User blog:CEDJunior/Trish Stratus: A Hall Of Fame Heel

Today is WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus' 38th birthday; hard to believe, but it's true. Trish is among the top of my list of favorite WWE Divas for so many reasons, but among them is how much she brought to women's wrestling. And it's odd that I say that considering that Trish had no wrestling experience by the time she debuted for the then-named World Wrestling Federation back in 2000. Yet despite all of that, Trish would become the most legendary Diva in the past decade; with a record seven WWE Women's Championships to her credit.

Whenever I analyze any of WWE's Hall of Famers, I often see certain moments and think, "That's why he or she is in the Hall of Fame." In the case of Trish, I honestly think that it was her antics as a heel that paved her way into Hall of Fame status. Don't get me wrong; Trish was phenomenal whether she was good or evil, but I think her most memorable moments came when she was on the dark side of the moral pendulum.

In her WWE career, Trish had two stints as a villain, with her first one coming in her debut. In her first role, Trish was the evil centerpiece to Test and Albert, and mostly managed until mid to late 2000, when she started competing in the ring. The following months would see Trish up her wicked game by becoming Vince McMahon's kayfabe mistress; a relationship that ended in 2001 leading up to her babyface turn at WrestleMania X-Seven. It was as a face that Trish was elevated to winning her first of seven Women's Championships; doing so at Survivor Series. Trish would win four Women's Championships between 2001 and 2003.

WrestleMania XX would see Trish's heel side return, all while acting as the subject of a feud between Chris Jericho and Christian. After Jericho lost to Christian, Trish turned into a villainess by delivering not one, but two slaps to Jericho and leaving with Christian, after it appeared for weeks that she and Jericho would become a couple. Trish and Christian spent a number of weeks messing with Jericho, but it wouldn't be long before Heel Trish would have her eyes on the Women's Championship. At the final Bad Blood PPV, Trish defeated Lita, Gail Kim, and Victoria to win her fifth Women's Championship, and her first title as a villainess.

Shortly after becoming champion again, the evil Trish would feud with Lita again (they feuded back when Trish debuted), and their rivalry included several memorable moments. One of them saw Trish crashing Lita's "wedding" to Kane while dressed in what appeared to be lingerie! Another occurred at Survivor Series when Trish was smashed in the face by a steel chair held by Lita, which forced her to wear a face mask. And there was the moment where she and Shelton Benjamin participated in a segment that spoofed a controversial Monday Night Football opening promo. Of course, one moment I still haven't forgotten was when Trish attacked Christy Hemme and spray-painted "SLUT" on her back in early 2005!

Out of Trish's seven Women's Championship victories, two of them (her 5th and 6th) came as a heel. I unfortunately missed out on Trish's first heel run, but I am happy to say that I did get to watch her second and last run. Trish's second stint as a villainess lasted over a year; ending abruptly at Backlash when she was injured. I really enjoyed seeing Heel Trish during that time; she was so evil and hilarious as a heel during that period. As I said before, there is a list of reasons why Trish Stratus is a Hall of Famer, but I honestly believe that her stints as a heel are among the top of that list.