Monica Brant, 1998 Fitness Olympia Champion: A Look Back 25 Years Later

One of the greatest to ever do it!

October 24, 1998.

Nice, France,

The first and (as of now) only time the Fitness Olympia contest went international.

17 fitness women from all over the world came to France to find out who was the number one fitness competitor in the world that year. Several top legends competed that year, including Lena Johannesen, Mary Yockey, Susie Curry, Timea Majorova, and Jenny Worth (who made her Olympia debut that night). But when it was all said and done, all eyes were on the Texas native Monica Brant. Once prejudging was over, it fell like a formality that Monica would become the Queen of Fitness. Finals was just icing on the cake for her with a routine just impressive enough to secure her the title of Fitness Olympia Champion.

Monica had already established herself as one of the biggest name in the industry in the 90s with her impressive resume as well as being one of the original fitness models, alongside women like Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson, and Victoria Pratt. She won her first pro show in 1995, winning the Jan Tana Fitness Pro competition, but it would take her three more years before being in the winners circle again. But again, her competitions and her fitness modeling only made her more popular with each passing year. 1998 would be the year that everything would come together and it culminated with Monica taking her rightful place on the throne as the best fitness competitor in the world.

It’s 2023 and folks are STILL influenced by Monica Brant. This shows you her greatness throughout her career and what she has done for the industry despite her days on stage well behind her. There has been many competitors and models that have made their name in the bodybuilding industry, but there is only one Monica Jean Brant, and she will forever be a Fitness Icon.

For more on the legendary Monica, follow her on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram. Also click here to view some of the 1998 Fitness Olympia and click here to view Monica’s road to the 1998 Fitness Olympia title via arguably her most popular video ever, Monica Brant: Secrets of Beauty! 

Celebrate Monica Brant’s 25th Anniversary of becoming Miss Fitness Olympia with us this Tuesday!

This Tuesday, October 24 will mark the 25th Anniversary of the 1998 Fitness Olympia contest, the year Monica Brant won the title and officially became the face of fitness. When you think of fitness icons and legends, practically everyone has Monica Brant on their list of the best to ever do it. FitGems Nation will be celebrating this incredible milestone this Tuesday, 25 years to the day that Monica became immortal. We will be posting videos, photos, and our personal thoughts on how this event changed the game forever. If you would like to be part of it in any way, shape, or form (photos, videos, words on how Monica Brant has influenced you as a competitor, why you’re a fan of Monica Brant, etc.), send us a DM to our Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X/X, or email us at fitgemsnation@gmail.com. Also, we will be using the hashtag #MBOlympia9825 throughout social media during our celebration on Tuesday. We hope you will join us this Tuesday to celebrate one of the best to ever do it!

For more on the legendary Monica, follow her on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram!

Goodbye Dana Brooke…and Thank You

WARNING: This blog post contains NSFW (not safe for work) language. Please read with caution. 

If you haven’t noticed via our social media, we think very little of WWE these days in a positive light. They have done more to make us hate them then love them, especially when the piece of shit known as Vince McMahon slithered his way back to the company as Executive Chairman after being ousted around summer 2022 due to sexual allegations. Anyone with a brain knew he would find a way to screw it up for so many people if he ever got any power back. Hell, his own daughter Stephanie McMahon, who served as co-executive chairperson once he was gone, stepped down once the snake returned. And in quite a bit of shows, we’ve seen his unfortunate influence. We also knew that with him back, some people were unfairly going to lose their jobs, especially due to his orchestrating merging with his buddies Dana White of UFC and Ari Emanuel of Endeavor to form TKO Group. Last week, over 100 WWE office employees lost their jobs due to the merger and you knew the talent would be next. On September 21, talent cuts were made…and unfortunately Dana Brooke was one of several that got the ax.

A woman who has so much more to give in the world of professional wrestling.

She had about a year left in her current contract so OF COURSE the pieces of shit in WWE would not honor that. They demoted her to NXT because they “didn’t have anything for her on RAW”, which we all know is a fucking lie. But it’s WWE, what did you expect from them? Honesty?! 🙄Anyways, her time in NXT let her to rediscover herself as she ended up seemingly feeling rejuvenated, having not only pretty good matches with the NXT roster, but having a STORYLINE and CHARACTER that was interesting, as well as teaming up with a new member of the roster in Kelani Jordan. Things were getting very interesting with Dana seemingly losing her grip on reality and possibly turning on Kelani soon. Unfortunately thanks to the son of a bitch Vince, we will never know what will go down. Every time Dana has had SOMETHING seeming to go her way (turning on Charlotte which was setting up for a massive baby face push, Sexy Muscle Friends with Mandy Sacs (Rose) that was setting up a WWE Women’s Tag Team title opportunity, her 24/7 title shenanigans that seemingly could have paved the way for a women’s midcard title), WWE would cut off her legs right when it was about to get good. And with this, they cut off her legs for good by releasing her (along with several others). But it’s not just Vince that has been a punk ass bitch to Dana. Sam Roberts mentioned on commentary during a match Dana had with Tamina about Tamina being in a bad mood (she’s always in a bad mood, character-wise) but Sam said for no reason that you would be in a bad mood if you had to wrestle Dana. Corey Graves said a couple of years ago right on commentary that Dana needed to get a pink slip a long time ago. And do I even NEED to get into the putrid NXT crowd?! How Dana survived a decade of disrespect and NOT break down…we’ll never know. But we commend her for it.

