Trish Stratus Wanted To Rep Her Generation At WWE Payback, Discusses Length Of Storyline

The rivalry between Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch culminated at WWE Payback in a steel cage bout between the two women. 

The match was well-received by many fans and featured nods to the past, including Trish using Victoria’s widow’s peak finisher. 

Appearing on GAW with Mickie James, Victoria, and So Cal Val, Trish reflected on the match. 

“It was almost like repping our generation. I know my whole platform has been ‘I did it, look at me,’ but obviously, there is a ‘we.’ It’s something we all did, it’s a foundation we all made. I felt like it was a giant nod to it and that’s what I wanted it to be like. Lisa, it’s so funny, I was like, ‘I have to ask her,’ and we kept playing phone tag forever. You were so excited. ‘Of course!'” recalled Trish. 

Victoria noted that Trish told her a week before the match she would be using the move. Victoria joked that Becky shouldn’t have kicked out at two. 

Speaking about the match, Trish said, “This was huge for me. Knowing what we had dealt with as far as our storyline, and people were still like, ‘this story is still going?’ I’m like, ‘please.’ It’s funny because I think of this…there was a bit of that, ‘this storyline is dragging,’ but it’s booking. I think back to Mickie and I always bragging about being ‘hashtag the longest rivalry.’ We might have trumped that, Mickie. Back in the day, we didn’t have the luxury or not luxury of the internet where you would read after your stuff. Could you imagine, ‘what’s this angle, is it ever going to end?’ We didn’t have to deal with that. This is always your gauge, what’s the fan engagement? What is the audience doing and reacting? They were super into it. It does get in your head a little, you read it and are like, ‘Oh, okay.’ I just knew, at the end of the day, we had to deliver. This was going to be the end and it was going to sum up all the work and story. We wanted to kill it. I would say we did. It felt like it. It felt good. I’ve been back six months and that was the most dialed in, and that’s a great place to be. I felt comfortable, I heard the audience, I felt the audience, I was dialed in. That attributed to the character development and storyline. Same thing with WrestleMania 22, Mickie and I took them on this long journey and by the time we got there, they were there and ready for what was going to unfold. It felt really good. To get to that point in your career where you get those moments, it’s like a blessing.”

The two women had been feuding since April when Trish turned on Becky, costing them the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, which Stratus was defending in place of Lita, who she also attacked.

Trish received a standing ovation after WWE Payback, which not only ended in a loss to Lynch, but also featured Zoey Stark laying her out. 

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