMania 19 with Jazz and Victoria and Steven Richards … who took the best Stratusfaction I’ve ever seen!”

THE STACKED WWE CURRENT WOMEN’S ROSTER

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While WrestleMania 42 is in the record books, we asked the Hall of Famer, her picks for the key women’s championship title match-upsbetween: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan, AJ Lee vs. Becky Lee, and Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley as you will see below in our video chat.

Trish went three for three and had nothing but high praise for all six of the women who laid it all on the line less than two weeks ago at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Now below, watch this exclusive conversation with Trish Stratus. For more WrestleMania 42 week interviews, make sure to check them out on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Let us know, have you been a fan of Trish through her years in the WWE? Do you agree with her favorite WrestleMania moment with Mickie James? What has been your favorite match and story in Trish’s in-ring career? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

When AJ Lee stepped back into a WWE ring after ten years over eight months ago, it was earth-shattering pro wrestling and pop culture news. The pop she received in Chicago, where she resides with her husband and hometown hero, WWE superstar, CM Punk, was deafening inside the United Center back on the September 5 episode of SmackDown.

Fast-forward to a week and a half ago and on April 18, Lee was featured in a rematch with Becky Lynch for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 42 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Now, on Tuesday, April 28, AJ took to her Instagram and reflected on returning to WrestleMania after 11 years, working with Lynch, and being in the Women’s locker room again with so many WWE superstars. Lee’s message seemed to indicate that she is taking a hiatus and would be off television and WWE programming.

Photo: WWE

Lee (who is also know as AJ Mendez) is also a mental health advocate, openly discussed her battles with bipolar disorder, depression and even an event where she considered taking her own life, when she appeared on an important episode of Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital) You Tube series, State of Mind, back in 2021. AJ continues to spread the word about taking care of oneself and your inner being. She has written a book entitled, Crazy Is My Superpower to help others.

AJ LEE REFLECTIONS ON HER RETURN

In her look-back at the last 8 months and appearing at WrestleMania 42, Lee shared, “Allow me to be sappy and then forget this ever happened. Rebecca, you’re selfless, hilarious, and pure joy to spar with. Thank you for keeping me safe and making me better. Jess, thank you for being a true partner in our matches and always calming my anxiety. Carla and Aoife, I fell in love with wrestling again by seeing it through your eyes. I’m so proud to be a teeny part of your journey. You’re way cooler and more talented than I ever was. But I still have to kick your asses one day. Pam, you’re the undisputed GOAT. Thank you for going out of your way to help me train, to make every show so f’ing fun, and for healing my jaded heart. To all the women in the locker room, I admire and respect you so damn much. You are my wildest dreams for women’s wrestling come true. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and supported and dealing with my obnoxiously loud laugh.”

AJ LEE LIGHTS IT UP ACCOMPANIED BY LITTLE AJ’S AT WRESTLEMANIA

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For those who were lucky enough to be at WrestleMania 42, Lee’s entrance was one of the most memorable of the weekend, when she appeared along with a bunch of little girls all dressed just like her!

As she signed off for now, AJ ended her post with “To my AJ Leegion, my mania entrance was a love letter to you, and to every girl who will become her own superhero. Thank you for supporting me for two decades, selling out my merchandise, giving me record-setting views, and making Converse a small fortune with your AJ cosplay. Your passion kept me coming back. Stay weird, see you soon.”

Now below, check out AJ Lee’s entrance from WrestleMania 42, her episode of State of Mind, and then let us know via the comment section, have you loved seeing AJ back in the WWE? Hope he returns in the near future? Let us know!

 

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In yet another move by WWE and TKO to expand the reach and availability for their upstart brand NXT, which features the newest talent and brightest up and coming superstars. today they have announced that The CW Network will now air all of NXT’s Premium Live Events (PLE’s).

Currently, The CW is the exclusive home for NXT weekly television episodes every Tuesday night. In the rights deal announced on Tuesday, April 28, the PLE deal begins with the The Great American Bash later this summer plus other standouts including Stand and Deliver, Deadline, and Vengeance Day along the way.

“WWE NXT has energized our Tuesday nights by consistently delivering a loyal and passionate fanbase to The CW every week,” said Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. “Adding WWE NXT Premium Live Events to our schedule is a natural fit, providing one broadcast destination for audiences to watch all their favorite Superstars, storylines and championship matches.”

Photo: WWE

“The CW has played an integral role in raising the profile of our up-and-coming Superstars, and we are excited to bring NXT Premium Live Events to broadcast television for the first time ever,” said Shawn Michaels, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.

Previously, the CW entered a five-year deal with WWE in October 2024 to bring NXT to broadcast television for the first time in the show’s history. Its broadcast television debut delivered the largest audience for the program since October 2023 and was The CW’s #1 telecast of the year among adults 25-54 and 18-49.

As the exclusive home of NXT, The CW airs 52 live weekly events throughout the season every Tuesday night from 8-10 pm ET/PT. NXT programming features a stacked roster including NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo and NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice.

Launched by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, NXT has aired weekly since 2012. In fact, several of this biggest names in the business developed their skills in NXT including: Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch.

Recently, The CW has showcased the rise of several ascending WWE Superstars, including Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, Je’Von Evans, and Sol Ruca, who all are now on the WWE main rosters of Monday Night Raw or Friday Night SmackDown.

Earlier this morning, WWE Hall of Famer and the man in charge of NXT, Shawn Michaels, dropped the news on his official Instagram account. You can check it out below.

• So, what do you think of The CW being the official home come this summer to all NXT PLE’s? Will you be now checking them out? Let us know via the comment section.

 

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