Raquel Rodriguez Claims Trish Stratus Isn't Ready For New Generation Of WWE Women

The WWE Universe may not have been shocked at first to see Trish Stratus make her latest return to the promotion, but it was somewhat more surprising when it turned out she was sticking around and not just here for WrestleMania. As excited as the fans were to see the former champion return to the ring on a regular basis, the stars of WWE were equally excited to step into the squared circle with her. Former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez, for example, took on the WWE Hall of Famer in her first singles match on "WWE Raw" in 12 years, and the mighty Texan discussed that experience on "The Bump."

"When Liv and I faced Trish and Becky for the Women's Tag Titles after WrestleMania, in that moment, I was like, 'Whoa, I had been watching Trish since I was a little girl," Rodriguez said. "I looked up to her. I get to step in the ring with her!' But we didn't have much interaction in that tag match, so finally getting to have a one-on-one with her [was great]... Getting into the ring with Trish, I realized: I am a beast."

As surreal as the experience was, Rodriguez did have some criticism for the veteran. Despite the excellent shape she stayed in during her absence from the ring, Stratus isn't facing the same sort of opponent she was in the Attitude Era. Gone are the days of Bra and Panties matches and bikini contests — instead, the women's division these days is competing in Iron Man matches, Hell in a Cell matches, and of course, Money in the Bank ladder matches like the one in which Stratus will compete on July 1 in the O2 Arena in London. While she's not in the MITB match herself, the purveyor of the Tejana Bomb hopes that the master of Stratusfaction can keep up.

"She's in a new world," Rodriguez said. "It's not really what she's used to. This is a whole new women's division. This is a whole new women's generation, so I understand if her confidence has faltered a little bit where she feels like she needs to kick it up a notch, whether it's in a good way or a bad way. But I am very happy that she gets to experience her first Money in the Bank, too, because this is a new thing for the women. Having Money in the Banks [and] having Royal Rumbles is all part of the women's evolution, so it's great that she gets a little taste of that. We'll see if she can last with them ladders."

Fortunately, if she does have trouble with the ladders, Stratus has some backup in the form of her new protege Zoey Stark. The recent call-up from "WWE NXT" earned her own spot in the high-stakes match and is prepared to thank Trish with her loyalty and protection.