The following December, James received the opportunity of a lifetime, when she defeated Victoria to become the number one contender for the WWE Women’s Championship. Needless to say, James’ fan support was bordering on obsession. This unnerved the Wonder Woman-dressed Stratus, who was even more put off by James berating fans in attendance, demanding they vote for Stratus. However, James elected to dress as her idol, donning Stratus-like ring gear and even brandishing her own makeshift title. For the most part, costumes were fairly standard, ranging from Victoria in a baseball uniform to Massaro as a dark angel, wings and all. Later that October, various women’s stars took part in a RAW Halloween costume contest. James’ infatuation with Stratus would only become more unhinged. However, James seemed more preoccupied with Stratus, attempting to impress her idol by executing techniques the champion had adopted. Early on, it was evident that James was a capable wrestler, able to hold her own with established WWE Superstars. Slowly, but surely, Stratus would realize she was in for one of the most chaotic fights in her career.įrom that point forward, Mickie James would regularly be seen with Trish Stratus and Ashley Massaro, teaming with them in in-ring competition. However, as the weeks rolled on, it became apparent that there was something more sinister to the newcomer. To the average wrestling fan, Mickie James was simply an avid fan, if not more enthusiastic than most, elated over meeting her favorite wrestler in Trish Stratus. Granted, this didn’t seem like cause for concern. James took her leave, but not before giving Stratus a big hug, maintaining a sense of eagerness all the while. Stratus recognized James’ name, to which James revealed she was a huge fan of the Women’s Champion, having written to her several times. She introduced herself as Mickie James, the newest women’s signee to the company. Later in the night, the woman approached Stratus and Ashley Massaro backstage. Victoria fled while the mystery woman in question, a wide smile and all, handed the Women’s Title to Stratus. Suddenly, a mysterious woman stormed the ring, attacking Victoria in the corner. Victoria viciously attacked the champion, trapping her in a Boston crab. On the Octoepisode of Monday Night RAW, Trish Stratus successfully defended the WWE Women’s Title against Victoria. In the fall of that year, she would meet her most enigmatic foe yet. Simply put, there was little stopping the momentum of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed star from Toronto, Ontario Canada. In addition to being a multi-time WWE Women’s Champion, she was the centerpiece of the women’s division at that time. At this point, Trish Stratus was an established star. Turn back the clock to the beginning of 2005.
However, it was her historic feud with Mickie James that saw her encounter extreme fanaticism and experience unbridled hatred. Along the way, she battled numerous rivals, including Molly Holly, Victoria, and Lita. From late 2001 to her retirement in September of 2006, she held the WWE Women’s Championship a record-setting seven times.
#MICKIE JAMES VS TRISH STRATUS WRESTLEMANIA 22 PROFESSIONAL#
During this period, she was steadfast in delivering “Stratusfaction,” etching her reputation as one of the most important women’s stars in WWE and professional wrestling at large. There are few women’s wrestlers as synonymous with the early-to-mid 2000s as Trish Stratus.