Victoria's final match this past Friday on Smackdown officially brings down the curtain on an era.  

Her departure was the last of a group of women who collectively raised the bar in women's wrestling. A time when of the core players that made up the women's roster, 9 of them were champions, 6 of them becoming champion for the first time, second time, etc.  During that time we saw the introduction of new characters and the reinvention of others, good guys and bad, each offering something different than the other - a flavor for everyone.

I guess the era formally began when the then defunct Women's Championship (since the departure of Chyna saw the title and her reign as Women's Champion come to an end) was brought back and put up for grabs at Survivor Series 2001.  The match was called a 6-pack challenge and it involved almost all of the women on the current roster all of which were wrestlers.  Sure, some were more seasoned than others, a few were even former champions, this match also featured the debut of a new woman to the roster - and that's exactly what made it so interesting and entertaining.

Slowly from that moment on, we worked as a group to wiggle our way onto the show every week, even trying to grab a spot at the pay-per-views if we could. We used every chance we could to show the fans that we could do more in that ring than just flaunt ourselves - although we never forgot what brought us to the dance - it was all a carefully crafted balance.  The annual Diva shoots that ended up producing the magazines, videos and TV specials gave us the assist when it came to delivering the T&A to our fans, while we got to focus on delivering another form of T&A to the fans - talent and ability.

Over time certain things started to fall into place for us that helped elevate our status on the show from novelty act to eventually being an integral part of it. Obvious things helped like the fewer occurrence of matches that involved substances like gravy, mud and 1 square metre of fabric and, the fact that we started to have matches that lasted longer than 3 minutes! Every bit helped, the storylines that we were given to develop our characters, the occasional opportunity to interact with the main players like Vince, The Rock, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Kane, Steiner and Austin - all helped to make the women officially part of cast  - we were no longer just 'extras'.

But at the end of the day, it still came down to delivering the goods; after all, it is a wrestling show. That's where attention must be drawn to one of the biggest factors that made this era what is was.   Dave 'Fit' Finlay - you know him by his famous line "I love to fight!" - Well, he made us love to fight and he made you love to watch us fight.

Originally assigned to the women's matches as a rib from management, Fit took on the challenge and embraced it. He saw the opportunity to create something special, with a little TLC and a collective effort, Fit lead the charge on churning out some of the most exciting, innovative and entertaining matches ever seen from women in the WWE.  He helped us develop stories in the ring that enhanced our storylines so that it would eventually culminate to a pay-per-view match - just like the guys.  He brought out the best in us, paying close attention to the individuality of each character, reminding us constantly that 'this ain't ballet' - so that we would go out there and bring it each and every time we were in the ring. 

It is the most active time ever in the history of the Women's Championship.  Just as an example, from November 2001 until Lita's retirement in 2006 the championship changed hands 18 times between 7 women - that's a lot of action and a lot of women kicking butt!  We saw a lot of firsts - a chair shot and a cage match - and a lot of things that normally didn't involve women like going through a table and hardcore matches.  We were even featured in the Main Event of Raw - a spot reserved for the biggest match-up of the night. Even the women who were not title contenders played an important role in forming this group that redefined the role of women in wrestling and who embodied the then newly-coined phrase 'WWE Diva'. 

Like Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman of the Chicago Bulls, or like Cindy, Naomi, Claudia, Christy and Linda were the 'supermodels' of the 90's, I'm proud to have been part of a group that defined an era, a time that is hard to forget and even harder to duplicate.

And so goodbye and best wishes to Victoria. You were part of a special time that brought joy and entertainment to millions - a toast to the widow's peak freak!

It was a great run ... it was an honor to have run with you.

 Well, that's it - 2008 is finished,

 fini, τελικού, gotowy, terminado, finito!

I just wanted to send out my wishes to everyone in the wwe universe - I hope everyone had a wonderful year and will enter the new year  full of dreams, aspirations, and hope.

Here's to a successful, inspired and joyful 2009!

Oh, and yes, of course, I also hope it is full of Stratusfaction, it is Stratusfying, you are Stratusfied - and also ...

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S. and C.R.A

May your hair, your teeth, your butt, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you surround yourself with those you love and appreciate everything at its simplest level. May your food be yummier (maybe more organic), the environment cleaner,  and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.

May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.

May this year be your personal best, with you taking control of your destiny, going after your dreams, and reaching for the Stratusphere. May it be your healthiest, eating what is good for you and remembering it is all about balance and you are what you eat. May you be the best 'YOU' you can be - do some yoga, go for a walk, talk care of yourself to live life to its fullest.


And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.

Here we go ... which one are you:

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.

It's a little over 24 hours after delivering some Stratusfaction to Raw and honestly, the buzz is just barely starting to wear off ... actually I don't think it will be wearing off any time soon to be honest! I mean, in a word - someone I know said it best - "wow!"

And, I apologize, I would have been on sooner but it has been crazy for me the last few days ... Christmas kinda snuck up on me so I had to finish off some shopping today as I was busy all weekend hosting some guests from out of town, we dealt with some lost luggage due to the backlog from the storm on Friday, did some spa-ing, and downward dog-ing, and then, you know, got ready to deliver some Stratusfaction to the ACC!  How crazy was that?! I don't think you guys realize just how amazing that was for me - can you see goosebumps on HD?  Seriously, I've been hearing from many that it was an early Christmas present ... well, it was for me too.

Ever since I retired I am constantly being asked "would I ever consider returning" and I have always said: for the right moment, for the right scenario, for the right person calling me out ... well, check, check, and check! 

