Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images
Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus fought in a double match Monday night on Raw in a grudge match, but the drama didn’t end there.
Their brawl spilled outside the ring on numerous occasions, and the match went off the rails as the two women fought in the crowd.
The referee’s ten count officially ended the bout, but the fight continued. Lynch and Stratus fought on the stairs and in the hallway, where the former wrestler gained the upper hand in front of several fans.
Lynch was about to hit Stratus with a manhandle slam on top of the merchandise table, but recently NXT recalled Zoe Stark attacked her from behind and knocked her feet out, letting Stratus have the upper hand.
WWE @WWE
Oh no! 😲 #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/xXHxyOrPLk
The duo attacked Lynch, who was left writhing in pain on the floor of the hallway.
Shortly thereafter, a WWE official, Adam Pearce, confronted a gleeful Stratus and Stark in the back. A visibly agitated Pearce then told Stratus that she was running away from Lynch and ordered a steel cage match between the two.
Lynch and Stratus were friends, with Trish returning to WWE to help Lynch and fellow Hall of Famer Lita defeat Damage CTRL for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
The trio also teamed to defeat Damage CTRL in a six-woman tag team match at WrestleMania 39, but their honeymoon period didn’t last long after that.
Lynch and Lita were scheduled to defend the titles against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez two weeks after WrestleMania, but Lita was taken out by a mysterious assailant backstage. Trish then agreed to step in and compete on Lita’s behalf.
Stratus fell, as she and Lynch lost the titles, and when the man tried to show his understanding after the match, Stratus attacked her from behind.
This eventually led to a match between Lynch and Stratus at Night of Champions where Trish took advantage of a major upset, as Stark came out from under the ring to attack Becky, allowing Stratus to score the victory.
Stratus kept that win at Lynch’s head for several weeks afterward, even returning the favor by helping Stark beat Becky on an episode of Raw.
Becky vowed to do anything for her in order to get a rematch against Stratus, and Trish agreed on the condition that Lynch could beat Stark in a match. She also set the stipulation that Lynch must thank her in the event of a loss, as well as have “Thank You Trish” tattooed on her chest.
Lynch agreed, and was able to overcome the obstacle placed in front of her by defeating Stark on a final episode of Raw despite Trish’s numerous attempts to interfere.
The longstanding rivalry between Lynch and Stratus continued Monday night, but the stakes will now be raised in the steel cage.
Tune in to Ring Rust Radio for all the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.