December 21st will be the day she can sign to any company she chooses to. If it were up to us, we would love to see her go to Impact Wrestling. They have the BEST women’s division in pro wrestling. Everyone means something there and they care about their product, their employees, their roster, and their fans. She can work fewer days and be home with her husband and stepson more while being in a company that actually gives a damn, unlike WWE. She doesn’t have to deal with an old ass piece of shit like Vince and can be who she wants to be. She would have a legit chance to sink or swim on HER OWN TERMS. She would probably be around better fans as well, because that fucking NXT crowd did her no favors. Should she go to Impact, she would have at least two people she knows she can work with: Trinity and Mickie James. Maybe a third if Emma/Tenille Dashwood goes back there. If she wants a brighter spotlight, obviously All Elite Wrestling or Ring of Honor would be the way to go for her. At the moment, we trust ROH more than AEW, but either would be better for WWE for Dana. Hell, ANYTHING is better than WWE at this point.

To us, WWE never deserved Dana Brooke but she deserved an opportunity from them which she never properly got. But now the ball’s in her court. She is no longer part of a company that should have died a long time ago. As of Christmas, she will be free to go where she wants to go and sign with whoever she wants to sign with. For Dana Brooke, playtime is over. But for Ashley Sebera-Diaz, her WWE departure is only the beginning for one of the most hardworking women in the game today.

The world is yours now, Ashley. Take it all! 

Please continue to follow and support Dana/Ashley on Twitter/X and Instagram.

Kamille: What’s Next for the Brickhouse?

One of the best NWA World Women’s Champions EVER

All photos belong to their respective owners.

June 6, 2021. The day everything changes for The Brickhouse of professional wrestling. 

Kamille defeated Serena Deeb to win the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Women’s Championship, which is also known as The Burke, in honor of the late, great former and first-ever NWA World Women’s Champion Mildred Burke back in 1950. For 813 days, Kamille was unstoppable, taking on the best the world of women’s wrestling has to offer, which included names such as Max the Impaler, Melina Perez, Chelsea Green, Kylie Rae, Taya Valkyrie, Kilynn King, Angelina Love, and Natalia Markova, among many others for a total of 42 title defenses. Her matches in the later part of her reign have been considered show-stealers in various NWA shows. Many fans have openly stated that the reason they even paid attention to the NWA today was due to Kamille. To many, SHE was the face of the NWA, not the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion or the Ten Pounds of Gold. But like all things, they must come to an end and on August 27, night 2 of NWA 75, a night after defeating Natalia Markova to retain her title, she would lose to Kenzie Paige, bringing Kamille’s incredible reign to an end. Fun fact: Kenzie was Kamille’s first title defense back in July 24, 2021, so how ironic that Kamille’s run would end by her very first challenger. With over 40 title defenses across 16 promotions spanning the globe, it’s safe to say that Kamille might go down as one of the most dominant NWA World Women’s Champions of all time.

813 days. 42 title defenses across different promotions around the world. What a run by the Brickhouse!

But now begs the question…what’s next for the Brickhouse? I mean, she CAN chase the Burke again, but let’s face it, after having a record run with it, what more can you do with that title? She can go after the NWA World Women’s Televlsion title but that wouldn’t be the same as it’s not as big as the Burke in terms of legacy, but Kamille winning that title would give it instant credibility. Then there’s the other option…take her talents to a bigger stage, which she has MORE than earned her right to be showcased to a bigger audience. The obvious answers would be WWE and AEW. For WWE, it would be a chance for the Brickhouse to have classic dream encounters with competitors such as Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Raquel Rodriquez, and others. Maybe if Raw or Smackdown isn’t an option, the NXT women’s division would be a great place for her as well, as many feel the NXT women’s division is the best overall division among all three brands in WWE.  But a part of me would rather see her in AEW, as let’s face it…they could use a good jolt to their women’s division. The talent is there, but the star power and presence is lacking some. Kamille would give them that instantly , and HELLO…Kamille vs Jade Cargill?! INSTANT BOX OFFICE! Neither are undefeated anymore, but it doesn’t make it any less of a dream match to me. Impact Wrestling could also be an option for Kamille as she would get to work with an incredibly talented Knockouts division. While it would be a step down in terms of exposure in comparison with WWE and AEW, it would be a step up in comparison with NWA as at least Kamille would be on television as opposed to just being online. As far as a great wrestling promotion is concerned, folks need to stop sleeping on Impact Wrestling. 

