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!  

Our 2022 Olympia Recap

Your 2022 Olympia Champions!
Photo credit: NPC News Online

Literally the largest Olympia in history has officially come and gone with new champions crowned and current ones retaining their crowns. Here’s my take on each division as well as who made the top 5 in each female category.

MS. OLYMPIA

Ever since the return of the Ms. Olympia competition in 2020, Andrea Shaw has proven that she is the new standard of women’s bodybuilding. This was no different this year as Andrea left Vegas as a 3x Champion, putting herself in dynasty mode with the likes of Cory Everson, Lenda Murray, and Iris Kyle. Outside of winning, Angela Yeo couldn’t have had a better Olympia debut, as she placed 2nd. I would not be suprised if Angela is the one to dethrone Andrea down the line…maybe as early as next year! Helle Trevino placed 3rd with her incredible physique. Margie Martin places 4th in her final show, and considering her career, that’s not a bad way to go being one of the top five female bodybuilders in the world. Branka Njegovec, who NO ONE (including yours truly) had in their predictions, rounded out the top 5.

Ms. Olympia Top 5:

1. Andrea Shaw
2. Angela Yeo
3. Helle Trevino
4. Margin Martin
5. Branka Njegovec

WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE OLYMPIA

“Be so good they can’t ignore you”. That’s one hell of a quote that is oh so true. After spending nearly half a decade being the bridesmaid at the Olympia, this year she FINALLY breaks through the glass ceiling and can finally add Women’s Physique Olympia champion to her incredible lists of accolades. She had to be perfect to win the title and it was clear from prejudging that she could not be denied any longer. Sarah Villegas, the now-former champion, was the talk of the town at the Olympia Press conference due to showing off her outstanding legs, and folks said that a third title was in the bag. But one day can change everything and that’s exactly what happened. Natalia was better in every way, shape, and form this year and it resulted in a new champion. But Sarah will NOT go down that easily, and I’m already awaiting a rematch between them in 2023. Brooke Walker finished 3rd once again, but came in with a better package and might disrupt Natalia and/or Sarah next year if she keeps this up. Barbara Menage (who many say should be a Masters Olympia favorite next year) placed 4th and Ivie Rhein rounded out the top 5.

Women’s Physique Olympia Top 5:

1. Natalia Abraham Coelho
2. Sarah Villegas 
3. Brooke Walker
4. Barbara Menage 
5. Ivie Rhein

FITNESS OLYMPIA

A new champion was guaranteed due to Whitney Jones sitting out due to health concerns. When Missy Truscott walked on stage during prejudging, it was made painfully clear that it was hers to lose. Missy was head and shoulders above everyone else this year. How appropriate that her routine was her being a shark smelling blood in the water. It was fitting as she walked away with her 2nd Fitness Olympia title in 3 years. Jaclyn Baker brought a much improved physique and routine which made her runner-up and her highest Olympia placement yet. Ariel Khadr, this year’s Fitness International Champion, placed 3rd with her Terminator routine and her physique, which was impressive but a bit softer than at the Arnold, which might have hurt her at the Olympia. Sarah Kovach placed 4th and rounding out the top five was Michelle Freda-Mensah in her Olympia debut, and capping off a huge first year for her as a pro.

Fitness Olympia Top 5:

1. Missy Truscott
2. Jaclyn Baker
3. Ariel Khadr
4. Sarah Kovach
5. Michelle Freda-Mensah

FIGURE OLYMPIA

Tell me if you’ve heard this before: “Cydney Gillon is Miss Figure Olympia.” Since 2017, she has won every Olympia. Her last loss came in 2018 at the Arnold Classic Australia, where she placed 2nd. At this point, the only two ways Cydney will lose the title is 1) she retires, making way for a new champion or 2) the person that can beat her has yet to step on an Olympia stage. But there is no denying that Cydney will go down as the greatest figure competitor of all time. Jessica Reyes Padilla, who had an amazing 2022, placed 2nd to cap off her big year. Lola Montez, who had a banner 2022 herself, made HUGE strides to place 3rd. Jossie Becerra placed 4th in her Olympia debut, and Natalia Soltero rounded out the top five.

Figure Olympia Top 5:

1. Cydney GIllon
2. Jessica Reyes Padilla
3. Lola Montez
4. Jossie Becerra
5. Natalia Soltero

BIKINI OLYMPIA

The one thing that’s for sure about the Bikini Olympia…is nothing’s for sure. In what to me was the surprise of the weekend, Maureen Blanquisco took home the Bikini Olympia title, ending a big year for her. Last year’s champ Jennifer Dorie would end up in the runner-up spot. Ashley Kaltwasser, while winning more shows than anyone in IFBB history hasn’t won the big one since 2015, will have to wait another year to capture the gold once again as she placed 3rd. Daraja Hill, who is quickly becoming a star in the bikini division, placed 4th and Lauralie Chapados, after placing runner-up last year, rounds out the top 5.

Bikini Olympia Top 5:

1. Maureen Blanquisco
2. Jennifer Dorie
3. Ashley Kaltwasser
4. Daraja Hill
5. Lauralie Chapados

WELLNESS OLYMPIA

Last year, Francielle Mattos made history by becoming the first-ever Miss Wellness Olympia. This year, with a even better physique, Francielle made sure she was the ONLY one who could call herself Miss Wellness Olympia as she successfully defended her title against a much bigger field of competitors. The first-ever Wellness International Champion Isabelle Nunes placed in the runner-up spot, meaning we will have to wait a bit longer for our first-ever Undisupted Wellness Champion (Arnold and Olympia in the same season) to be crowned. She switched places with Angela Borges, who placed 3rd this year after being the runner-up last year. Kassandra Gillis made a HUGE jump from last year right out of the top 10 (11th) to placing in the top five at number 4. Rounding out the top five was Rayane Santana, who many feel could be a future Wellness Olympia champion sooner rather than later. 

Wellness Olympia Top 5:

1. Francielle Mattos 
2. Isabelle Nunes 
3. Angela Borges 
4. Kassandra Gillis 
5. Rayane Santana

While the Olympia in Vegas brought back plenty of memories and nostalgia, next year’s event goes back to Orlando and it will take place the first week of November, so a bit earlier than this year. For everything Olympia, including photos and placings of ALL the competitors, go to https://www.mrolympia.com as well as the NPC News Online Olympia Recap.