Trish Stratus Explains What Makes Her Second WWE Run So Special, Credits Yoga for Her Longevity

During a recent interview with Insight with Chris Van Vliet, WWE Hall of Famer and former Women’s Champion Trish Stratus discussed her career, how she likes to come back based on timing and special moments, what makes her second WWE run so special, her surprise at the 2025 Royal Rumble, and more. Below are some highlights from Insight:

Trish Stratus on When She Wants To Come Back for Another Match

“Well, what’s happening after this show? Just kidding. All about timing, the right moment. Here’s the thing. Last year was my 25th anniversary. 25 years. I’m still alive. So I talked to WWE. We’re like, what can we do to make it kind of special? I didn’t have to do a full-time run. I’m just like, let’s pick some cool moments to come back on, and I’m all about these moments that really make a difference that matter. There’s a few boxes that I need to check if I go back, and it has to be not self-serving. It has to be let’s pay the business forward a bit; let’s do something that maybe is a fan fantasy matchup or something like that. There’s a few things I take into consideration before I go. So we thought, how cool would it be to come out the Royal Rumble as a surprise? I don’t think anybody expected it.”

On Appearing as a Surprise Entrant at Royal Rumble 2025 at No. 25

“I mean, a little strategy. I’m coming back. But if it’s the 25th anniversary, and they’re like, of course. Because you guys know how I like to do things. I like details. So 25th, that was a perfect way to kind of come back. If you guys notice, who threw me out? Nia. All planting seeds for Elimination Chamber.”

“My kids are here tonight. So of course, as an old school wrestler, they knew their mom was a wrestler. We’d gone to events, and they could see that people want my autograph and things like that, and they’ve heard about it. YouTubed it. So the fact I got to go back that many years later and actually have a wrestling match live in front of my kids was so special. A nice, good, wholesome win. So that was very special. So yeah, we sort of picked a few events. Evolution headlining with Tiffany Stratton, Women’s Championship match, and we’re babyface versus babyface. So we’re talking about planting seeds. So if we go back even a year, the Money in the Bank in Toronto, when I hosted that.

“This is me with the writers. They just go along with it. Yeah, sure, Trish. If it pans out, I’m like, oh, it will. I know it will. They moved on to other things. So we planned a little seed with Tiffy back then, and then we thought it’d be good to do Evolution one on one, babyfaces facing each other, and then we sort of thought about a little finale, a little final run. So my mom got sick last year, as you guys may or not know, and so I just kind of took a break from everything. But so my point of all that is, I like storytelling. I like to have it be not just spontaneous and not mean much. So if I was to go back, it needs to be things got to be in place, and got to be the right person and the right time.”

On What Makes Her Second WWE Run So Special

“So I was saying that after the injury, that second leg of my career to me, I don’t know. Something about having yoga in my life made me see things a little different. So yoga is good on so many levels. Number one, physically. You can have a great body with it. Some people do. So there’s this thing where people say, okay, my son’s in wrestling, or what do you say to a young person that’s getting into wrestling? I’d be like, man, stay true to who you are. You want to make sure that you resonate with the audience, and authenticity is so important. But now I’ve shifted my answer a little. I’m like, do yoga. That is my line because honestly, to go back 25 years later and my body’s like, yeah, we’re good. Let’s go. I’m like, okay, it’s the yoga. So approaching that business from a longevity standpoint, I think it’s important. But the fact that we get so caught up in your day-to-day, you’re in this. It’s a frenetic sound around you at all times. You’re just trying to grind, get through the day, and travel and land in arenas, airports, hotels.

“But when the yoga came into my life, I was like oh, this is amazing! Even being late for a flight. I’m late for the flight, I’m gonna be late, but I’ll just take the next one. You sort of just see things differently, it changes your perspective, and it made me really appreciate how lucky I was to do what I was doing on the road. I was just like, oh my gosh! I’m in Memphis. I’m gonna go to Graceland. Let me not go to the arena airport and hotel. Let me go to Graceland because I’m here. I have this chance to travel and see things that some people don’t ever get to do.

“So it changed my perspective. It really changed my life, and I felt like as a performer, we used to drive between towns. You would go hundreds of miles sometimes, and I would just think that I thought headaches were normal all the time. I thought sore backs were normal because yeah, you would wrestle a match, your adrenaline is going, then you sit in a car for a few 100 miles, you get out. You’re like ouch! I didn’t have that anymore. I was like you don’t have to live like that. That’s great. So I’m just saying, yoga is amazing, but it did really, from a mental standpoint and from a physical standpoint, it really made me appreciate that last bit of my career.”

Trish Stratus last wrestled for WWE at Evolution 2025 in July of that year, where she challenged Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Title. Stratton won the match to retain her belt.