Is Trish Stratus Nearing the End of Her Run at WWE Payback? 5 Stars Who Can Have Their Dream Match With the GOAT if She Does Not Retire

Since she retired from WWE at Unforgiven PLE in 2006, WWE legend Trish Stratus has gone her way with taking care of her business and family. She made sporadic appearances throughout the years, but her love for the squared circle eventually led to an in-ring return in 2022 as a full-timer.

Stratus is a 7-time Women’s champion. She has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. Though she has already achieved everything in the WWE, fans wonder why she came back to the WWE after so long.

Why did Trish Stratus return after a 16-year hiatus?

In an interview with Ryan Satin on the Podcast ‘Out of Character’ Stratus said, “I keep saying there’s boxes that I want to check, if I’m going to come back there’s like these certain boxes I want to check. I want the fans to be interested. I want them to care, like I don’t just come back for my own, for all my kicks. I want like something that’s interesting.”

She further added, “You know, honestly, when I went back they were having the live events, and they were coming they were through Toronto. And twice I had dabbled with the girls in the ring. But you know what it was, was like the fans being so interested in this ‘fantasy booking,’ and seeing this kind of happen.”

She revealed that there are things she wanted to do in the WWE and wanted to create an interesting storyline for fans to cheer for. She is well aware of the fantasy booking matches the fans want to see, something her in-ring return has made possible.

Stratus shows her color and feuds with The Man

Initially, she teamed up with Becky Lynch and fellow Hall of Famer Lita, but she ditched the then Women’s tag champion Becky Lynch to cost her the belt. It led to a feud between the two superstars, that has been going on for four months now.

The feud started on a strong note as it made fans look up to a fantasy match, something the fans could only have dreamed of. Though the feud was expected to settle at Summer Slam, somehow it has carried on to Payback.

There are rumors that  Trish Stratus might end her current WWE run with her match against Becky Lynch at Payback. Stratus, at 47, is still a very strong performer in the ring but her storyline with Becky Lynch has stalled the fans. The two superstars feuded briefly till Summer Slam, but since then Status has avoided Lynch successfully through proxy.

WWE creative has promoted NXT talent Zoey Stark as Stratus’ protégé and involved her in the storyline, thus alienating the veteran from live action. It is one of WWE’s ways to promote new talent by teaming them up with veterans and feuding against top stars. Talents like Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Randy Orton have gained momentum through this route.

But it disappointed the fans as they started to boo the segment. The recent episode of RAW witnessed the crowd showing apathy towards the storyline. When fans were hoping for a fantasy match between Big Time Becks and WWE legend Trish Stratus, they derailed the storyline by forcefully pushing in Zoey Stark.

Top 5 stars who can face the GOAT in a dream match

Even if the storyline might end at Payback, it has made us wonder what could happen if Stratus stays back. Well, here is a list of 5 superstars who could potentially feud with the icon of the Women’s division.

1. Rhea Ripley: The Eradicator is the top performer in the RAW brand and needs a bigger push to become a megastar. A match against an outgoing legend would not only add more laurels to her but would also cement her legacy as a dominant performer. It will help Ripley as well as she does not have too many strong contenders to feud against on the RAW brand.

2. Lita (if she returns): Lita and Trish Stratus have been sworn rivals and friends in the WWE. Their rivalry is considered one of the greatest rivalries of all time in the Women’s division. The duo also became the first pair of women to main event RAW. It would be another fantasy booking for the fans to see these two performers battle it out one more time.

3. Bianca Belair: The EST of WWE has amazed everyone with her strength, athleticism, and agility. She has feuded against the best of the WWE in a short span of 3 years. If there is any mountain for the EST to climb, then it is the stars of the past era. It could be one of the possible storylines as Belair is one of the top babyface of the WWE, while Stratus is one of the top heels.

4. Bayley: Just like Stratus, the leader of the Damage CTRL, Bayley is also one of the top heels in the Women’s division. Bayley does not wrestle too frequently these days as she is going through a cool-down phase. Feuding against a WWE legend might give her career another boost as fans will get behind her. It will be another fantasy booking match between top superstars of different eras clashing.

5. Raquel Rodriguez: The powerhouse Raquel Rodriguez is another upcoming superstar WWE is relying upon for the future. Though she has shown great in-ring skill, she has not managed to get the crowd behind her due to a lack of a great storyline. WWE can use the heat for Stratus to build momentum for Rodriguez and place her at the top of the card just like Rhea Ripley. Currently, she is involved in a storyline against Rhea Ripley.

Who should Trish Stratus face in her next WWE feud?

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