Reviewing Trish Stratus' Heel Turn; What Happens Between Now and SummerSlam?

So we finally got it. We knew this was coming, we were waiting for it, and it came. A lot of us thought we'd see this happening at WrestleMania. I mean, it was the proper forum. Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus, and Lita against Damage CTRL, and it would have been the perfect opportunity. We didn't get that, and I'm glad of that, because we needed to wait just a bit. We would not wait too long, and it leaves this fan, among others, wondering what will be done in the many months leading to the inevitable clash.

But more on that later. Let's talk about what went down on Raw.

So it was a week prior that it was announced that Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan would receive their Women's Tag Team Championship opportunity against Becky Lynch and Lita, earning that right after defeating Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai that very evening. So the match was set, but there were problems already from the get-go. The main one being that Lita was found backstage...having been attacked. The challengers found her, and once Trish and Lynch arrived, the latter half of the duo quickly accused Raquel and Liv of doing something to Lita, but they denied it.

So Lita was in no shape to compete, and that left Trish to actually enter with Becky and defend the titles with her in Lita's place. I wasn't expecting any of this, but it was what it was. So the match went on, and it was...well...not pretty. I love all four women involved, but there were some messy moments in that bout. I only had two reasons for watching intently in spite of this. How it ended was one reason; Liv and Raquel captured the titles when the former half actually picked up the 1-2-3 on the Hall of Famer. I knew Raquel and Liv would win. Even if Lita had been in the match, there would be new champions. It's their first reign together, but while Raquel's in her second run (she briefly held the tag titles on the main roster with Aliyah), Liv finally has the titles that were denied her back when she was part of the Riott Squad.

As I said, Raquel and Liv winning was Reason #1. What happened afterwards was Reason #2:

What was saw after the match was Lynch looking stunned upon hearing that final bell, while Trish appeared to be shocked as well. The tag title run of Lynch and Lita now over, Lynch walked up to Trish and hugged her in a show of respect, but that was suddenly thrown out the window by the now-villainous Hall of Famer, as she attacked Lynch from behind and delivered her Chick Kick to "The Man" right afterwards. She gave a facetious apology (in that Canadian accent) before walking off, and with that, Trish became a villainess for the first time in 18 years.

Trish didn't waste any time displaying her reborn heel persona after the attack; Byron Saxton attempted to get answers from Trish backstage, but in response, the evil Trish simply walked past Byron and gave an ominous and blank expression while doing so. I've wanted Trish to become a villainess in WWE just one more time for a long while. I had given up on this until a month ago, when I read that WWE was planning on this. Trish teased a heel turn several months ago; prior to returning to Raw in Toronto, she stated in an interview that her heel persona could give Becky Lynch a run for her money. Clearly, WWE heard this and decided, "Let's go for it."

So the obvious plan here is Trish Stratus vs Becky Lynch at SummerSlam, which is nearly four months from now. It's a definite dream match, and it's immensely big for Lynch, as she'll have the distinction of having faced both halves of the iconic "Team Bestie" at Premium Live Events. So that's pretty much official. The question remains: what will happen between now and SummerSlam? Well, for starters, it's painfully obvious that Trish was behind the attack on Lita; honestly, I want that revealed as soon as the next edition of Raw. The main centerpiece of Trish's evil plan is Lynch, and given her past with Lita, I would think she'd have no problem taking down her bestie and longtime rival to get to Lynch.

I can see a lot happening other than this. Trish doesn't appear weekly, but we could see her plague Lynch in the months leading to SummerSlam, especially the upcoming Money In The Bank event on July 1 in the UK. If Trish really costs Lynch bigtime at that event, that's when the match will be made, and we'll see some tit-for-tat between the two legends. Trish shouldn't be a villainess for too long, but even so, it'll be absolutely awesome to watch. It'll be a lot different compared to her past heel roles, as we'll see her as the evil and arrogant icon attempting to bring down a highly regarded talent who everyone knows is on Trish's level. The buildup should be quite good.

Oh, one more thing. I have to mention this. Trish Stratus is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Her last heel run took place between March 2004 and May 2005. You know what happened during that time? The Maple Leafs won a playoff series. So yeah, evil Trish Stratus may be just what the Leafs need to get on a run. Just thought I'd mention that.

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