Trish Stratus Names WWE Match Of Hers She Feels Is 'Underrated'

WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus is one of the most successful women to ever perform in the WWE, both inside and outside the ring, but it was an early match in her career that she feels put her on such a trajectory. Speaking with "Ring the Belle," Stratus recalled her intense feud with Stephanie McMahon in 2001 that reached a boiling point at the No Way Out pay-per-view. "[It] is one of those underrated, not talked about matches that was ... It was a battle, a war, it was unbelievable."

Stratus recognizes that fans likely wouldn't deem the two women "wrestlers at that point," but the heated story with Stephanie's father Vince in the middle made it "an easy storyline." "It was intense, the fans were into it, just defined good guy — bad guy roles," she recalled. Two men would end up assisting the women in setting up the story through their match, but one, in particular, may have had some ulterior motives. "So, Regal was helping us, and we got to the ring early, and we did some stuff. And Triple H was working with us. Now, at the time, I thought, I can't believe someone like Triple H — this main event guy is helping these two girls do this match. Little did I know, they were not official at the time. Now I understand why he was helping his girl out."

Knowing in hindsight where the story led, Stratus is grateful for the highs and lows her character had to experience to reach the climactic slap she delivered to Vince at WrestleMania 17, which infamously included barking like a dog on "Raw." "The whole match was driven by emotion and by what the character at the moment was going through, and that's why it came across so intense and vicious."