Trish Stratus was shocked at how generous Triple H was in helping her and Stephanie McMahon train for their match at Now Way Out 2001.
The two women competed in one of their first big matches at the show. It came before the high McMahon showdown at WrestleMania X7, which also featured both women prominently.
Trish Stratus recently spoke with Inside The Ropes about her match with Stephanie McMahon at No Way Out 2001. She explained that there were incredibly low expectations for the match, but Triple H helped them train for the match beforehand.
This was during the time that he and Stephanie McMahon were dating in secret, something Trish Stratus was not aware of at the time.
“It was, uh, my first singles pay-per-view match where we had a storyline going in, two defined characters, and the fans were super invested.” Trish Stratus said. “It was a huge story. A big part of the entire show. Honestly, there were really low expectations for both Stephanie and me because we weren’t ‘wrestlers,’ so to speak. But we really wanted to prove everyone wrong.”
“People probably thought it was just going to be a catfight because that’s what we’d been doing up until then. But we decided to step into the ring and give it our all. We had a few training sessions, and if you didn’t stick to the chronological details, you’d see how we really came together. One day, Triple H came in, and I remember thinking, ‘That’s so generous of him to care so much about us as characters on the show.’ He was there to help us put the match together, which was so kind of him. His involvement helped elevate everything and exceeded expectations,” added Trish Stratus.
Trish Stratus: Everybody Was Proud Of That Match
Trish Stratus continued, talking about how people’s expectations of the match were incredibly low, so the pair managed to shock many people when it came to the match at No Way Out 2001.
“The expectations were so low. People probably thought we’d just roll around and fight like a typical ‘catfight.’ But we went out there, busted out some moves, worked hard, and leaned into the character work and storytelling. It had a real story behind it, and the fans were into it. When you have a defined babyface and a defined heel, it makes for amazing storytelling and matches, which I’m a huge fan of.”
“We were so proud of that match. Everyone backstage was proud of us too because, as I said, we weren’t traditional wrestlers. It’s funny to think I was the ‘experienced one’ in that scenario, which says a lot about where we were at the time.”
“And then we had Coach Hunter—Triple H—cheering us on from the sidelines. He cared so much, not just about our match but about the show as a whole and all the characters involved. He wanted the match to succeed because he wanted the show to succeed. That level of dedication made such a difference, and we’re really grateful for it.”
