"I don't want to do that" - Female WWE legend refused idea from official; how Vince McMahon reacted later
WWE's women’s division is arguably at its best today. The women often deliver performances that are as good, if not better, than those of their male counterparts. This level of competition was unthinkable a few years ago, particularly during the Attitude Era when the women’s division was portrayed very differently.
Trish Stratus, one of the biggest female superstars of that era, recently highlighted some of the challenges they faced. In an interview with TV Insider, Trish revealed that there was a lot of old-school thinking about women’s wrestling at the time.
The Hall of Famer recalled an incident in which she approached Fit Finlay, expressing her desire not to do the traditional catfights and hair-pulling. Instead, she wanted to do some chops and suplexes. However, the belief backstage in WWE was that fans weren’t interested in seeing that from women.
"There was a lot of old-school thinking in the office still. The older school agents were still telling us things. I just remember the shift before where it was always catfights and slapping and hairpulling. I remember one-night telling Fit [Finlay], 'I don’t want to do that.' I didn’t feel like doing the usual that night. I wanted to chop and not do a hair toss and instead do a suplex. 'Guys don’t want to see women do that. Fans don’t want to see it,' they said. That’s what they thought the fans wanted and the role of the women," Stratus said. [H/T: TV Insider]
Trish explained that women had a defined role back then, and the focus was on executing it well. Over time, though, there was gradual progress in how women were presented. She noted that Vince McMahon himself was "shocked" to discover that fans enjoyed the women’s matches.
Trish Stratus on former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's reaction to all of this
In the same interview, Trish Stratus said that women in WWE had to prove themselves consistently, and fan reactions were a critical part of that process. She shared that WWE surveyed fans in the front rows at live events, asking them to list their favorite matches.
Trish revealed that Vince McMahon was surprised when he discovered that women’s matches were frequently mentioned among the fans' favorites. The former WWE Women's Champion emphasized that moments like these were pivotal in driving the progress of the Women’s Division, leading to the evolution we see today.
She said:
"Over time, it slowly moved. It was once we proved ourselves. It was about reactions. I remember they used to survey the first couple of rows at live events and ask the fans to list their favorite matches from one to three. Vince came to me saying. 'Well, they are listing you and Jazz as one of the top three matches on these live events.' He was legit shocked. He also said to keep up the good work. It took those little moments, the crowd reactions, and the ability to pull off a main event. It all culminated in what we would see today." [H/T: TV Insider]
With the Royal Rumble 2025 just a couple of months away, it will be interesting to see if Trish Stratus makes a surprise return in the Women’s Rumble match.