Trish Stratus is Armed & Famous
Former WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus can now add police officer and reality TV star to her already impressive resume. She is one of five celebrities who have trained to become sworn police officers with the Muncie, Ind., Police Department for the new reality show, Armed & Famous.
Stratus joins television star Erik Estrada, singer and author La Toya Jackson, movie star and professional skateboarder Jason "Wee Man" Acuña and television personality Jack Osbourne for the series, which begins tonight at 8/7 CT on CBS.
"I love challenges. I think the WWE fans know I thrive on challenges. So to me this was like coming into a whole new world," Stratus told WWE.com.
The former Diva has been in Muncie for more than a month, but yesterday was her final day of filming Armed & Famous. The opportunity to be on the show came as a total surprise to her following her recent retirement from WWE.
"I just got married after I retired and Ron -- my husband -- and I were settling into our new life. We moved into a new house and we were getting settled. Then I get this call and CBS was like, ‘We need you in a week,' and I looked at my husband like, ‘Honey?' And he was like, ‘Oh my God. Go kick ass. Go do it.' "
When she first arrived in Indiana with the four other celebrities, they had to prepare to become police officers. They underwent firearms training, learned defensive tactics and they took physical tests. They also had to be educated about laws and police codes.
"We had a physical testing part where we had to run a mile and a half in a certain time. We had to do a certain amount of push ups and a certain amount of sit ups," Stratus explained.
"That was probably my shining moment. That and defensive tactics, which I kicked ass at," she laughed. "That's where my wrestling background kicked in, which is awesome."
Stratus admitted she was nervous the first few times she hit the streets with a veteran police officer.
"I kept thinking, ‘What are my lines? What do I say when I pull someone over?' But it all comes naturally," she said with confidence. "By the end of the shoot, I feel like a well-rounded police officer who knows exactly what to do in the field."
Stratus estimated she arrested two to three people a night for 30 days. Her first call involved a house fire, which was an emotional experience. It's there she quickly learned police officers play many roles.
"I had to be kind of like a grief counselor and talk to the kids about how Christmas was around the corner, but they've just lost their house. The husband and the wife were crying on my shoulder," she continued. "It's something I didn't even expect. It's an eye-opening experience, and it's been a blast."
Some of the calls wind up comical, though, Stratus explained. Once she pulled over a driver who jumped the curb because he wasn't paying attention to the road -- he was paying attention to Stratus.
"I kind of caused a traffic violation," she joked. "He was like, ‘Dude, that's Trish Stratus right there!'"
"For some reason the drunken criminals, all the public intoxication I've taken in, they all happen to fall in love with me," Stratus admitted. "It's very interesting. I'm not used to men falling in love with me while I'm taking them to jail!"
Stratus has also been put in a few dangerous situations while on the Muncie force. Once, she and her partner caught a burglary in progress and had to sneak up on the prowler.
"My partner and I took him down, handcuffed him and took him in. He was very aggressive. He called me ‘Bleep bleep bleep bleep wrestling bitch!' " she exclaimed.
"It got me totally riled up and you have to learn you can't respond back with trash talking. Those skills I had to really tuck in deep."
Stratus also revealed she took part in a prostitution sting.
"I won't give anything away, except that these prostitutes don't look like the ones you see on TV. These are a whole other kind of…" she trailed off. "They had to dirty me up, basically. So when you see the headline that Trish is dressed up like a hooker, don't get too excited, WWE fans!"
Through it all though, she never had to resort to using Stratusfaction while a police officer.
"I think I've left a lot of citizens of Muncie and a lot of criminals of Muncie Stratusfied, but I've never had to actually deliver Stratusfaction, if you know what I mean," she smiled.
As for the other celebrities on Armed & Famous, Stratus has formed bonds with each one.
"I think Wee Man would be a hit in WWE for sure," she said. "Jack's a fan. He came to a couple of WWE shows in Los Angeles.
"When I met La Toya, she had no idea who I was. She kept telling me she expected a gigantic woman to come and bully with her, but she said I was so little and sweet. Her dad is a huge fan," she revealed.
"Erik is just awesome. He played a police officer on TV for so many years and now he gets to do it in real life. He's kind of become our ‘motherly hen' of the show. We look at him like, ‘Thanks, Uncle Erik!' " Stratus laughed.
"It kind of reminded me of the same kind of bond and camaraderie you feel at WWE. I've felt that with the other celebrities and the police officers," she said.
Stratus is a little sad to admit her fans might be a bit disappointed in her police officer uniform.
"You can see my hands and my head, but that's about it!" she laughed.
Although when she stopped by a WWE live event this past weekend, some WWE Superstars and crew were shocked to see her in uniform.
"They were like, ‘What is this, like a striptease?'" she joked.
Finally, Stratus just wanted to thank all the WWE fans for their support throughout the years. While in Indiana, she also stopped by a local wrestling show with her partner and was able to jump in the ring, which brought back memories.
"It really reminded me how much I love being in the ring and in front of the fans, so I do miss it. I miss my fans," she admitted.
Stratus also wants to clarify that she didn't leave sports-entertainment to become an actress. She just couldn't pass up an opportunity like Armed & Famous.
"I hope WWE fans will support me and check out Armed & Famous," she said.
"I play me in the show. That's what I do. That's what I've done my whole life. It's just me being me."
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