Let's see, the Champ needed a partner, in the T dot, he's facing Glamerella - an unlikely duo that quite frankly I am a fan of - the bat signal couldn't be any brighter - cue the giggle!

It was great going back to the ACC, both backstage and on! It is an interesting thing when as a (former) WWE Superstar you return to the backstage scene. It does feel a little like it's a microcosm that you insert yourself back into and it's kinda all the same - like you never left. Sure there are a few new faces, new waists upon which the titles sit, but for the most part it's just like coming home after being away at college - it's still home.  Especially with all the love ... the great, big hug from J.R. - 'Trish sighting confirmed', the smell of self tanner and hairspray - except the ladies locker room is now a little fuller (especially with the Supershow), handshakes from some new folks, whom I knew (from watching) but had never met ... it really was home sweet home - and yes, the 17, 000 in attendance helped with that feeling! Was that a déjà vu kinda feeling or what?

Did anyone notice the boots? Had to dust those babies off - last time I wore those was my last Raw match at MSG against Mickie James (who I see is still on fire!). Those boots are a bit of an homage to the greatest Canadian wrestling family - everyone digs them -  well, usually - there was a certain someone backstage who wasn't too keen on me wearing them ...

Being at Raw kicking ass and taking names with John Cena, introducing the FOB Santino to the Stratusphere, and giving the Glamazon a sampling of what a seven time Champion tastes like was in fact an early Christmas present ... seconds anyone?

Speaking of presents - I got some I gotta go wrap...

 What does FOB mean? Fresh Off the Boat - what else...

 Wishing everyone in the WWE universe a Merry Trishmas! 

Current mood:stratusfied

Ladies and Gentleman, beacuse of the power of the stratusphere and the wwe universe, we helped raise for the Heart and Stroke Foundation a grand total of - drum roll please - $5325!

Not that I had any doubt that we'd get there when I blogged the night before the event at my studio, I just didn't think it would be by the next day! Yes, we did it literally over night!

Combining the online contributions with the funds we received at the holiday party at Stratusphere (as well as funds sent via the mail to the studio) the Heart and Stroke Foundation called me with a great birthday surprise 9in case you missed it it was dec.18 - and i'm not mad you forgot!)- needless to say they were absolutely thrilled at the official number following the event (and actually quite shocked that we raised that much in just under 2 weeks - which I do concur is amazing!).

You guys, we totally rock - I'm so proud of the job we did! Thank you to everyone who contributed - doesn't feel good to know you are helping to make a difference? Again, I do concur (favorite new word of the day)!

Big shout out to everyone who stopped by Stratusphere by the way! It was awesome to meet you guys and thank you for supporting by attending the event.  It was a fun evening - a great blend of people - family, friends, fans, students, teachers, business associates, and surrounding business owners all to support a great cause! Yummy foods (my fav part of a party) and we even did birthday cake for me - yay! And yes, I do have pictures - a friend Ian took some pictures for me but he doesn't have a digital camera (I know, he's heard it a million times!).  So, I have to get them dumped on a disk and as soon as I do that - I'll get them up here for you guys to see (be patient - we are experienceing a big storm here, keep that in mind - well, if i pull out the 'ole snowshoes ... just kidding - i don't have snowshoes ... or do?)

So now I'm going to be making my list and checking it twice - the list of people who get 8x10s that is. Okay, I'm putting this disclaimer out there now - if you have donated please be sure to leave me a comment here with your ID# and how you want your 8x10 personalized because I will be using that as the master list to send out the pics.  And, again as far as when to expect the pic, I'm thinking it will probably be end of January.  I have the shoot planned for mid-January so by the time I go through proofs, select, get them printed and prepare the mail out - end of January sounds about right.

Happy holiday shopping everyone! And again, did I mention we rock...thanks for the stratusfaction!

Well, I must say I am so proud of everyone here who is helping me reach my goal - just look at that red creeping up that thermometer!

Half-way there and I am so happy with that - guys, can you believe we've only been at it for under 2 weeks! It's amazing what you can do when first of all, you just get the word out there, but also when people really believe in a cause.

When something either hits close to home or has affected someone, somehow and they know they can make a difference - that's what we are all doing here - and you know what? You guys have made me very stratusfied...

Tomorrow is the big day - it is our big I ♥ YOGA day at my yoga studio! We have 3 classes that will be free with a donation (12pm, 6pm, 7pm) and then in the evening the festivities begin!  I am so grateful to the local businesses that are donating to the event.  Guests will be enjoying coffee and tea from our friends at Starbucks, platters prepared by Planet Organic, our friends at Cafe Cachet, and metro supermarket is also contributing to the filling of our guests' bellies! It's wonderful  to see the community support not only from these businesses, but the guests who will be stretching and snacking at stratusphere all to raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation!

I look forward to seeing some of you tomorrow, and for those who will not be attending I promise to take lots of pictures and of course give you a report on how much we raise ... I feel like we're one big team here, we're in this together! We are half way there and I'm not gonna stop spreading the word until we reach that $5000 goal - I hope you all will continue to help me spread the word - I just know we can do it!

I guess it is clear, my stratusphere and the wwe universe really is quite powerful - happy friggin dance!

Oh, and if you haven't done it yet - go donate! You'll get such stratusfaction, trust me...in the form of a new-trish-ious, brand spanking new, shot just for you 8x10! Check here for the details - now that should give you 100% stratusfaction - guaranteed!

Oh - and by the way, the countdown has officially begun...