No, Trish Stratus has not come out of retirement to compete in NXT. However, if you scrolled through the NXT Instagram account Thursday night, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
That’s because a photo of NXT Superstar Mandy Rose is drawing beaucoup comparisons to the WWE Hall of Famer and seven-time WWE Women’s Champion — and even Stratus herself admitted to being momentarily confused.
The pic in question was taken at NXT Live in Rochester, N.Y., and shows Rose alongside her tag team partner for the evening, Mae Young Classic competitor Vanessa Bourne. Members of the NXT Universe quickly pointed out the undeniable likeness that Rose, a former star of Tough Enough and Total Divas, bears to Stratus, and Trish didn’t disagree:
Rose seemed quite flattered by the comparison (how couldn’t she be when being likened to Stratus, one of the most influential Superstars of her generation?) and revealed that Trish is nothing less than an inspiration to her:
Stratus additionally joked that she thought the photo was, in fact, a screenshot of her playable character from the upcoming 2K release, WWE 2K18:
Mandy clearly has the look down, but can the NXT blue-chip prospect soon garner comparisons to Trish inside the ring, too?