TRISH STRATUS TALKS RETIREMENT, THE DARK SIDE OF WRESTLING, VINCE MAKING HER BARK LIKE A DOG

WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus was recently interviewed on TSN’s Off The Record and discussed getting into wrestling, quitting at the right time, being inducted into the Hall of Fame and more. Here are some of the highlights:

Getting Into Wrestling & Walking Away At the Right Time:

“Well, I feel I had a robust seven years. … It was so full. I’ll put it this way: When I retired, everyone asked do you regret leaving? Do you miss it? I never missed it, I never regretted it. I did everything I wanted to do in the business. I had sort of a bucket list I guess you could say of things I wanted to do and things I wanted to accomplish.

“I worked with every girl that was a worker in the company. And I had really great storylines, not only with the girls but with the men superstars. So, I really had a full career that allowed me to do a bit of everything.”

“…I recognized there was a limited shelf life. I mean, as a fan, you watch it and you just know — there’s a point where you watch it and you go, that guy should just go away. I think I knew at 30 that 30 was a good time to leave. There’s all that hot business, and I didn’t want to be that hot chick that looks good for a 30-year-old.”

How She Avoided The “Dark Side” Of The Business:

“First of all, I had a very healthy background coming from the fitness world. I knew that my body was my instrument and that’s what allowed me to continue doing what I was doing. I just literally did not go out. In school, I was always a nerd. I did my school work, my studying — and in WWE it was the same thing.

“I didn’t go out and do the bar thing. I just went out and I did my job. I’m here to work. I didn’t want to go out and even if I was just tired, I’d be affected in my match. My body work is affected by my sleep the night before. So, for me, I was just aware of that the entire time.”

“…I had a back-up plan. A lot of the guys, that’s just their life. For me, it was a part of my life, it wasn’t my life. I had extracurricular activities I was pursuing. I was pursuing other businesses and I [took an interest in] branding myself. Whatever I create here for the next seven years, I need to take that and hopefully parlay that into something else.”

What It Means to be Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame:

“You go into any profession, any career, and you want to leave an impression and a mark. I mean, knowing what we did in the women’s division and the work I did during that time, I mean, we really changed how women’s wrestling was perceived. And the role of females was kind of redefined after we did all that work. So, it was kind of a nod to my body of work, which is sexy. [Laughs.] Sorry.”

Vince McMahon Making Her Strip and Bark Like a Dog:

“It was funny because my character did an evolution but the women’s division and the way women were viewed also did an evolution. So for that moment, it was like, yes, he degraded me. Then there was that moment where my character was like, ‘I’m not taking this anymore.’ She stood up to Vince, slapped him at WrestleMania 17 — the biggest stage of all — and moved on to become a full-time wrestler on her own. That’s what Trish Stratus did. But for us, that’s what we did too. The women were simply storylines, they were on the side. Now, we are actually a viable part of the program.”

TRIPLE H TALKS ABOUT THE ATTITUDE ERA, IF HE HAS ANY REGRETS IN HIS CAREER

In an interview with Forbes, Triple H talked about the Attitude Era, if he would regret having his career ended in a match and more. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

The Attitude Era: 

“It’s one of those things — I’ve talked about this with Austin and a little bit with Rock, too — you don’t realize is happening at the time; it’s just what you’re doing. We were all so wrapped up in what we were doing, and it was so competitive with each other. It’s only now that I think we can look back and go, ‘Wow. That was a pretty special time, and we shared some pretty special things all together and made history.’ I think at the time you’re doing it, you realize it’s going well, but you’re just so deep in there that you can’t even fathom really what you’re doing. To look back at it now and see all those times, and to watch the video game…when we did the voiceovers to the video game, to go back and watch some of those scenes take place, it’s crazy because you forget what a…that was just another day then.”

If he would regret being forced to retire after a match: 

“I wouldn’t have one regret. I wouldn’t have any. I’ve had a hell of career, a hell of a run. I’ve done everything I wanted to do in this business. I’ll never leave this business. It’s ironic. Years ago when I said it about being in the game, you know that statement was really about the business. It was about being a student of the game and about this business and when I say the game will never die, I truly mean that. None of us are bigger than this. None of us are bigger than the WWE. It will always continue to go on and I will always be a part of it.”

If he plays video games: 

“Let me just say right now that if I gave advice to a gamer it would be terrible because I don’t play them and it would probably surely cause their demise in the game.”

HHH Will Never Leave The Business, HHH has No Regrets

“I wouldn’t have one regret,” said Triple H. “I wouldn’t have any. I’ve had a hell of career, a hell of a run. I’ve done everything I wanted to do in this business. I’ll never leave this business. It’s ironic. Years ago when I said it about being in the game, you know that statement was really about the business. It was about being a student of the game and about this business and when I say the game will never die, I truly mean that. None of us are bigger than this. None of us are bigger than the WWE. It will always continue to go on and I will always be a part of it.”

Speaking of Triple H, he still has some swelling in his left hand but has no broken bones. He’s expected to “accept” Brock Lesnar’s challenge for a steel cage match at Extreme Rules on next week’s WWE Raw from London, England.