Trish Stratus and her husband, Ron, were married last fall and Trish said goodbye to her stellar career as a wrestler. The couple originally committed to each other 14 years ago, when both were in secondary school. They had lived together for the past 10 years, during which Ron established a solid business. Throughout those years he gave whole-hearted emotional support to Trish as she built her own career and travelled around the world.
Her association with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) took her to Japan, the UK, Europe, Malaysia, the Philippines and to Afganistan to entertain the troops. There was some culture shock along the way. India won't allow women to take part in such an immodest activity but, on the other hand, the Japanese go wild over it. Europeans love it. And, of course, Monday night is wrestling on North American television.
Trish became a star, breaking all records by winning the championship an unprecedented seven times and becoming the most heralded diva in WWE history.
She says, I will look back fondly on those years because I had the support of my fans who drove me to go out there every night and give 110 percent to them. And the WWE was amazing to me. They took great care of me during my almost seven years with them, and then gave me a terrific send-off.
The Accidental Wrestler
How does a young, pretty girl, raised by a comfortable middle-class family in Richmond Hill (north of Toronto) and planning to be a doctor have such a major change in direction? It certainly would come as a surprise to her parents, because one daughter is in retail, another is a full-time mom, and nobody could have predicted the path Trish took. But as her career unfolded, bit by bit, her parents went along for the ride and were proud and supportive.
She says,I was a bit of a nerd when I was young-a good student whose ideal Christmas or birthday gift would be a chemistry set.
I went to York University, majoring in biology and kinesiology in preparation for med school. Then the university had a major strike. I took a part-time job in a gym and was spotted by a magazine publisher who asked if I would like to do some fitness modelling. I went into a six-month training mode with a personal trainer, flew to Miami, got my first cover and signed with the publisher. Within two years, I had landed 20 international fitness magazine covers.
Trish went on a talk show and the other guests, by chance, were wrestlers. Inaccurate buzz on the Internet was that she had signed on as a wrestler. It came to the attention of the WWE, it seemed like an interesting idea, and she was offered a wrestling contract.
She signed a contract in November 1999 and was put into serious training for her first match the following March, appearing in front of 20,000 Long Island, N.Y., wrestling fans.
On The Road
Life could be lonely on the road and Trish relied on daily calls from Ron to keep her pumped. The burn-out schedule was four days a week, every week of the year.
And, over the years, injuries mounted: a dislocated shoulder, a knuckle permanently smashed into her hand, cracked and lost teeth, a herniated disc that put her into rehab for four months.
When she was recovering from a back injury, she couldn't do demanding exercise so began bikram yoga, which is performed in a room with a temperature of about 106 degrees. She was so impressed, she gave up all weight and treadmill exercising, saying, It's terrific. Bikram yoga has helped me achieve peak physical and mental conditioning. It has changed my entire outlook on life, and since starting it I never get sick and my complexion has never been better. It's now my sole source of exercise.
Her eating habits are sporadic. She admits to loving junk food and says she is addicted to hamburgers and fries. On the other hand, she is aware of her body and knows when it's time to lean-out and revert to veggies, fruit, salmon and chicken.
On the Agenda
Trish says it was emotional when she announced her retirement. I didn't, for a moment, second-guess myself. It was time to get on with the next phase of my life. Nevertheless, making the announcement was tough.
She appeared twice on MadTV and hosted the 2006 Canadian Walk of Fame ceremony, including doing a little dancing and singing.
Her retirement was within weeks of her wedding, so there was no lack of activity. She and Ron were finishing their new 5,000 square-foot house, finalizing the wedding details and preparing for a very long honeymoon.
The wedding, all in autumn colours, had five bridesmaids in burnt orange and groomsmen in brown pin-striped tuxedos.Brown is the new black, she laughs.
Food was a priority at our wedding. Ron and I seem to eat all the time Ð we love food. So we started with a sushi bar, and a hot rock grilling station, a prime rib entrŽe, and climaxed with a five-tier wedding cake. The most fun of all for the guests was importing the machinery for Tiny Tim hot miniature donuts.
Then they were off on a dream honeymoon.
Trish says, I never saw all those places I visited except the airport, the hotel and the arena. So Ron promised me that we would go back on our honeymoon and explore them.
He organized a trip that would start in Greece and, for six to eight weeks, they would travel the world, ending up in a fish-and-chip emporium in England!
Keeping House
As they prepared to settle down in their new home, I asked the inevitable questions: Who will do the cooking, the cleaning, the gardening?
Trish said, Don't forget that we have been living together for more than 10 years, so that was sorted out a long time ago. We both love to cook, but we also love to order in and go out to eat. A cleaning lady and a gardener look after the interior and exterior. I love to decorate, so there will be lots to do to complete the new house.
I'm not sure what my future holds professionally. It seems that everything I've done is the result of being at the right place at the right time. Adventure always seems to find me. I do know that I'm ready to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the fruits of my labour. As fairytale endings go, I'll be doing it happily(and married) ever after!
I want to knock down pre-conceived notions about who I am. I'm ready for a new career and the next phase of my life, but I'm not looking for it. It will find me!
"I'm not sure what my future holds professionaly. It seems that everything I've done is the result of being at the right place at the right time."
Photography by Phat Dog Visuals
Photography by Christopher Wadsworth
