Trish Stratus Speaks On TNA Knockouts, WWE Divas, Returning, More

The following is an interview conducted by Jason Agnew of Live Audio Wrestling with former WWE Women’s champion Trish Stratus. Catch The LAW every Sunday at 11pm EST on www.liveaudiowrestling.com

Tell us about what you’re doing now, because I’ve heard you’re doing crazy things.

Trish: Oh I’m doing a plethora of crazy things, isn’t that a great word. I am shooting a new travel show, so of course with wrestling I’ve traveled all over the world and never got to see it. You’ve heard that story, la la la. “I went to arenas and airports and hotels.” It’s true but we’ve heard it before. But I get to travel to these exotic locations and do a sport or something that is relevant to the culture and do some sight seeing and yeah it’s my stratosphere. So, Awesome!

And it’s for CTV travel right?

Trish: Yes, and Discovery HD as well.

Awesome. Now tell me about the one particular adventure we have to hear about here because rumors are going around that “Ah, Trish Stratus is wrestling again?” But it wasn’t necessarily what you’re, not necessarily professional wrestling on the show.

Trish: Well it was professional wrestling to the Icelandic folk. Not so much to us. I can give you my spiel, it’s been around since the Viking ages, it’s an international sport, yada yada. But it looks really silly. Maybe possibly some people have seen the footage. So I’m strapped into like belts and then we’re kind of dancing with dancing shoes almost and then we, I mean the takedowns were good. They’re kind of like you know, hip tosses. Not too exciting. But I wasn’t allowed to use my moves, so it was sort of you know, just being thrown around. And yeah, it was interesting. It’s dancing pretty much, kind of, not to, no offence, it’s still a great sport.

We’ve seen Stacy go on and do dancing. You know “Dancing with the Stars” and stuff like that. This is still slightly different though. But what else have you gotten up to for your world tour, because you’re everywhere for this thing. It’s crazy travel and even crazier activities.

Trish: Indeed Jason. Well I was racing reindeer in Norway, which was pretty frickin’ fantastic. I was north of the Arctic Circle and I got pulled by reindeer. I mean that’s pretty crazy and they go fast. About 40 Km an hour I think on skis. Yeah.

Did you fall?

Trish: Zero times did I fall

That’s awesome! Now on the next leg of the tour that you’re just about to do, a lot of combat fighting stuff going on right?

Trish: Yeah well when we were discussing the show, I mean I love adventurous things, but I love to fight, so it’s like “yeah, Trish loves to fight!” but you know I love the, I love the adrenaline rush of it all. So of course when you go to places like Thailand, you have to do Mui Thai kickboxing so yeah and it’s actually funny because about 50 per cent of the activities I’m doing are fighting. So it’s in my blood still. It’s awesome. Like I’m doing stick fighting, which when I advance will you know, lead to the sword fighting. Maybe next season I’ll be sword fighting. But yeah, it’s really awesome and just getting to see these wonderful places. I’m going to be staying at the Himalayas mountains when I’m in India. Pretty amazing.

Now you are just so far departed from the world of wrestling right now, but I was actually surprised to see you back for the 15th anniversary, so why did you make the decision to come back?

Trish: Well because it was the 15th anniversary, and I always said there had to be a great reason for me to come back so it’s different to come back for like a big storyline and have you know, you’re on every week; it has to lead to something. But this was just, you know what it was, it was just a really good feel good moment I think for Lita fans and Trish fans and they could finally hold hands and skip and frolic together, but I mean I felt that too and of course you know Amy and I have been friends for you know, since the beginning. We just, we loved it. We literally spoke about it first. We’re like “Okay, what do you think? Should we do this?” We were sticking to like “this is the way it goes down though” you know, and there’s no swaying and it’s like “what if they try and pull a fast one?” “Okay we won’t go” “Okay good yeah.” And we felt okay with that. But they were good, I mean from the minute they called it was like “whatever you want to do as long as you’re comfortable. It’s a feel good show,” and we kind of put some scenarios together and worked with them and yeah, Amy and I loved it! It was awesome.

Now when I talked to RVD, because he appeared on that show as well, he said you know when he got in there, he did his spot and before he left, there was a bunch of people asking “hey do you want to come back? Are you ready? Are you good to go?” Did you get the same feel from people there? Were people asking questions?

Trish: Not so much. I think just because I’m actually active and doing stuff that’s in motion right now, I mean now I’m putting up a yoga studio, so these things were like, they knew I sort of left to open up another chapter of my life which was travel with my husband. So he’s not coming on my travel show. That didn’t work out, but I’m traveling and they know. For them, they always say that the door’s always open and frankly I mean I still, I look at the scenario and if something, I mean I get asked all the time “would you come back?” I always say, I mean I love it. I love being out there, I love a good story. So unless I’m given one or there’s one that could be, you know, put together, then you know, we’ll see.

