Stratus’ nearly six-month-long feud with Becky Lynch in 2023 concluded at Payback, where the Canadian star would step inside a Steel Cage at 47 years old. After defeating Damage CTRL together at WrestleMania 39, Lynch and Stratus had an opportunity to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the “Raw” that followed the event, but failed to secure the win against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Immediately after the match, Stratus turned heel and betrayed Lynch, which set up a summer feud between both women.

Stratus initially overcame Lynch at Night Of Champions, but their rivalry reached a boiling point once Payback arrived in September, and the strong build to the match resulted in one of the best outings of Trish’s career. Although their first singles match together was respectable, Stratus truly turned back the clock at Payback, having been able to keep up with Lynch in the cage, and was unafraid to take some risks. Along with hitting a Bulldog from the top rope and kicking out of a suplex off the top of the cage, Stratus would survive Lynch’s offence before eating a Manhandle Slam after 20 minutes of drama.

Stratus returned as a babyface at the beginning of 2025 and teamed with Tiffany Stratton at the Elimination Chamber before going one-on-one with her at Evolution. However, neither match came close to the work she did with Lynch in the summer of 2023, with Payback being the highlight of the last six years of her WWE career.