Trish Stratus revealed that a York University strike played a key role in her journey to WWE. The WWE Hall of Famer said that the uncertainty of the strike gave her time to pursue other interests, which eventually put her on WWE’s radar.
Stratus attended York University in Toronto during its 1997 strike. There, she was a student-athlete representing the York Lions‘ women’s field hockey team, while also balancing her classes.
The ’97 York U strike began on Mar. 20 and lasted eight weeks. According to a study, the strike resulted in a financial strain on students, totaling an estimated $12 million or approximately $630 per student.
Trish Stratus Reveals How 1997 York University Strike Led Her to WWE
Trish Stratus revealed that she got a job working at a gym during the 1997 York University strike. Stratus was later approached by MuscleMag International founder Robert Kennedy, who offered her a fitness modelling gig.
“The big strike. We call it the strike of ’97. I was [a student at York University] for the strike. In fact, I’ll tell you this – and I always say everything happens for a reason. When I say I was a jockey, nerd girl. It was sports and studying, that’s all I did. During that time, the strike happened, I actually got a job at the gym because I could train for free. It let me make some money because we were out of school,” Stratus said during a 2022 interview with VIBE 105.5FM Toronto.
“During that time, I got discovered to be a fitness model. And honestly, it’s like the funniest story. Some creepy guy comes up to me and says, ‘You’d be great this magazine,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, okay, buddy.’ Turned out he was legit. He was actually Robert Kennedy, who was the publisher of all those fitness magazine.”
She continued:
“[Kennedy] wanted to just represent the fit women, so it was a new industry – there was no niche created for it. So, he coined the term ‘fitness model,’ and that’s what I got scouted for. And I got discovered there, became a fitness model, which led to WWE.”
Stratus Reveals Memorable Conversation During WrestleMania X-8 Press Conference
Stratus also revealed that she had a memorable conversation with then-Toronto mayor Mel Lastman after the WrestleMania X-8 announcement press conference. Toronto’s Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) hosted WWE’s biggest event in 2002.
Lastman, who was in office in 1997, basically took credit for the strike, which led to Stratus embarking on a path that eventually led her to WWE.
“One time, I met Mayor Lastman. He came when we had one of our press conference announcements when we were having an event in Toronto. And he kind of took me aside, he goes, ‘I guess you have me to thank for that strike or else this would have never happened, huh?’ [I responded], ‘I don’t know if I’d say that out loud, but I guess I inadvertently can thank you,’ So the [York University] strike did work out for me, not so much for others, as I’ve heard,” Stratus said during a 2022 interview with VIBE 105.5FM Toronto.
How a York University Strike Led Trish Stratus to WWE