Well of course it’s the never say never thing in wrestling right? That’s what everybody says, of course. Are you still watching the product now though? Are you keeping track of anything that’s going on?

Trish: I have not watched per se. But I keep up online and of course I listen to the LAW every Sunday. So yeah, you guys actually keep me updated, but I saw a couple clips here and there and it’s actually a whole other scene. They sort of like, it’s like when you watch the Y and R, right, and you leave and you go back and you find out that Jill and Jack are no longer brother and sister. They found out that they actually could be lovers. It’s like really the same players with a different story and it’s interesting. It really is a soap opera, like “oh it is!”

But if you’ve gotten your fix through listening to the LAW, which you are a loyal listener, then you know after you kind of left the women’s division, it went on, we would say a steady decline or into the s**tter after you left. What do you see happening there in particular? I mean I’m looking at someone like Beth Pheonix, who’s really, you know a good in-ring worker and is in a Playboy mania match at Wrestlemania. Any thoughts on that? Because I think you and her in a match would be much more entertaining than what they’re doing right now.

Trish: Yeah, what is it called “Bunnymania?” Okay, I think there’s a place for it, because particularly there’s a deal with Playboy so there is a place for it and there always will be, but I really think they could always provide the other addition, I mean that’s what I did, I had the women’s storyline going for the women’s championship and then it’s just like Beth is the champion and there’s no women’s championship match and I just boo hoo! I don’t like it! I don’t like one bit Jason! (laughing)

Neither do we, neither do we. But on the flip side though, have you seen any of TNA’s stuff recently?

Trish: Actually I have. I got sent a particular pay per view recently. I thought it was quite amazing. I really enjoyed it. I loved the fact that every girl works and they are going after the girl that works and I think that’s awesome. I really think that they’ve been doing an amazing job over there. Like it’s surprising that sometimes I’m going “wow!” It’s really good to see.

You worked with Gail when she was in the WWE of course. In retrospect, it just looks like a big mistake shipping her over to TNA now, because she’s doing so well there, heading up that division with her and Kong. Was that the match that you saw? Her and Kong?

Trish: Yeah that was, yeah.

What did you think of that match?

Trish: What I love about it was just these distinct characters coming in, with like the crowd knows what to expect from each of them so what happens when they get in the ring and it’s like you know, when I watch WWE and there’s just these people, there’s no, “what’s the reason? What are we in the ring for?” Like there’s none of that anymore and it’s continuously like that in the women’s division, so and it’s the developing storyline and that’s what I see and that’s awesome there.

So never saw never, but right now you got the TV show, but along with that, tell me about the yoga studio because it’s opening up very soon.

Trish: Yes, we are looking end of April. I’m not going to confirm that further but I believe right now, as long as construction goes as it’s going. I’m just excited that I’m finally opening up a place that of course I did yoga, I started doing it with my back injury and I love it and I’m passionate about it and it’s kind of great to do something that you love and you want to do for the rest of your life. Plus I get a place to do yoga now, so it helps me out too. But I’m really excited and I want it to be like this yoga community centre, because people have a misconception about yoga. They think it’s like you know you’re in a pretzel or you like chant and it’s slow and “oh how do you get a workout out of that?” But there’s so many different types of yoga and you can really get I mean it’s so versatile for so many different people and so many different needs. And I’ve built a big lounge so people can come, you know like the Running Room, that store. You can go in and talk to the guy behind the desk and he actually say “oh, buy these shoes and this is how you can run 5K’s.” Well hopefully we can provide that sort of thing for people looking to get into yoga, because I know you want to!

I will be there. I will be bringing the TV show there. I’m looking forward to it. Now will the person behind the desk be you though? Will you be hands on with this?

Trish: Not behind the desk.

Well will you be teaching though? Will you be doing, like teaching yoga there?

Trish: Well I just actually completed my certification, so I’m certified and yeah I think initially I actually went out and my goal was to hire the best top instructors in Toronto, so they’ll be running the show as far as you know keeping, and of course I’m going and I’ll be running my show, aka Stratusphere you know around the world. But yeah, I’ll be practicing every day there and once in a while there’ll be you know, Stratus classes and stuff. Why? You’re just going to come to those ones right?

Well, yes. I will be there. You know hopefully it becomes a life routine like it has for you and you know, I do nothing, look at me, I’m a stick figure.

Trish: I know you are. That’s my point.

You seem concerned.

Trish: I am. Well you start off easy, we’re going to put you through some naked yoga, you know, just to ease into it.

You know, that’s me. I’m down with that.

Trish: You know, obviously, the listeners don’t know this but he’s naked right now and it’s weird, I’ll be honest with you but I mean I’m used to it and you know it’s just stick figure once again so it’s eh whatever, you know what I mean. Yeah.

And with that, we’re good! We are done!