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By Stan Ashbee
“My autograph signing tour is the best thing. I’m amazed 26 years later, just the connection with the fans. I still have this fear when I come out. Is anyone going to show up? My fans are there. I prioritize my fans,” she said. “I’m only here because of them and their support, and because they keep coming out to these events.”
Stratus is just one of the many celebrity guests featured at Grande Con 2026, which returns to Bonnetts Energy Centre Sept. 11-13, in support of Odyssey House.
Other guests include Jason Priestly, Joey Fatone from NSYNC, Sean Patrick Flanery from The Boondock Saints, and Dylan Playfair from Letterkenny.
Ranked the Greatest Female Superstar of All Time by WWE, the Canadian superstar is an eight-time Women’s Champion and was inducted into the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Outside of the ring, Stratus is also a Canadian Screen Award nominee for her role as a judge on Canada’s Got Talent and has starred in the action films Bounty Hunters and Gridlocked.
The tour is a chance for Stratus, to not only meet, but keep her finger on the pulse of her fans’ desires. “We’ve done a tour the last couple of years. We dubbed this year the First Crush Tour because last year on Smack Down I wore a T-shirt that said, ‘Your first crush,’ and it went viral.”
For years, fans have told Stratus when signing autographs she was their first crush.
The trend got its start when Stratus did a photo shoot for her calendar last year when the decision was made to call it the The First Crush calendar.
According to Stratus, the “first crush” moniker has really taken off. “People love it, it resonates with them and means something to them. There’s a real tangible thing behind it and it’s been fun.”
For stops on the tour, Stratus asked fans where she should visit.
The thing about her loyal fans or “Stratus-pherians” is they’re like-minded.
At many events, fans will be in line together and some become friends, Stratus noted. “A little community I just love.”
“It’s about coming and showing my fans appreciation for how much they mean to me and how they’re the ones who make me still relevant,” Stratus added.
When Stratus rolls into a different town on tour, there’s an opportunity to reflect on an experience or a time she shared with fans.
“I’ve wrestled all over the world, but I have not wrestled in Grande Prairie,” she joked.
Stratus said she was blessed with the opportunity to return to the Royal Rumble in 2018 and last year’s 25th anniversary celebration.
Stratus added she also enjoys meeting younger fans and their parents, who grew up watching her in the ring. “It’s so amazing to touch fans generationally. It’s very special. That’s what these signings do, they let me appreciate the position I’m in at this point in my life.”
These days, a lot of touring takes Stratus throughout North America, but when she gets to stay at home in Canada, she loves a domestic fight, Stratus joked. “There’s a connection. We always used to say every wrestler had a hometown, but Canadian wrestlers had a hometown that was the size of a country. It’s lovely we have that support right across the entire country. We cheer for our own.”
Moving forward, Stratus plans on releasing a new 2027 calendar, already in the works.
“We love putting 12 different looks together. It’s quite an endeavour. Creatively, it’s a lot of fun and the fans really look forward to it,” she added.
The calendar is a full circle moment for Stratus because she started out creating her own calendar when she was a fitness model.
Stratus recalled sharing a booth at comic conventions with a friend who owned a comic store and she would eventually sign fitness magazine covers for fans.
This first foray into comic conventions was a catalyst for a 22-year-old Stratus who saw an opportunity. “It’s cool to still be doing this.”
Fans can also keep an eye out for Karate Ghost. An action-comedy where Stratus does her own stunts, learned karate, and had the opportunity to do “a little bit of funny acting.”
For more information about the show, visit online at grandecon.ca.
source: mygrandeprairienow.com
“My autograph signing tour is the best thing. I’m amazed 26 years later, just the connection with the fans. I still have this fear when I come out. Is anyone going to show up? My fans are there. I prioritize my fans,” she said. “I’m only here because of them and their support, and because they keep coming out to these events.”
Stratus is just one of the many celebrity guests featured at Grande Con 2026, which returns to Bonnetts Energy Centre Sept. 11-13, in support of Odyssey House.
Other guests include Jason Priestly, Joey Fatone from NSYNC, Sean Patrick Flanery from The Boondock Saints, and Dylan Playfair from Letterkenny.
Ranked the Greatest Female Superstar of All Time by WWE, the Canadian superstar is an eight-time Women’s Champion and was inducted into the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Outside of the ring, Stratus is also a Canadian Screen Award nominee for her role as a judge on Canada’s Got Talent and has starred in the action films Bounty Hunters and Gridlocked.
The tour is a chance for Stratus, to not only meet, but keep her finger on the pulse of her fans’ desires. “We’ve done a tour the last couple of years. We dubbed this year the First Crush Tour because last year on Smack Down I wore a T-shirt that said, ‘Your first crush,’ and it went viral.”
For years, fans have told Stratus when signing autographs she was their first crush.
The trend got its start when Stratus did a photo shoot for her calendar last year when the decision was made to call it the The First Crush calendar.
According to Stratus, the “first crush” moniker has really taken off. “People love it, it resonates with them and means something to them. There’s a real tangible thing behind it and it’s been fun.”
For stops on the tour, Stratus asked fans where she should visit.
The thing about her loyal fans or “Stratus-pherians” is they’re like-minded.
At many events, fans will be in line together and some become friends, Stratus noted. “A little community I just love.”
“It’s about coming and showing my fans appreciation for how much they mean to me and how they’re the ones who make me still relevant,” Stratus added.
When Stratus rolls into a different town on tour, there’s an opportunity to reflect on an experience or a time she shared with fans.
“I’ve wrestled all over the world, but I have not wrestled in Grande Prairie,” she joked.
Stratus said she was blessed with the opportunity to return to the Royal Rumble in 2018 and last year’s 25th anniversary celebration.
Stratus added she also enjoys meeting younger fans and their parents, who grew up watching her in the ring. “It’s so amazing to touch fans generationally. It’s very special. That’s what these signings do, they let me appreciate the position I’m in at this point in my life.”
These days, a lot of touring takes Stratus throughout North America, but when she gets to stay at home in Canada, she loves a domestic fight, Stratus joked. “There’s a connection. We always used to say every wrestler had a hometown, but Canadian wrestlers had a hometown that was the size of a country. It’s lovely we have that support right across the entire country. We cheer for our own.”
Moving forward, Stratus plans on releasing a new 2027 calendar, already in the works.
“We love putting 12 different looks together. It’s quite an endeavour. Creatively, it’s a lot of fun and the fans really look forward to it,” she added.
The calendar is a full circle moment for Stratus because she started out creating her own calendar when she was a fitness model.
Stratus recalled sharing a booth at comic conventions with a friend who owned a comic store and she would eventually sign fitness magazine covers for fans.
This first foray into comic conventions was a catalyst for a 22-year-old Stratus who saw an opportunity. “It’s cool to still be doing this.”
Fans can also keep an eye out for Karate Ghost. An action-comedy where Stratus does her own stunts, learned karate, and had the opportunity to do “a little bit of funny acting.”
For more information about the show, visit online at grandecon.ca.
source: mygrandeprairienow.com
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