Regardless of what Kamille does, she has already seal her place in wrestling as one of the most dominant champions in women’s wrestling history. Anything else she does in the ring at this point regardless of where she goes moving forward is just icing on the cake. She is only 30 so she’s far from done in the ring. Kamille controls her own destiny at this point. We DO know one thing in her immediate future, though: Kamille will be playing as June Byers in the upcoming Queen of the Ring movie, which is currently in production. Queen of the Ring is about Mildred Burke’s rise as a pro wrestler. 

We have a gut feeling that despite already making history, the best is yet to come for the Brickhouse and we look forward to it with much anticipation!

Open the bank for her. She’s worth it and then some!

For more on Kamille, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.

Dana Brooke Back in NXT: Finally Her Chance?

Photos belong to their respective owners. We do not own them. 

We have advocated for Dana Brooke practically her entire WWE career because we feel she has all the tools needed to be a top name in the company. But for whatever reasons (not her fault, BTW) she has yet to obtain any true success in WWE or viewed with any respect by folks. In fact, there are folks out that flat out HATE her for the sole purpose of just hating her. She has done nothing to warrant any of it but they do it anyways. But despite the unwarranted and disturbing hate she gets, Dana still pushes through and to out delight and the haters’ disgust, she’s still employed by the company. And maybe…JUST MAYBE…she is gonna get the chance she’s fighting for for a while with her return to NXT.

June 6: A return that flipped the NXT Women’s Division upside down!

On June 6, NXT had a Number One Contender’s Battle Royal to determine the first challenger for Tiffany Stratton’s NXT Women’s Championship. We thought we knew all the competitors that would be part of it the previous week until earlier in the show, they showed Dana Brooke walking into the NXT arena and talking about how an opportunity was there for the taking and inserted herself into the battle royal, flipping the main event on its head. Dana made it all the way to the final three before she (and Cora Jade at the same time) was eliminated by the eventual winner Thea Hail. That one night, she was presented much better better than most of her career on the main roster. It continued the following week with a well-done video package of Dana highlighting her career (BTW…it did NOT include her Sexy Muscle Friends tag-team with Mandy Rose for…obvious reasons) and an interview of what she is fighting for. Cora Jade interrupted Dana and got slapped…which Dana made sure she got her lick back during Cora’s match with Thea Hail. Because of that, tonight on Night One of NXT Gold Rush, Dana Brooke will have her first singles NXT women’s match since NXT Takeover: Respect as she will take on Cora. If this goes well, she might be on her way to the NXT Women’s Championship and possibly beyond.

If done correctly, Dana could potentially find herself on the road to redemption and finally be a credible superstar. Like we’ve stated before, the fault is not Dans’s own. She has done everything asked of her and THEY have let her down. But now, it seems like the ball’s finally in her corner for the first time ever. Fans have rallied to #GiveDanaAChance. Now…it’s Dana’s turn to seal the deal. This NXT run is not to prove her haters wrong…this is to prove herself and her fans RIGHT. Dana, we rooting for you. Time to remind the world who the hell you truly are, Dana Brooke! 

Is this the chance Dana has FINALLY been fighting for? We shall soon see!

Click here to view every article we’ve ever written about Dana. Also, feel free to follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Twitter (DanaBrookeWWE), Instagram (ashasebera_danabrooke), and TikTok (ashasebera_danabrooke)!  Also make sure to watch Night One of NXT Gold Rush tonight at 8pm Eastern/7PM Central on the USA Network. 

To the Tiffy Top? Our Thoughts on WWE’s Next Potential Franchise Superstar, Tiffany Stratton

DISCLAIMER: All photos are from WWE’s social media accounts.

This Sunday on Peacock, NXT will host Battleground as part of a massive weekend of wrestling on Memorial Day weekend. On that night, a new NXT Women’s Champion will be crowned. What’s special about this title win is whoever wins on Sunday will become the 100th woman in the history of WWE to hold Championship Gold of any kind in WWE, whether it be an official women’s championship (single or tag-team) or any intergender title such as the now-defunct Hardcore or 24/7 Championships. On one side is the very talented and mysterious Lyra Valkyria, who ran threw the now-defunct NXT UK like a hot knife through butter. On the other side, a woman who many have said could be a future franchise player in WWE…the woman we are going to talk about today: Tiffany Stratton.

One of her new looks since returning earlier this year

Tiffany (real name Jessica Woynilko ) would make her wrestling debut on NXT Level Up on November 16, 2021. That show is where up-and-coming Superstars would make their mark before being put on TV, testing the waters sorta speak. About a month later (December 28 to be exact), Tiffany would make her official NXT debut. It was clear there was SOMETHING there in terms of character, but folks weren’t too sold on her as an in-ring competitor. That all changed on the January 28, 2022 edition of NXT (then known at the time as NXT 2.0) when she would face Io Shiari (now Iyo Sky) and take her first loss, but the loss ended up being the best thing that could have happened to her as folks began to take notice of Tiffany that night. It was only Tiffany’s 3rd match ever and Iyo didn’t need to carry Tiffany much at all. That match caused folks to back up on their Tiffany dissing and began to go “Okay…maybe Tiffany’s got something”. Tiffany also had a different look that make folks take notice as well. Gone was the skirt, and hello super heroine/villian-esque attire. Folks would being to take even more notice of Tiffany in 2022, including the inaugural NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament Finals against Roxanne Perez, NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender Battle Royal (where many claimed her at the MVP of that match), and the Lights Out match with Wendy Choo. While she didn’t win those three matches, folks left with a better show of respect for her than they did going into those matches. It also didn’t hurt that Tiffany did have a cool finisher in matches she DID win…her Tiffy Twister, a twisting splash from the top turnbuckle.

