Highlights

• Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch were important female wrestlers in WWE history, but their highly anticipated feud has been a letdown.
• The feud started off well, with intriguing storylines and twists, but it lost steam over time and failed to deliver on expectations.
• The cancellation of their match at SummerSlam was a disappointment and showed that WWE did not prioritize their storyline, creating frustration among fans and the wrestlers themselves.

Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch are arguably the two most important women wrestlers in WWE history. In the hyper sexualized Attitude Era, Stratus was able to overcome uncomfortable storylines and be known for her wrestling talent rather than just her looks. Her accomplishments led to her becoming a WWE Hall of Famer in 2013.

Around the same time as her induction, women's wrestling was in a bad state. Matches were short, and when they weren't, they often focused on gimmicks like bra and panties matches. Then came the Women's Evolution. Becky Lynch as The Man became the most successful female star of that era, so much so that she was as popular as the men. This year, fans finally got the dream feud we'd been wanting for so long, Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch. Sadly, it has been a letdown.

The Becky Lynch And Trish Stratus Rivalry Started Off Hot

It was a fun moment when Becky Lynch and Lita teamed up to become the Women's Tag Team Champions. It was equally cool to see them in the ring alongside Trish Stratus in a victorious WrestleMania 39 match against Damage CTRL. We knew the good times wouldn't last. There had been rumors of a Stratus heel turn and a program with Lynch coming, especially with Stratus now back as a full-time performer. That sounded exciting. It started out well, with Lita being attacked by someone backstage, and then Trish Stratus teaming Lynch to defend their titles. Then the team lost.

It was an interesting angle, with Stratus wanting more time in the limelight only to mess up and be the reason for defeat. Trish Stratus snapped. It was revealed that she was the one who'd attacked Lita. She was jealous of Lynch's spot and took her frustrations out on The Man, attacking her and turning heel. It set up a match at Night of Champions, where it took another turn, as NXT star Zoey Stark showed up as the muscle for Stratus.

RELATED: Thank You Steph: Why Trish Stratus' WWE Success Is Due To Stephanie McMahon

A Canceled SummerSlam Match Took The Air Out Of Their Program

Slowly, however, the feud began to lose steam. Trish Stratus evolved for a while, wearing a mask over her broken nose, and starting her "Thank you, Trish" promos. But week after week, every encounter between Lynch and Stratus seemed the same. Nothing progressed. There were even rumors that WWE was pumping in artificial boos during Stratus' promos because she was no longer getting much of a reaction.

It seemed that the plan the whole time was to have the feud end at SummerSlam. It was limping to the finish line, but it would all be worth it to have these two legendary women compete on the second-biggest stage of the year in front of more than 40,000 fans. WWE began elevating their feud more in the weeks ahead of SummerSlam, but then the match everyone knew was coming shockingly never made it to the card. Fans were frustrated. It was just another bad moment for the declining importance of women's wrestling to WWE, made even worse when Rhea Ripley wasn't put on the show either. Lynch and Stratus both took to social media to vent their frustrations, and while there was a funny moment involving Becky Lynch and making lemonade out of lemons, as WWE is known to do, they then forced it, making shirts out of the joke and having Lynch drink lemonade and spit it out like Triple H on Raw.

Despite the joke being driven into the ground, the issue still remained; WWE was treating Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus' feud like it wasn't all that important. Having their match being taken off of SummerSlam killed any momentum they had. WWE told us they didn't care about their storyline with this decision, so why should we?

RELATED: 5 Ways Becky Lynch & Trish Stratus Are Similar (& 5 Ways They're Different)

Trish Stratus Admits That Her Feud With Becky Lynch Has Lasted Too Long

At Payback, Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus will meet in a cage match. While they are sure to give it their all, it is too little too late. Their feud is way past its expiration date. Trish Stratus admitted as much, recently telling the New York Post, "I feel like we could have cut this feud a long time ago and I could have gone on to do other things in this current women’s division, which is so intriguing to me... I know things were kind of lost, like ‘Oh this is running on and it’s dragging.’ Whatever, sure we all feel like that."

Stratus is right. Her feud with Lynch is dragging bad. It's time for both of them to do other things. The only positive lately has been the emergence of Zoey Stark, who has put on some phenomenal matches with Lynch. Hopefully she doesn't fall by the wayside when the feud comes to an end. At Payback, no matter who is victorious, hopefully WWE decides this is the final chapter.