Trish Stratus is considered the biggest female star in WWE history for good reason. The great work of Stratus allowed the women’s division to get spotlighted at a higher level. Many of the current female stars on the WWE roster like Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mandy Rose, and Alexa Bliss have referenced Stratus as a huge inspiration for their journey of even entering the wrestling business.
We will look back at the face and heel runs of Stratus. Everyone has their own preference for the better version of Trish’s character. Both sides have valid reasons and they will be examined here. Stratus' face run saw her become someone fans loved. She was also superb at turning everyone against her as a heel. Make your own choice after reading five reasons why Trish Stratus was a better babyface and five reasons she was a better heel.
10 Face: Better matches
Trish Stratus’ best matches came as a babyface. The opponents on the heel side often created great feuds. Some of the best opponents for Stratus were Victoria, Jazz, Molly Holly, and Mickie James. All four would come during Trish’s time as a face.
Stratus wrestled a different style as a heel meant to get more heat. There were also injuries during her best heel run that slowed down her momentum. Regardless, the best matches of Trish’s career all came during various stints in the face role.
9 Heel: Most memorable WrestleMania moment
WrestleMania is the biggest stage for wrestlers to make an impact. Trish Stratus would have a few matches on the event, but her most memorable moment came as part of a storyline. The heel turn of Stratus would see her cost Chris Jericho a match against Christian.
Fans at Madison Square Garden were stunned despite the reputation of being the smart fans. Stratus’ shocking turn created one of the most lasting memories of the night. None of Trish’s matches as a face had the same overall effect on the big show.
8 Face: Return from retirement
The stints coming out of retirement in recent years for Trish Stratus all came as a face. Fans were not going to boo the beloved legend at all, and WWE rightfully went with her facing off against heels. Stratus teamed with Lita to defeat the duo of Alicia Fox and Mickie James at the historic Evolution event.
The biggest return match came at the SummerSlam 2019 event in Trish’s home country of Canada. Stratus had her final WWE match against Charlotte Flair in a classic. Flair took the win, but fans will always remember it for Trish having the great send-off.
7 Heel: Storyline with Vince McMahon
Trish Stratus’ storyline with Vince McMahon was quite polarizing. On one hand, it was not ideal seeing a boss book himself to make out with an attractive employee many years younger than him. However, the storyline did put her on a bigger platform in major storylines.
Stratus abused her power from dating Vince to gain important matches for her wrestling clients or even find personal gain. This was the run that elevated Trish from a mid-card talent to a top-level name. Without it, her face run may have never worked out as well.
6 Face: Feud with Mickie James
Trish Stratus’ feud with Mickie James gave them both one of the best times of their respective legendary careers. James debuted in WWE as a diehard fan of Stratus that became her friend and sidekick. This was until Mickie’s obsession with Trish revealed she was a stalker.
The two eventually faced off at WrestleMania 22 in a memorable match. James won the Women’s Championship as Stratus put her over like a million bucks. Fans were quite invested in this angle as one of the top women’s wrestling feuds in WWE history.
5 Heel: Better promos
Heels typically have more fun on the microphone when looking back at most careers. Trish Stratus was no different as she loved the freedom to run wild in her promos rather than sticking to generic material usually reserved for the faces.
Some of the promos from Stratus against Chris Jericho, Lita, and Christy Hemme all came on the heel side of things. Trish was always impressive on the microphone, but she delivered some of the best promos of her career as a heel.
4 Face: Naturally likable character
Trish Stratus made it easy to like her whenever she played a face. The legitimate backstory of Stratus showed a cool person that worked hard to become a good wrestler. Trish could have easily gotten by using her looks during the era of eye candy, but she wanted to create change.
Stratus also rarely had backstage issues or did anything in the public eye that upset the fan base. It was remarkably easy to cheer for Trish whenever she played a face. Some wrestlers struggle to make the material work in the role, but the extension of Stratus’ natural personality made it a simple task.
3 Heel: Run with Christian
The heel turn of Trish Stratus at WrestleMania 20 saw her enter a romantic angle with Christian. Both heels were exceptionally great together. They knew how to upset the audience as a team or on their own whenever having singles action.
Tyson Tomko joining them as a bodyguard added even more to Stratus’ act. The run helped her become the dominant heel in the women’s division with impressive matches and promos. Stratus and Christian had great chemistry and were one of the most underrated couples in WWE history.
2 Face: Made women's wrestling relevant in WWE
Trish Stratus' face run in 2001-2003 would help create a new level of success for the women’s division. WWE started giving the women some legitimate matches instead of the eye candy specials during Stratus’ run as the face of the division.
Trish’s improvement and desire to build the women’s division up sparked a change for the ladies to actually get a slight chance. Wrestlers like Jazz, Victoria, and Molly Holly stepped up to showcase their skills. None of this happens if Stratus doesn’t thrive so well as the face of the division.
1 Heel: Better matches with Lita
The rivalry between Trish Stratus and Lita each helped push women’s wrestling forward in massive ways. Both ladies were in the conversation for the biggest star of the division, which always made their battles matter.
Lita and Trish had fun segments together when their tag teams, the Hardy Boyz and T&A, feuded. Things would pick up steam again in 2004-2005 during Stratus’ last heel run. Lita’s unique style made her a beloved character. Trish playing such a great heel created the perfect dynamic for their best matches together.