In the past few years, the women's division in WWE has improved vastly. There is now more talent than ever, the ladies are given the respect they deserve, and they're treated as major stars. Even with all of those things considered, Trish Stratus remains the greatest female WWE Superstar of all time in the eyes of many.
Trish Stratus came into the company as a fitness model meant to be just a pretty face, but she quickly rose through the ranks thanks to her ability to really perfect her character work. Trish worked hard to become a great wrestler on top of all of that. Recently, she wrapped up a bout that she proclaimed to be the last of her career (whether that's true remains to be seen). So, there's no better time to list the best matches of her illustrious career. Let's get into it!
10 Ivory vs. Jacqueline vs. Jazz vs. Mighty Molly vs. Lita vs. Trish Stratus - Survivor Series 2001
To be fair, we aren't starting this list with a great match. Instead, we're going with a notable one, because Trish Stratus' impressive list of accolades wouldn't have gotten started without this bout. At Survivor Series 2001, the war between WWF and WCW was coming to an end, ushering in a new era for the company.
That new era also meant the return of the Women's Championship. Trish Stratus surprised many when she pulled out the victory against five women who were all way more experienced than she was. It signaled that Trish was the new face of the division and she wore that title with pride.
9 Chris Jericho vs. Christian And Trish Stratus - Backlash 2004
It sometimes gets overlooked, but Backlash 2004 was a fantastic pay-per-view. One reason was the versatility of the card. That included this mixed match. At WrestleMania XX, Trish turned on Jericho and helped Christian beat him. She then made out with Christian on the stage and added a new wrinkle to their feud.
Stratus and Christian expertly played their heel roles, while Jericho was a fun babyface. That made for a match that was non-stop entertainment. There was never a dull moment in one of the most enjoyable matches any of their careers.
8 The Riott Squad, Alicia Fox, & Mickie James vs. Lita, Bayley, Natalya, Sasha Banks & Trish Stratus - Raw 10/29/18
Evolution was the first all-women's pay-per-view in WWE history. On that night, Trish Stratus and Lita defeated the duo of Mickie James and Alicia Fox. It was a nice appearance and we figured that was it. Surprisingly, this ten-woman tag was announced for the following night on Raw.
Getting to watch Trish Stratus and Lita compete on Raw in 2018 was a huge treat. Trish showed off tandem offense with Sasha Banks and Bayley, who looked up to her when they were just getting into wrestling. Natalya made Alicia Fox tap out to the Sharpshooter to win it for her team.
7 The Hardy Boyz And Lita vs. T&A And Trish Stratus - Fully Loaded 2000
This was our first real sign that Trish Stratus was going to be something special. She had only been with the company for a few months by the time this Fully Loaded rolled around. Her time had been spent managing Test and Albert. Trish's interference against the Hardy Boyz put her in the crosshairs of Lita.
That set the stage for this six-person tag. It opened a stellar show on the right foot. Everything these teams did was a ton of fun. The Hardys and Lita had the crowd behind them, while T&A and Trish were bullies. This also had the added bonus of being the first big chapter in the Trish/Lita rivalry.
6 Stephanie McMahon vs. Trish Stratus - No Way Out 2001
There was no reason for this match to be anywhere near as good as it was. Trish Stratus was about a year into her run and had only shown flashes of wrestling ability in tag matches. Stephanie McMahon was not a wrestler and had never put on a good match. It was a recipe for disaster.
Yet these two put on some of that sports entertainment WWE is always talking about. It was exactly the match it needed to be. No wrestling holds were used. Just two women who hated each other beating one another up. It remained engaging and entertaining from bell to bell.
5 Lita vs. Trish Stratus - Raw 12/6/04
It wasn't unusual for Lita or Trish Stratus to make history, but not even they probably expected to get the chance they did in late 2004. The rivalry between the two had never been hotter. To showcase it, they were put in the main event slot of Monday Night Raw. It was the first time women were given that chance.
Trish and Lita showed that they deserved it. They put on a heck of a main event. The most memorable moment was Lita nearly breaking her neck on a wild tope suicida to the outside. She got up fine and they continued to go at it. Lita scored the win to take the Women's Title from Trish in their best match until that point.
4 Trish Stratus vs. Victoria - Survivor Series 2002
It seems like whenever WWE put on a great pay-per-view, Trish Stratus had a great match. We noted it earlier on shows like Backlash 2004 and Fully Loaded 2000. It was the case again for Survivor Series 2002. Trish had sent back all challengers to her Women's Title, but Victoria was a different case.
Victoria had a similar background to Trish and resented her success. She lashed out in violent ways, leading to the rare women's Hardcore match. Trish and Victoria wailed on each other with all sorts of weapons. It was the kind of brutal match that we didn't often see from the ladies at that time.
3 Lita vs. Trish Stratus - Unforgiven 2006
At just 31 years of age, Trish Stratus was ready to hang up the boots. She set her final match for Unforgiven 2006, held in her hometown of Toronto, Canada. The opponent? Her biggest rival Lita. The stakes? The WWE Women's Championship. It didn't get any bigger than this.
These two saved their best for last. After years of meeting in various matches, it all culminated here. They called back to old contests, played to the crowd, and gave us great drama late. In the end, Trish used the most Canadian move possible, the Sharpshooter, to win her then-record setting seventh Women's Title.
2 Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus - WrestleMania 22
This might be the best storyline the women were ever treated to. In the fall of 2005, Mickie James made her debut as a woman obsessed with Trish Stratus. It began harmlessly enough, but Mickie got more jealous and dangerous as time went on. By the start of 2006, she grew tired of Trish's rejection and turned violent on her, setting up a WrestleMania bout.
Mickie James was the villain, yet the Chicago crowd loved her. Everything she did got a great response. When Mickie won, it ended Trish's 448-day reign and let the world know that Mickie was a new force to be reckoned with.
1 Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus - SummerSlam 2019
Trish Stratus may have truly saved her best for last. She returned to WWE television in the summer of 2019 and was immediately challenged by Charlotte Flair. The greatest of all-time against the woman coming for her crown. After all, Charlotte already broke Trish's record for most title reigns.
Though 13 years removed from her official retirement, Trish could still go. She took an overconfident Charlotte by surprise with impressive offensive skills. The crowd was invested in everything and believed Trish could pull it off. Once she got trapped in the Figure Eight, though, Trish had to tap out. She posed for the crowd after an incredible performance, getting another send-off in Toronto.