From her early days in NXT 2.0

After her Lights Out match in August, Tiffany would take the rest of 2022 off after suffering an injury to heal up and refocus, getting her body to an even crazier level than it already was and would return to NXT on January 10 of this year no longer Daddy’s Little Rich Girl…but the Center of the Universe. She made it clear that she was the star of NXT and for the last few months, she had proven to be just that. It’s been clear as day that Tiffany has been groomed to be the top lady of the brand but not being pinned or submitted at any time thus far in 2023, only suffering losses on TV in a Ladder Match and in a Triple Threat Match where she was NOT the deciding factor. She replaced the impressive Tiffy Twister with an even more impressive finisher…the PME (Prettiest Moonsault Ever), a triple-jump moonsault that was made famous by wrestler Christopher Daniels, which HE calls it the BME (Best Moonsault Ever). That’s set up by what wrestler Kenny Omega calls “You Can’t Escape”, a fireman’s carry rolling slam. (Not sure what Tiffany calls it just yet). The way she flows from the slam to the moonsault with ease is nothing short of amazing, and apparently she wants to add on to that with a front twist in the near future. If she does that…GOOD LORD. 

It would seem that we are drawing near to Tiffany’s crowning moment and this Sunday seems like that will be the night for her coronation at the top of the NXT Women’s division. When she first arrived, folks didn’t think she would last. Now, those same folks are looking forward to her potential crowning moment at NXT Battleground. All we have to say at this point is enjoy the ride, because we feel we are looking at the next franchise WWE Superstar. We send our best wishes to Tiffany Stratton as she aims to make her way to the Tiffy Top this Memorial Day weekend. How appropriate to have her kick off the summer as NXT Women’s Champion. Summer of Stratton?! We like the sound of that! 

TOOTLES!

Are we in for a Summer of Stratton this year?! 

For more on Tiffany, follow her on her Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and WWE-ran Facebook page. 

Megan Teter: The Muscle Mommy of Gymnastics

Those that follow gymnastics knows how physically strong gymnasts have to be to perform the athletic feats they do. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that a good deal of them have developed pretty muscular physiques over the years. Simone biles, Aly Raisman, and Shawn Johnson East are only a few gymnasts with physiques out of this world. Dare we say though there’s a woman in Ball State University that physique-wise…might have them all beat. That person goes by the name of Megan Teter. 

Photo creditL Megan’s Instagram

Dubbed by her teammates as “Muscle Mommy”, Megan not only has arguably THE most incredible physique of any gymnast we’ve ever seen, but her resume is pretty damn impressive as well. But like every great athlete, nothing was handed to her. We won’t go into all the details on that, but we’ll let a video of her journey getting to Ball State University tell you SOME of the story (we say some because the video was done a couple of years ago. She will run it back one final year, exercising her 5th year eligibility clause). 

Now, we have no clue how aware she is of the NPC/IFBB fitness division or if she’s aware of it at all. If she is aware of it, someone in the fitness division needs to be a mentor to her (preferably someone who went from gymnastics to the NPC/IFBB) so she can make the transition to do fitness competitions. If she is NOT aware of what the fitness division is, someone needs to have a serious conversation with her about what the fitness division is and try to convince her to look into it after her gymnastics career ends next year. Her energy, dedication, and obviously her physique would make her an instant fan-favorite. If her look now has made her popular enough for her friends and fans to call her Muscle Mommy, imagine what she do with proper bodybuilding training within the fitness division! Either way, we have a feeling the story of Megan Teter is FAR from over. Whatever route she goes once her collegiate gymnastics career is over, she has our full support. And with her physique and abilities, the world is hers for the taking.

Photo credit: Megan’s Instagram

For more on Megan, check out her Ball State University Gymnastics athlete page, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Dana Brooke Appreciation Night This Wednesday

Photo credit: Those Wrestling Girls

This Wednesday (May 24) is unofficially Dana Brooke Appreciation Night! Why you ask?! Because our good friends over at Those Wrestling Girls will be dedicating their weekly fan club this week on their Twitch channel to our forever queen! You all know how much we appreciate her and it feels good to see a women’s wrestling podcast feel the same way we do about her. 

