Trish Stratus may have had her final match, but she's glad that she was a part of several of 2018's big events for WWE.
Before WWE Summerslam 2019, Trish had several extended points of inactivity. After originally retiring well over a decade before, Stratus had appeared sporadically. Most recently, she worked the 2018 Royal Rumble, Evolution and an episode of Raw after not wrestling for almost seven years.
In preparing for a showcase match at Summerslam, Stratus told Fightful that she was thankful that her on and off 2018 run happened so she could be better prepared
"I’m actually very glad I had those," Stratus told us. "I don’t know if I could pull this off if I didn’t have those little [spots], like, just for confidence almost, right? Royal Rumble, of course, a few spots here and there, same with a tag match. It’s different from a singles match. I haven’t been in a singles competition for eight years, [and] two children later. But I’m trusting in the process, doing the work, getting in the ring. I’ve lived in the ring for the last few weeks, and working with some really great people. And I’m proud of my body, my body’s like “we got you, kid.” And I’ve just been studying her stuff. Everything is aligning nicely, I have to say."
From a preparation standpoint, Stratus said that the grand stage of a singles match on Summerslam didn't change that much from the tag team affair at Evolution, the battle royal aspect of Royal Rumble 2018, and the various other matches.
"I guess the approach is quite similar as far as I ramp up my yoga. I do a simple 20 minute practice at home, daily. That just keeps me limber and agile, things like that. But, stepping up that process and focusing on, I know it sounds crazy, but things like hip openers and things like that, that’ll help my body perform at what I need to do. And then just honing my craft, and getting in the ring and that’s where the work has been happening -- in the ring," said Stratus.
Stratus remained tight-lipped about how far ahead of Summerslam that she actually found out about her planned match with Charlotte Flair. When speaking to us, she wouldn't budge, saying that the challenge issued by Charlotte was when she knew.
"Well, when did you see Charlotte utter my name first? And the one week we decided to move forward, I was at the cottage that week. Which we do here in Canada, as you know, right? I was doing beach squats with my kid and things like that, so I was doing what I could. I’ve been really pleased with how my body has responded, it’s like for wrestlers, wrestling is like riding a bike I’ve found. It’s kinda cool," said Trish.
You can see our full conversation with Trish Stratus above, and you can get early access to our exclusives, interviews, and get additional podcasts at Fightful Select.
