WWE has presented 40 spectacular WrestleManias since 1985, and each one has been a major spectacle in its own right. The Road to WrestleMania is full of swerves and controversies every year, and The McMahon Family was once involved in all the storyline drama. Many superstars have been pulled into their debacles over the years, including William Regal and Trish Stratus.
The Attitude Era was winding down by early 2021 but the purchase of WCW and The Invasion were in the pipeline. Trish Stratus and her allies began feuding with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in 2000, which was her rookie year. William Regal was somewhat of a lackey to Mr. McMahon, while Stratus was "very good friends" with the Chairman in a rather controversial angle. Linda McMahon and Shane McMahon were also characters in the program.
Today marks 24 years since WWE No Way Out 2001, held at the Thomas & Mack Center near Las Vegas, in front of over 15,200 fans and 590,000 PPV buyers. Mr. McMahon previously told Regal that he was confident the former Blue Blood would know what to do during the Trish vs. Stephanie bout when the time was right. Regal had no clue what Vince wanted but continued to interfere in the match. For the finish, Regal apologized to Trish before laying her out, allowing Stephanie to win.
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McMahon later berated Regal backstage and then booked a big match for RAW. The wild bout ended in a No Contest at just over three minutes, and in a shocker, Vince turned on Trish and she was covered with slop by the other three.
The controversial storyline led to WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, at the Astrodome in Houston, TX. In front of almost 68,000 fans and more than 1 million pay-per-view buyers, Shane McMahon defeated his father in a 14-minute Street Fight.
Mick Foley was the special guest referee, Linda was in her son's corner, while Stephanie and Trish were in Vince's corner, with plenty of ringside drama. Regal opened the PPV by failing to dethrone then-Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho. Triple H lost to The Undertaker in the 18-minute co-main event.
Trish Stratus returning to the WWE ring
Trish Stratus made a surprise return at the WWE Royal Rumble and now will return to tag team action at Elimination Chamber on Saturday. She will team with WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton to take on Nia Jax and Speed Women's Champion Candice LeRae.
WWE and Trish are celebrating her 25th anniversary this year. While not confirmed, Canada's Greatest Export has teased a match at WrestleMania 41.