Trish Stratus Says She “Hated” Barking Like a Dog for Vince McMahon

Trish Stratus is finally speaking out about one of the most controversial moments of her WWE career—the infamous segment where Vince McMahon forced her to bark like a dog on live television. And while she hated every second of it, she’s also not pretending it didn’t play a role in shaping her story.

During her interview with Chris Sumlin on Hot 97.5, the topic shifted to Trish’s early days in WWE, particularly her involvement in over-the-top storylines with Vince. Chris made it clear how much he disliked the infamous barking angle—and Trish didn’t hold back in agreeing.

“When I was kind of messing with Vince McMahon… I hated that storyline.”

Chris responded by saying he would never bring up the barking, but Trish didn’t shy away from it. She recalled her exact reaction when the segment was pitched.

“Oh, right. That’s right. I hated that. Honestly, I was like, ‘Then we’re going to what? We’re going to bark like a…?’ Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I hated that. Okay.”

Despite her disgust for the segment, Trish explained how it ended up serving the larger narrative. At the time, her character was hated. The scene, however humiliating, was designed to flip the audience’s perception and generate sympathy.

“I didn’t mind it as much because my character was hated. We needed something like, ‘How are you going to have sympathy for someone you just hate?’ It enabled the fans to have sympathy for me and put me in a vulnerable moment… so then they could get behind me. And then when I turned on him, they were like, ‘Yes girl, you did it.’”

Trish made it clear that while she despised the moment, she also understood how it helped launch her into a full-fledged babyface and build toward her WrestleMania redemption.

The moment may be burned into wrestling history for all the wrong reasons, but for Trish, it was also a turning point that gave her long-term credibility in the eyes of fans.

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