For those that don’t know who Those Wrestling Girls (TWG) are, here’s a little background: TWG is a wrestling podcast and fan community created in 2018 after WWE Evolution took place. Krista B. and Queen P.R. were so inspired by that event ( BTW, WWE…when the hell is Evolution 2 gonna happen?!) that they decided to take it upon themselves to create TWG and it has grown into more than just a podcast. TWG has become a rapidly-growing fan community that has been a part of many wrestling events these last couple of years, including Wrestlemania and Walemania. They support all women’s wrestling and wrestling in general but they keep it real and don’t sugarcoat things to make people feel better. That is what we love about they talk about Dana. Obviously they love her and are rooting for her, but they keep it real and honest about her. Others unfortunately are just vile and filled with unnecessary hatred toward Dana…not them. TWG treats her with respect.

Each week, they do a live gathering for the TWG community called #TWGFanClub, which focuses on wrestlers and different topics in wrestling, such as wrestling themes, cliches, historic events in wrestling, etc. This week, Dana gets the spotlight and their goal is to make this the biggest Dana Brooke appreciation event social media has ever seen. This will take place this Wednesday night at 7PM Eastern time/6PM Central time on their Twitch channel. If you can’t be there the whole time, just show up when you can once it starts. You can also follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #TWGFanClub. We need to let Dana Brooke know that not everyone in the world (especially in the wrestling world) is against her. She has a very noticeable amount of people cheering for her. Their Twitch account is https://www.twitch.tv/thosewrestlinggirls. 

Dana Brooke, you ARE loved. You ARE appreciated. You DO belong. Let’s us show you that Wednesday night.

Photo credit: WWE

For more on Those Wrestling Girls and ALL of their links to their previous podcast episodes as well as their social media platforms, please visit them at thosewrestlinggirls.com.

#GiveDanaBrookeAChance: The Movement Is Real

This past Friday and Monday was the 2023 WWE Draft and it was determined that Dana Brooke will remain on the Raw brand. Comparing both brands, Smackdown has the heavy hitters while RAW is filled mostly with a bunch of unproven talent. There was a time in 2016 that Smackdown was viewed as the land of opportunity, and it now looks like RAW has that distinction of being the new “land of opportunity” in the women’s division.

On both nights, a fan-driven Twitter movement started by Jugsss (itsmejugal_) using the hashtag #GiveDanaBrookeAChance spread like wildfire and got it trending for a majority of the WWE Draft. Dana unfortunately has a smaller fan base than most ladies, but it didn’t stop from the hashtag trending and starting a wildfire that has united Dana Brooke fans (calling themselves Danamals…cute name) and those that may not be entirely Dana Brooke fans but do want to see her get that long-overdue opportunity. With that being said, we are going to explain how the draft coudn’t have played out any better for Dana if she handled it herself. 

• Wide-open singles roster: Outside of Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, the singles division is wide open for the taking, especially with Becky feuding with Trish at the moment. Last year, they build up Liv Morgan into a star and is currently one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They seemingly are doing the same with Zelina Vega (who is on Smackdown). Raw doesn’t have that woman just yet and who better than Dana considering everything she has been through in AND out of the ring these last few years. And if her showings on Main Event (she returns there on Thursday on Hulu against Piper Niven) are any indication, folks are ready to get behind Dana Brooke. WWE has to be the one to pull the trigger. Imagine Dana being built properly enough to win Miss MITB and/or finally change for the RAW Women’s Championship properly. The opportunity is there more than ever before.
• Feud with Trish Stratus: I saw this on Twitter today and it never crossed my mind until then but how crazy would that be for Dana to somehow, someway get involved in a storyline with the GOAT?! It don’t even have to be a long feud either, something to keep Trish busy until possibly Summerslam (when Trish and Becky could have their encounter at) and it would give Dana the biggest rub of her career working with a legend. If Trish were to work with Dana, that would show the brass that she has that much faith in Dana and that would go a long way towards making Dana a made woman.
• An EnD reunion with Emma: This one on Twitter seems to be the most popular one. When Emma was announced to join RAW, a lot of folks rejoiced hoping that both Emma and Dana would potentially reunite and go after tag team gold. It might happen, it might not. But the idea is there…the potential is there. It’s just a matter of if WWE will even bother to revisit it. While RAW does have a good amount of teams for a change, it wouldn’t hurt to add another one and EnD would make sense from the internet fans as they did team up in the past. Based off their past, there’s no way they can ignore it.
• A reunited EnD joining forces with Trish: As I mentioned earlier, a rub by Trish would do wonders for Dana. But rather than face Trish, how about a reunited EnD joining forces with the WWE Hall-of-Famer to make Becky Lynch’s life (and anyone else’s for that matter) a living hell. Imagine Trish mentoring Emma and Dana and all three ladies do what no female faction in WWE (outside of Toxic Attraction) has done…hold gold (Trish with the Raw Women’s title and Emma and Dana with the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles). This was also brought up on Twitter and the more I thought about it…the more I actually like it. 
• Forming a tag-team with someone other than Emma: As i mentioned before, Dana has options to be a big part of Raw these days, and it’s not just limited to teaming with Emma. She could team up with her fellow 24/7 rivals Nikki Cross or Piper Niven, someone who has rallied for her for years in Natalya, or team up with someone she got to know on Main Event very well in Zoey Stark. I mean, it’s there if she wants to!

