WWE's Trish Stratus Recalls Early Chemistry With Friend & In-Ring Rival Lita

At the heights of their respective careers, Trish Stratus and Lita often competed for the top spot in the women's division, often competing for the WWE Women's Championship. On occasion, the two teamed up, but in recent years have been very open about the friendship they eventually cultivated.

During an interview with the "Toronto Sun," Stratus recalled how her relationship with Lita first started. 

"I was the new girl, she was the new girl, and I was like: 'Oh, okay, we're going to be competing?'" she recalled. "And then we just like, we clicked, and then we realized that, like, it was better for us to realize that we'd be stronger together than against each other, you know what I mean?"

Stratus noted that while their two characters would resonate differently with the WWE audience, there was an interesting dynamic in their differences that would make their rivalry become the "Rock & Austin" of the Women's division. 

"We knew that like, whether she was a good guy, I was a bad guy, whatever it was (...), we knew that when we got in the ring, because we had such deep character development because we really valued our roles as valets as well," she explained, pointing out how their earliest days as Managers took fans on a road with them that resonated. "To be able to tell that story with these characters that people really knew and kind of got behind? It was really special."

Like Stratus, Lita briefly returned to WWE, though she felt the run ended strangely.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Toronto Sun," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.