In a recent interview with Jeff Marek of the LAW, the WWF's most popular diva, Lita (Amy Dumas) spoke out on a variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights from Lita's talk with Marek.

Have you had any resentment from anyone backstage? You got in there and got a top spot really quick:

- No, I've been very fortunate. I do try to be very respectful of everyone's hard work there but it does have some disadvantages of people that are maybe a little bit more ignorant to the business doing interviews going "Man, you're the best" and I'm going "How about The Undertaker? He's good too, right?" Like I said, it's almost hard to enjoy because of everyone else who works so hard and gives 150% and isn't acknowledged for it.

Still think of yourself as a fan or strictly as a performer?

- Both. A little bit more of a performer just because it definitely is my business and it's a concern of mine to be professional about it. I definitely love watching the show and I don't miss it. I tape it and watch everything.

How did the thong thing start?

- It was just a spur of the moment type thing. I knew I wanted to change my look for sure when I was switching over with the Hardy Boys. I knew I wanted to establish a look regardless of how long they kept me with The Hardy Boys, I'll still be my own character -- I'll be me regardless of whether I'm with the Hardy Boys or not. I knew I wanted to wear baggy pants so I could wear big old kneepads under my pants and not kill myself so that was going to one thing I was going to factor in. I thought, "This is still sexy but it's tough and I can wrestle in it but I don't have to worry about falling out in it or my butt crack showing". [Laughing]

If you had a choice (obviously the answer is both) would you rather the World Wrestling Federation promoted you as an athlete or as a sex symbol?

- I love they athletic end of it -- I always look forward to doing that. I know the sex end is what's incorporated into the business and I'm comfortable with it being part of the business.

How far do you push that though? How far are you comfortable pushing that?

- I don't like to push it at all. I liked the thing we did with Dean -- the thing with lingerie. I was seen in lingerie but it was done in a way that my character could stay in tact and I loved that. I loved even the bra and panties match I had with Trish because it was kind of like "You want me to beat your ass? I'll beat your ass under your terms. We'll have a silly little bra and panties match." It's like, the fans can still get what they want but I don't look like I'm going "Okay guys, I know this is what you want to see. Here, I'll take my clothes off." The lingerie Christmas show I did at the restaurant, I didn't like how that was done but you've got to do what they want you to do. The shower scene I didn't like either. But, whatever, I'm over. I'm not going to be ecstatic about every single thing they do every night anyways so it just comes with it. As far as Playboy, I don't have any interest in it.

Do you think of yourself as a role model of young girls?

- Yeah. Me, as a person, I do. Lita as a character can fortunately be enforced -- positive behaviours, staying strong, going after stuff even in you know you might get you ass beat, and being worth it. Me, as a person, I really do. Like I said, there's some things we just have to do with our job and I'm not saying "Hey little girls, go take a shower and have a creepy old man look at you".

 

Trish Interview

About Video WWE.com: This is the first home video that’s just about you. How do you feel about that?

Trish: I’m really glad that it’s taken this long for them to decide to release a video about me because I feel like my character has gone through quite a bit of transformation and transitions. And I think it’s a good time to tell a complete story; knowing where my beginning was as a valet to where I am today within the women’s division is a really neat. And it’s a really nice trip to watch it all unfold.

WWE.com: What can fans expect to see on the VHS and on the DVD?

Trish: Basically it highlights my entire career. It talks about how I got into WWE, and from my very first appearance to where I am currently. It goes way back to growing up, with interviews with friends and family about how Trish Stratus grew up to be the Trish Stratus that she is today. It’s really cool to see my background and see how a lot of my early-on experiences influenced who I am today. It also goes outside WWE and shows a lot of the stuff I’ve done, like the magazine and some of the shoots, and “MADtv.” It also gets some opinions from many of the people I’ve worked with, many of the Divas, some of the Superstars I’ve worked with, from the Dudleys to Test and Albert. So it’s really interesting to see their perspective on things as well.

The DVD has some extra features -- some really neat stuff. It has some matches that we haven’t seen before. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go too far back into the vault because of the old logo, so that kind of sucks. But what can you do? It also has never-before-seen footage of, for example, when I went to “MADtv.” We had camera crews following me, so it shows me interacting with the cast and the crew there. Chris Jericho and I attended the Much Music Awards, and we search through our swag bags, so that’s in there as well.

There are also some neat interviews with a few different people, some friends and family.

What I’m really excited about is a special edition that’s coming out, only available at FYE stores. I try to pay a lot of attention to my fans, and through my Web site, TrishStratus.com, I really try to communicate with them, take their feedback and try to grow from that. We were going to do the Top 10 most Stratusfying Moments. So I asked the fans to pick them. I was on Byte This!, and I announced that, and I got such a tremendous response from fans sending their lists to my Web site, and I posted all of them. It was interesting to see that a lot of the moments were moments that people concurred on, and had chosen these moments that, to them, meant something. So I chose my Top 10 Most Stratusfying Moments, and that’ll be on the special-edition DVD. That’s my way of letting the fans know that I appreciate them, and letting them be part of my home video.