Bottom line, Dana has options. Dana has more than shown she is ready to take that next team. It’s up to WWE to see this for themselves. Hell, she trended on Twitter on both nights of the draft. That can’t be ignored no matter who you are. WWE, you have no more excuses. The entire company has a clean slate come next Monday thanks to the draft. It’s time to live up to the hashtag and #GiveDanaBrookeAChance!!!

Follow Dana at the following social media accounts:

Twitter: DanaBrookeWWE

Instagram: ashasebera_danabrooke

TikTok: ashasebera_danabrooke

Lauren Rutan: One-of-One in Female Muscle

When FitGems Nation first heard about Lauren Rutan, it was in 2017 during the NPC Jr. Nationals, where she placed 10th in Figure Class A. The muscularity she brought on stage that day was off-the-charts. In our honest opinion, she could have fit in very well with today’s figure competitors. Prior to her competing at the Jr. Nationals, she competed in the NPC Mid-Atlantic Cup and won the overall figure title, which qualified her for the Jr. Nationals in the first place. In addition to training for her IFBB card , she also trained for POWERLIFTING. Yes, she trained for physique competitions and powerlifting AT THE SAME DAMN TIME. That is INSANE, considering the training for both sports vary in many ways. While she unfortunately was unsuccessful in her World bid in 2017, she would end up winning her IFBB Pro Card by winning the Women’s Physique Class A at the NPC Nationals, the biggest amateur show of the year. 

2017 Jr. Nationals…the event that introduced us to Lauren Rutan..and we’ve been in awe since!
Photo credit: Dan Ray

It was during 2017 during our interview with her and doing our own research on Lauren that we found out just how special she really is. When you really think about it, there is not a person (male OR female) in the muscle world that is like Lauren Rutan. She has top records in CrossFit, local and national records in powerlifting and weightlifting, she has top 10 placings in the physique world in figure and women’s physique, and is the ONLY person to ever compete in the Arnold in four different muscle events in her lifetime (CrossFit, Powerlifting, Weightlifting, Bodybuilding (Women’s Physique)). To call her pound-for-pound one of the strongest PEOPLE (not just women) in the world isn’t too much of a stretch to us.

Her muscle achievements ALONE make her a living superwoman to us, but let’s add her non-muscle achievements (which we highlighted this past week on our Facebook and Instagram). She’s a controller at KinectAir, a Payroll and Finance Administrator at HealthLinx, a wife, and a mother of five…soon to be SIX. Yep, she does so much and has achieved so much before the age of 40 (which she will be next year).

Photo credit: Indian Land CrossFit Facebook

 
The Lord has been truly good to this woman, as you can obviously tell. Lauren has WAY pushed past the boundaries of what a human body is capable of and is truly the living definition of “no excuses”. If you want something back, you will find a way to get it. We don’t know if she will do anything else in the muscle world after her sixth child is born (like she has anything to prove to anyone at this point) but to us, she is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in any and all muscle-related categories. There will never be another Lauren Rutan in our lifetime. If you haven’t given her her flowers, now would be a good time to do so. She’s more than earned them.

Only person to compete in the Arnold in powerlifting, weightlifting, CrossFit, AND bodybuilding (women’s physique). A first-ballot muscle Hall-of-Famer in our eyes!
Photo credit: NPC News Online

For more on Lauren, check out the following links:

Lauren’s Facebook page

Lauren’s Instagram

Lauren’s CrossFit Athlete Page

Lauren’s Powerlifting Achievements

Some Special Announcments

With the FitGems Awards officially behind us until next year and my mind and body FINALLY in a better state, it’s time to move forward with FitGems Nation and beyond. As I mentioned on social media, I had a few special announcements to make.

• Earlier I began After the Final Callout on Instagram, which will showcase former competitors as well as post information and tips on how to live post-competition. We have yet to make a post, but that will change this weekend with our first post. We will also be launching a Facebook page as well. 
• Some of you are aware of Physiques of Women’s Wrestling (PHOWW), which focuses on the physiques of female professional wreslters of the past, present, and future. We silently launched a Discord server, but we will be making a blog for PHOWW in the coming days. All of our wrestling posts will be going there rather than our main blog going forward, with the exception of a few things. So yes, PHOWW is expanding. 
• Next Saturday (April 22) is Lauren Rutan’s birthday and beginning this Monday, we will be celebrating her life and accomplishments in the female muscle world (which is to us, the most decorated of any female muscle athlete EVER) dubbing April 17-22 Lauren Rutan Week (we did something similar for Monica Brant and Christine Pomponio a few years ago)
• Monday-Life outside the world of muscle
• Tuesday-Weightlifting
• Wednesday-Powerlifting
• Thursday-CrossFit
• Friday-Physique competitions in the NPC/IFBB
• Saturday-Birthday blog post celebrating Lauren’s greatness
• In the coming days, we will be launching our latest project called Fitness ModelVerse, which will be showcasing not only the female athletes and models but the photographers as well. Our aim is to make this a networking format for current and aspiring female fitness models and photographers. There will be an Instagram, Facebook page, and Facebook group. 

