WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus isn’t putting a timetable on the end of her in-ring career, but she does have one firm condition for continuing to wrestle: she must still be capable of performing at 100%.
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Stratus was asked how much longer she sees herself competing and whether she has a specific number of years in mind.
Rather than setting an age or deadline for herself, Stratus explained that the quality of her performances will ultimately determine when it is time to stop. “I don’t know. I just know that I’m only gonna do it if I can give 100%. Every time I’ve gone back, I’ll watch the video and I’m like, is this sh*t? Let me see. I’m like, oh, it’s pretty good. But if I watch it back and I’m like, she was slower than usual, I don’t want it. I want to give you guys like my 100%. I don’t want you be like, no [it’s not good].”
Stratus has remained selective about her WWE appearances since initially stepping away from full-time competition. Before committing to a return, she makes a point of determining whether she can still perform at the standard she expects of herself.
She recalled receiving the call to participate in WWE’s first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match in 2018. Although the historic nature of the event made the opportunity appealing, Stratus did not immediately accept.
Instead, she got back into the ring first to make sure she could still deliver. “When I say due diligence, I remember I got the call for the 2018 Royal Rumble. First ever, historic, and they called me. It was John Laurinaitis. He was like, okay, they want you in it. It’s iconic. It’s historic, and I was like, I will let you know. I’m gonna check my calendar. I got in the ring and then I was like, yes, I am available, John. I just wanted to make sure that I could still do it.”
That experience reassured Stratus that the instincts developed throughout her wrestling career had not disappeared despite spending significant time away from regular competition.
However, she made clear that familiarity alone is not enough to convince her to keep returning. “It turns out that wrestling’s like riding a bike when you’re a wrestler, I guess, or when you do yoga. I don’t know. But I’m not going to do it half-assed. I’m not giving you a cool 60. I want to give you 100% and make sure it’s impactful and it means something, and I’m good.”
Stratus’ comments suggest there is no predetermined retirement date for her latest chapter in WWE. Instead, the seven-time Women’s Champion intends to evaluate each opportunity individually, both in terms of whether she can physically deliver and whether the appearance has enough meaning to justify another return.
As long as she believes she can perform at the level fans expect from Trish Stratus, the door remains open. Once she feels she can no longer give that 100%, however, she has no interest in continuing simply for the sake of another appearance.
