Trish Stratus Explains How Beth Phoenix Almost Joined Her Storyline With Mickie James

In a recent appearance with SHAK Wrestling, Trish Stratus recalled her work with Mickie James in the mid-2000s and how Beth Phoenix was initially meant to be a key player in the storyline (per Wrestling Inc). An injury ended Phoenix’s involvement, however, and it would be over a year before the wrestler returned on WWE Raw in 2007. You can read a few highlights from Stratus and watch the complete interview below.

On the original plan for Phoenix: “Yeah, she was going to be the enforcer of the group. It’s funny because they wanted her to be like a strong, silent type, which is cool and powerful. When we looked at how she ended up coming back, it was much better.”

On how Stratus thinks it all ended for the best: “I think she didn’t need to be in our thing and it just worked. It would’ve been a fun trio for sure, and especially when the storyline turned, it would’ve been interesting to see how it played out between us. But, yeah, I think everything played out the way it should’ve when I look back at everything.”