I know it seems like a lot, but I’m at a point where I feel like I can do this without too many issues moving forward. If you have any questions about these announcements and potentially what lies ahead, email me at fitgemsnation@gmail.com or DM me on your favorite social media platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

2022 FitGems Awards Results

I feel like I’m a broken record at this point, but I want to apologize for how these awards went down this year. Life happens. As mentioned before, a committee will be helping me with the awards going forward, beginning with the 2023 edition. I’ll post more about it closer to time. 

With that being said, here are the winners for each category. Congrats to you all!

• Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year: Andrea Shaw (Runner-up: Michela Aycock)
• Pro Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year: Natalia Coelho (Runner-up: Brooke Walker)
• Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year: Missy Truscott (Runner-up: Ariel Khadr)
• Pro Figure Competitor of the Year: Cydney Gillon (Runner-up: Jessica Reyes Padilla)
• Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year: Jennifer Dorie (Runner-ups: Ashley Kaltwasser and Lauralie Chapados)
• Pro Wellness Competitor of the Year: Yarishna Ayala (Runner-up: Francheel Mattos)
• Pro Masters Female Bodybuilder of the Year: Lenore Gregson (Runner-up: Gina Hill)
• Pro Masters Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year: Lenore Gregson (Runner-up: Stephanie Fredrickson)
• Pro Masters Figure Competitor of the Year: Lena Johannessen (Runner-up: Missy Sandeman)
• Pro Masters Bikini Competitor of the Year: Michelle Hurst (Runner-up: Miriam Jenkins)
• Pro Masters Welllness Competitor of the Year: Tammy Sievers (Runner-up: Tina Breshears)
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Female Bodybuilder of 2022: Lenore Gregson
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Women’s Physique Competitor of 2022: Lenore Gregson
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Fitness Competitor of 2022: Missy Truscott
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Figure Competitor of 2022: Jessica Reyes Padilla
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Bikini Competitor of 2022: Jennifer Dorie
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Wellness Competitor of 2022: Yarishna Ayala
• Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year: Leann George (Runner-up: Andrea Wellington)
• Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year: Jessica Coleman (Runner-up: Nicole Washington)
• Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year: Brittney Mendoza (Runner-up: Rachel Pitts)
• Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year: Jennifer Aguirre (Runner-up: Becca Wilcox)
• Amateur Bikini Competitors of the Year: Savannah Watchman and Amy Vetters (Runner-up: Evil Jack)
• Amateur Wellness Competitor of the Year: Alexis Adams (Runner-up: Shelby Talon)
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Female Bodybuilder of 2022: Chloe Phillips
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of 2022: Julie Boley, Lauren Anderson, Nicole Lareau, Nicole Washington
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Fitness Competitor of 2022: Brittney Mendoza
• FitGems Fan Favotite Amateur Figure Competitor of 2022: Becca Wilcox
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Bikini Competitors of 2022: Brandi Lewis-Reed, Darcy Quinn, Evil Jack, Ukacki Onyekiaka
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Wellness Competitor of 2022: Shelby Talon
• FitGems Fan Favorite Fitness Model of 2022: Lenore Gregson
• Fitness Model of the Year: Yarishna Ayala (Runner-up: Wendy Fortino)
• Jenny Lynn Fitness Ambassador of the Year:  Whitney Jones (Runner-up: Trish Stratus)
• Social Media Woman of the Year: Yarishna Ayala (Runner-ups: Wendy Fortino and Ashley Marie Lajomowski
• Moment of the Year: Natalia Coelho finally wins the big one, winning her first-ever Women’s Physique Olympia title (Runner-ups: Isabella Nunes wins the inaugural Wellness International and Bianca Belair become the first active WWE Women’s Champion in history to compete in a bodybuilding show, becoming a WBFF Pro)
• Photographer of the Year: Will Wittman (Runner-up: Sean Nelson)
• Videographer of the Year: Gilco Productions (Runner-up: Joe Bayer for NPC News Online)
• Fit Celebrity of the Year: Carrie Underwood (Runner-up: Trish Stratus)
• Fittest Female RAW Superstar of the Year: Dana Brooke and Rhea Ripley (Runner-up: Alexa Bliss)
• Fittest Female Smackdown Superstar of the Year: Ronda Rousey (Runner-up: Charlotte Flair)
• Fittest Female NXT Superstar of the Year: Mandy Rose (Runner-up: Tiffany Stratton)
• Fittest Female AEW Wrestler of the Year: Jade Cargill (Runner-ups: Toni Storm and Saraya)
• Fittest Impact Wrestling Knockout of the Year: Jordynne Grace (Runner-up: Mickie James)
• Fittest Wrestling Star of the Year (ROH/NWA/Indies): Kylie Rae (Runner-up: Lady Frost)
• Physique Paysite of the Year: HDPhysiques/Premium Physiques (Runner-up: HerBiceps)
• Physique Paysite Models of the Year: Tanya Chartrand and Katie Lee (Runner-up: Modesta Halby)
• Fitness Clothing Line of the Year: Better Bodies Inc. (Runner-up: Flag Nor Fail)
• Team of the Year: Underrated Muscle (Runner-up: Cyberbodyshop and Time Mihaly) 
• Mad Mountain John Meadows Male Trainer of the Year: Dave of Underrated Muscle (Runner-ups: Matt Allen and Brent Wilkin)
• Female Trainer of the Year: Stacy Espinosa (Fujarski) (Runner-up: Whitney Jones)
• 2022 FitGems Nation Woman of the Year: Cydney Gillon