WWE.com: Isn’t there some kind of bobblehead offer with the special edition DVD?

Trish: Yeah. Actually, I just heard about it. So I haven’t seen it yet. But yeah, it’s a neat little deal. You get an extra special bonus too! (Laughs)

WWE.com: Rumor has it that you actually produced this home video, as well. Is that true?

Trish: Yeah. Generally with everything I do, I’m very nitpicky and hands-on, and I pay close attention to detail. So my perfectionism, I guess you could say, led to me producing the video. I actually ended up going into the studio and picking the pieces and putting them together. To me, it was really important to tell the complete story, and to make sure that every little detail was covered correctly and fully. So I did that. With everything I do, even with the Divas shoots, I like to get really hands-on with everything from my costumes, to choosing the photos and choosing the locations to looking through the camera’s lens to see what the photographer is seeing. I feel like, as a performer or as a subject, I can do better if I know what’s going on around me. It’s much the same thing with the home video. I knew to conduct my interview in a way that would flow nicely through a home video, and that sort of thing. I think we definitely achieved it, and I’m really excited that I got the opportunity to do that. It was very special to me.

WWE.com: You must be really proud of the final product.

Trish: It’s kind of crazy because you only have a little over an hour to allot to the video. If I had my way, there’d be six volumes to this thing. There are so many things, but you have to go through and make sure you pick the important pieces, and the relevant pieces as well. But hopefully they’ll be another one in the future, and I can tell the other details that I didn’t get a chance to squeeze in this video.

WWE.com: On the video, your family said that when you were a child, you were an insomniac. Is that still the case?

Trish: Oh yeah, I completely was an insomniac. I’d say I’m a nocturnal creature. Thank goodness my lifestyle now is the same thing. We finish a show at 11 p.m., and then we drive a couple of hours into the night -- that’s generally the way I do it -- and I’m comfortable with that because that’s the kind of girl I’ve always been. I’m a creature of the night.

WWE.com: But these days, if you want to try to get some sleep, are you able to do that?

Trish: Yeah, during the day. (Laughs) Not as much as I’d like, though.

WWE.com: One of my favorite parts of the video is the stuff with Stone Cold Steve Austin backstage at Madison Square Garden.

Trish: It’s neat to see me interacting with other Superstars, not only out of character but in a situation where you’d never see us interact. Chris and I do that as well -- you’d (otherwise) never see us talking together, especially out of character. But it’s neat to see those candid moments.

WWE.com: You’re a two-time WWE Diva of the Year. Are you aiming to be a three-time winner?

Trish: Of course I am! (Laughs) I would love to be, but of course there’s some very stiff competition. You always want to retain, of course, but at the same time it’d be great for another girl to get a Web site as well. So I wish the best of luck to all the Divas involved.

WWE.com: How excited are you going to be when you become Women’s Champion again? Because then you’ll be a record-setting five-time Women’s Champion.

Trish: That’s going to be a huge moment in my career and in my life. I’m definitely looking forward to that moment. Currently, I’m not really in a chase for the title, it seems; I’m dealing with the issue of the new team of Molly Holly and Gail Kim. I haven’t really set my sights on the title because it hasn’t really come up as my focus. I know that once it does, that’s going to be my main focus. It’s going to be an amazing moment, but I really can’t describe it.

I definitely will get back to you if and when that moment happens.

WWE.com: You’re one of the four Divas featured on the covers of the October Raw Magazine. Have you seen the edition yet?

Trish: I’m really, really happy with my pictures. This was my Babe of the Year photo shoot from last year, and I knew when I did that photo shoot that I was trying to create these photos that really just showed my personality -- the true Trish. I think I did that. So I’m really pleased with the photos, of course. And the fact that I got a cover -- I’m very honored to be on the cover. And I think it’s a great issue. I think it’s neat to have an issue devoted to us (the Divas). I think we work really hard within the programming to really be strong characters. So I think that they’ve devoted the magazine and really given the fans a chance to get to know each of us is really cool. And I’m honored to be on the cover of that.

WWE.com: What are your thoughts on Unforgiven, especially teaming with Lita, who hasn’t been in the ring in a while? And it’s a brand-specific pay-per-view, so some would say there’s more pressure to deliver.

Trish: Well, I’m not worried about the pressure. I’m very excited about Lita being my partner. The last time Lita and I teamed up was at the Invasion pay-per-view against Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler, and we were victorious. So I think we’ve proven to be an effective team, much like Molly and Gail have proven to be an effective team. So it should be an interesting match-up. And I’m very excited to have Lita back. I think business is about to pick up in the women’s division.