Raquel Rodriguez On Trish Stratus: “This Is A Whole New Women’s Generation”

Raquel Rodriguez has a lot to say about the possibilities for Trish Stratus’ Money In The Bank.

Stratus’ recent return to the promotion, the fact that she was sticking around and not just making a WrestleMania appearance. Her match at Crown Jewel with Becky Lynch, and the fact that she had recently qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match, were all shocking developments on WWE Television.

As thrilled as the crowd was to see the multiple WWE Women’s champion return to the ring, the talent backstage was just as thrilled to be a regular part of the promotion and share the ring with her. Raquel Rodriguez, a former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, was one of them. It was the WWE Hall of Famer’s first single match on RAW in more than 12 years when she faced Trish in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.

Raquel said while being interviewed about the match on yesterday’s episode of “The Bump” saying:

“When Liv and I faced Trish and Becky for the Women’s Tag Titles after WrestleMania, in that moment, I was like, ‘Whoa, I had been watching Trish since I was a little girl,” Rodriguez said. “I looked up to her. I get to step in the ring with her!’ But we didn’t have much interaction in that tag match, so finally getting to have a one-on-one with her [was great] … Getting into the ring with Trish, I realized: I am a beast.”

Despite Trish’s shape during her absence from the ring, Rodriguez had some criticism for her after the bizarre experience. During the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras, when Stratus was at her peak, she wasn’t up against any rivals.

Bra and Pants matches, and bikini contests are a thing of the past. In their place, the women’s division now competes in events like Hell in a Cell, Ironman, and, of course, Money in the Bank Ladder matches, in which Trish is eligible to compete on July 1 at the O2 arena in London. Even though Rodriguez isn’t participating in the match, she wishes Stratus luck in keeping up with the opposition.

“She’s in a new world,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not really what she’s used to. This is a whole new women’s division. This is a whole new women’s generation, so I understand if her confidence has faltered a little bit where she feels like she needs to kick it up a notch, whether it’s in a good way or a bad way. But I am very happy that she gets to experience her first Money in the Bank, too, because this is a new thing for the women. Having Money in the Banks [and] having Royal Rumbles is all part of the women’s evolution, so it’s great that she gets a little taste of that. We’ll see if she can last with the ladders.”

Since Stark had the chance to qualify in the Money in the Bank ladder match and is ready to defend her mentor, Zoey Stark will be Stratus’ backup if she has a problem with ladders.