Photos of all the winners will posted on our social media post (Facebook and Instagram) in the coming days. We will also be sending out awards to the winners via Instagram like we did in our previous awards, and that will begin in the next few days as well. 

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU ALL for your patience this time around. Hopefully the revamped format for the 2023 awards and beyond suits everyone better going forward. Congrats to the best of 2022 and good luck to everyone competing this year. Maybe we’ll see you on the 2023 FitGems Awards ballot! 

FitGems Awards Poll is OPEN!!!

First and foremost, I want to sincerely apologize to you all for not getting this out sooner. As I mentioned earlier, life can take unexpected turns and you have to adjust accordingly. Now I’m at a point where I can finally get this out to you all so you can vote on who was the best in 2022. Better late than never, especially with competition season about to go full throttle in a matter of weeks. Voting is open from now until next Monday, March 21st at Midnight Eastern time. Awards will be announced that weekend.

With the FitGems Fan Favorites, write in (type) who was your favorite from each category in 2022. If they competed as an amateur AND a pro, they are eligible for both as long as they did it in 2022. Because it’s only one week, there is no limit to how many times you can vote. But like always, your favorites can’t win if you don’t vote! Pass this along to everyone you know. 

To everyone that’s nominated, congrats to you all and best of luck to everyone!

VOTE BELOW: 

https://forms.gle/BDDjRedzhGB2V6ZX6

Important 2022 FitGems Awards Update as well as the future of the FitGems Awards

Life can take some crazy turns. My life is no different. On that note, I want to apologize for how delayed the FitGems Awards are.  If it’s not sickness, it’s something else. But on that note, I’m happy to announce that on Monday, March 13, voting will begin for the awards. The awards will be a bit this year than previously planned for personal reasons, especially with this significant addition: FitGems Fan Favorites. You will be able to nominate anyone who competed in 2022 in certain categories, whether they won a show or not. You can vote and nominate once per day. Voting will end on March 20th, the first day of spring. Winners will be announced a few days after. 

Here’s the new list of categories for the 2022 FitGems Awards:

• FitGems Nation Woman of the Year
• Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
• Pro Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
• Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
• Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
• Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
• Pro Wellness Competitor of the Year
• Masters Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
• Masters Pro Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
• Masters Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
• Masters Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
• Masters Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
• Masters Pro Wellness Competitor of the Year
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Female Bodybuilder of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Women’s Physique Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Fitness Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Figure Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Bikini Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Wellness Competitor of 2022
• Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
• Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
• Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
• Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
• Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
• Amateur Wellness Competitor of the Year
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Female Bodybuilder of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Fitness Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Figure Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Bikini Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Wellness Competitor of 2022
• FitGems Fan Favorite Fitness Model of 2022
• Fitness Model of the Year
• Jenny Lynn Fitness Ambassador of the Year
• Social Media Woman of the Year
• Moment of the Year
• Photographer of the Year
• Videographer of the Year
• Fit Celebrity of the Year
• Fittest Female RAW Superstar of the Year
• Fittest Female Smackdown Superstar of the Year
• Fittest Female NXT Superstar of the Year
• Fittest Female AEW Wrestler of the Year
• Fittest Impact Wrestling Knockout of the Year
• Fittest Female Wrestler of the Year (ROH/NWA/Indies)
• Physique Paysite of the Year
• Physique Paysite Model of the Year
• Fitness Clothing Line of the Year
• Team of the Year
• Mad Mountain John Meadows Male Trainer of the Year
• Female Trainer of the Year

Nominees to be revealed this weekend outside of the FitGems Fan Favorites (that you nominate yourself) and FitGems Nation Woman of the Year (those have already been revealed on Instagram).

Also…to avoid any more issues going forward, I’m doing something I’ve never done before…form a committee for the FitGems Awards. Anyone who would be interested in being part of this committee can email me at fitgemsnation@gmail.com or send me a DM at any of FitGems Nation’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY. 

Again, my sincerest apologies for the delay of this. Life happens to all of us, and we just have to adjust to it as best as possible. I do everything in my power to do better moving forward for you all. Have a wonderful rest of the week and good luck to all!