Trish Stratus working with Zoey Stark was a collaborative idea.
During a recent appearance on Booker T’s Hall of Fame podcast, Trish Stratus opened up about how her partnership with the former NXT star came to be.
“Hunter and I talked about it at one point, not necessarily Zoey, but I don’t know, something like, ‘Maybe we need to get you some muscle,'” Stratus recalled. “We were talking about being a bit of a chicken shit heel and what I can do. Back in the day, I had Tyson Tomko, and I hid behind him. Back in the day, it was funny because we think about it. It was in the 2000s; there wasn’t any females getting a guy as their heater so to speak, right?
“So I was lucky to have him back in the day, and I thought, ‘Yeah, that worked for me to have that,’ and sort of chicken shit behind her or whoever we chose, it could be a guy or girl. Then they brought up Zoey, and I think she was just ready from what they and Booker, you would know, but she was ready in NXT to go to the next level. She had proven herself over there. They brought her in, loved the idea. We were super excited about the surprise element because it was just another part of the story to just be like, ‘Surprise,’ another turn you didn’t expect.”
Wanting to give back
As Stratus has said in the past, she reiterated that she didn’t want to just come back to come back. Instead, she wanted to give back and saw an opportunity to do that with Stark.
“For me, going back, it’s a little selfish,” Stratus added. “I do it for myself; I want to see a challenge for myself, etcetera, but I’m also making sure that I’m giving back to the business. Like, what am I here for? It’s not just to make sure I leave my legacy more than I already have. So working with Becky is one thing, but it’s not like I’m not giving her the rub. She’s Becky Lynch. We’re definitely complimenting each other, but when I got to work with Zoey, and then having that ability to do the stuff, Booker, that we did on Tough Enough.
Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark remain in touch
“Even when I left — well, we still don’t like each other right now — but we’re still in touch, and I want to help her. ‘Is this t-shirt okay?’ ‘Nah, let’s go with this or wear the jacket, take the jacket off here,’ these tiny details. That’s one thing about my career. For me, it’s always about the details. Like you’re not quite sure what stands out about that segment? It’s always those little details you don’t think about, but they’re in there, and that’s why it stands out.
“So I like to be able to parlay that to Zoey. And for me, that was really good, like not passing the torch, but it was a coming-around moment where I could actually give back to the business, and see this amazing star, and help mold her, and help get her ready for the big time. We had a great relationship, and it was great for the storyline as well.”
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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Hall of Fame with a h/t to WrestleZone for the transcription.
