Trish Stratus appeared on the red carpet at the WWE 2K26 Creator Fest at WWE Headquarters, and what started as a conversation about her Attitude Era cover appearance turned into one of the most moving moments of the event.
Stratus is featured on the WWE 2K26 Attitude Era Edition cover alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and other legends of the era. For her, being on a game cover again — over 20 years after her last appearance — carried personal weight she didn't expect.
The Attitude Era obviously is a special time. It gets acknowledged. It gets its props. But the fact that the women of the Attitude Era are getting their props and acknowledged as well — that's a big, big thing. And I'm looking at the last time I was on a cover of the video game, it was about 20 plus years ago on Day of Reckoning, I think it was called. So I'm on a cover again. Pretty cool.
'The Last One My Mom Got to See'
The interview took a deeply personal turn when Denise Salcedo brought up Trish's match with Tiffany Stratton at WWE Evolution. Stratus opened up about what that night truly meant to her.
It was the last [PLE] my mom got to see, and she was not doing well at the time. I remember going, 'No, I can't go.' I was going to cancel it because I thought I couldn't leave her and she's like, 'Please go.' And to know that she got to see me doing what she loved seeing me do — I'm so pleased I got to do it.
Trish's mother Alice passed away in August 2025 following a battle with cancer. The Evolution match was among the final times she saw her daughter perform.
Stratus added that her in-game costume from WWE 2K26 is the same outfit she wore that night, giving the moment a kind of permanence:
I'm in that outfit for the game. So it's kind of like it's immortalized, which means a lot to me.
She also touched on the "My First Crush" signing tour she's turned into a full business venture — leaning into the affectionate nickname fans have given her for decades.
I'm still their crush. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't like you were [my crush] back when you were. I'm still their crush. That's what's cool.
