Trish Stratus: Vince McMahon Changed WrestleMania 20 Plans Because Fans Wanted Me With Chris Jericho

Trish Stratus reflects on turning heel at WrestleMania 20 in Madison Square Garden. 

While Trish Stratus is seen as one of the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time and one of the most decorated WrestleMania competitors in the history of WWE’s women’s division, Trish was in the middle of a Canadian love triangle in 2004 and at the center of a rivalry between Chris Jericho and Christian. 

During a recent appearance on the Getting Over podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer reflected on that storyline and revealed that she was never supposed to turn heel and align herself with Christian. Instead, she and Christian Jericho were supposed to become a quirky couple known as “Trishtopher.”

“There are a couple of crazy things. I believe everything happens for a reason. During that storyline, it was supposed to be, the whole beginning of the storyline was for Chris Jericho and I to end up together and we were going to be Trishtopher, and we were this quirky Canadian comedy duo, which people get annoyed with but find endearing,” Trish said. “That was supposed to be the whole thing. When Vince came to us, the night of WrestleMania, and said, ‘I think we’re going to change things up. We’re going to have…’ and he explained I would go heel. ‘What? This is so many months of storyline to get to this moment.’ We were excited about it. We thought fans wanted this, and they did, and that’s why he changed it. Fans wanted it so bad, he thought no one ever expected me to turn. For me, personally, it was a great moment and I was able to turn.

“That was the first change that allowed for something positive,” she continued. “Christian ended up getting injured, I hate to say it, it helped my character because I wasn’t a side piece anymore, I was ‘the one.’ It was basically Jericho vs. Trish Stratus. The guys were fighting on my behalf, maybe Tomko would have a match, but the storyline was Trish and Jericho. It allowed me to grow as a heel, work alongside Jericho, who is amazing and I learned so much working in that capacity. It could have been really good, but I think everything happens for a reason. That was my best work as a heel, and my most enjoyable time, for sure. Who knows what it could have been had Christian continued, but it was what it was, and I think it worked out pretty good.”

Nearly 20 years since that moment, Trish is returning to the WrestleMania stage to team with Lita and Becky Lynch for the first time as they face Damage CTRL. Fans can read Trish’s comments on her recent return at this link. 

Fans can get caught up with the WWE WrestleMania 39 card here.

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