Trish Stratus Puts Mercedes Mone On Her Mount Rushmore Of Women's Wrestling

As is the case each year, WrestleMania will feature several legends, one of whom is WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Stratus will team with WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Lita and Becky Lynch to take on Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, and Bayley. 

Despite being on opposite sides of the ring, Stratus heaped praise on Bayley during a recent interview with "SHAK Wrestling." When asked to name her Mount Rushmore of women's wrestling, Stratus put her WrestleMania 39 opponent on that list, along with herself, Lita, and NJPW star Mercedes Mone.

It's hard to argue with Stratus' Mount Rushmore list, given the long-standing careers and influence the four have had. Although Stratus didn't give an explanation why, the four women have been connected for some time now, with Bayley and Mone previously stating their dream matches would be to face the Hall of Fame duo in singles competition, with Bayley's dream match being against Lita and Mone's against Stratus. 

Mone's inclusion on the list may be surprising as the current IWGP Women's Champion hasn't worked a WWE match since May 2022, walking out of the company alongside Naomi to continue her career elsewhere. 

Although Mone has left, her best friend Bayley doesn't believe the door is closed on a return to WWE, stating that Mone's heart is still with the company and that it's her "home." When Bayley previously spoke about her Mount Rushmore of women's wrestling, she put both Lita and Mone on the list but snubbed Stratus.

Bayley recently reminisced on her childhood, posting memories from back in the day when she was a fan idolizing Lita and Stratus, taking shots at them along the way. In one post, she said that she's been studying Lita for decades, while another revealed her friendship with Stratus before their feud.