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. 

Putting Respect on the Name of Mandy Rose

October 26, 2021.

NXT Halloween Havoc.

Mandy Rose defeated Raquel Rodriquez (then known as Raquel Gonzalez) to win the NXT Women’s Championship, her first championship in WWE. Many folks expected her to be a transitional champion and her reign would be very short. Today is September 4, 2022 and she’s STILL in her first reign as NXT Women’s Champion and by the end of the day today, she just might be the Unified and Undisputed NXT Women’s Champion by unifying her title with the NXT UK Women’s Championship, currently held by Meiko Satomura. Mandy, Meiko, and Blair Davenport will compete in a Triple Threat Title Unification Match for the NXT Women’s and NXT UK Women’s Championships later on today at NXT Worlds Collide. 

NXT Halloween Havoc 2021…the beginning of greatness
Photo credit: WWE.com

Many look at Mandy and for some reason can’t fantom how a woman with her looks can be one of the most dominating champions in NXT and WWE history, but that’s exactly what she has done. Her reign is the 3rd longest in the history of the title, with only Asuka and Shayna Baszler having longer reigns. The list of people she has beaten is a who’s who of some of the best talent the NXT brand has ever had: Raquel, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY (Io Shiari), Alba Fyre (Kay Lee Ray), Cora Jade, Wendy Choo, Roxanne Perez, and Zoey Stark. Should she beat two of NXT UK’s greatest stars in Meiko and Blair later on today, there is no reason why Mandy should NOT be called the greatest NXT Women’s Champion of all time. 

Like every good champion, she uses her environment and smarts for any advantage she can find, which of course includes her Toxic Attraction buddies Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne. But she has not been shy to show off her strength as well, especially in her latest battles, utilizing her built physique and surprising strength to her advantage. Well, her strength is surprising to those that don’t follow her on social media, because those that DO follow her (and based off her numbers, who doesn’t) knows that she takes very good care of herself and puts in serious work in the gym. You don’t look like a action figure without putting in the work. But it goes beyond what she goes in the gym for Mandy. It’s how she has presented herself and has elevated the people around her. The NXT Women’s division is the most competitive (and honestly the most muscular) it’s been in quite some time, and Mandy is a big reason for that. While we absolutely personally LOVED her tag team on the main roster with Dana Brooke (another woman which we’ll be talking about soon…stay tuned), no way would have that gotten her the attention or success as a performer that she has right now. Mandy is on the run of her career and has put her in prime position to be a major player on either RAW or Smackdown when she is eventually called up back to the main roster.

Whoever made the call to send Mandy to NXT deserves all the flowers in the world, as Mandy has taken the title and brand to new heights, making the NXT Women’s Championship one of the most sought-after titles in the WWE Women’s division and Mandy one of its most dominant champions. Whether folks want to admit it or not, it’s way past time to PUT SOME RESPECT ON HER NAME. And if you haven’t by now…you might have no other choice once Worlds Collide reached its conclusion. 

Body of a champion!
Photo credit: Mandy’s Instagram

For more on The Attraction of NXT, follow Mandy on Facebook (WWE-ran), Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. NXT Worlds Collide takes place today at 4PM Eastern time, with the kickoff at 3:30PM Eastern time, streaming on Peacock in the USA and other countries and on the WWE Network everywhere else. Go to https://www.peacocktv.com/wwe for more info. 

WWE's Newest Pitbull

Credit WWE.com

On Tuesday, WWE announced their latest class of Performance Center recruits, their first class of 2020 and their first class of the new decade. The highlight of the class for most fans is Mercedez Martinez, a 19-year veteran of the ring who has fought her heart out to be part of the WWE. She has competed in WWE a few times in dark matches and more recently to fans as part of the Mae Young Classic. While there are a lot of articles bring written about Mercedes and rightfully so...we are going to focus on someone that wrestling fans MIGHT not be too familiar with right now but will get to know sooner than later: Emily Andzulis.





Nickname "The Pitbull", Emily is from Knoxville, TN, who thrives on competition, as shown via her mixed martial arts (MMA) background and as a contestant on NBC's Titan Games, where she was crowned the first female Titan. MMA was only part of her background, as she also worked as a massage therapist in the Knoxville area. Her life is dedicated to making her sister Sharon Shepard, a bone cancer suvivor, proud. In fact, Sharon was the one that convinced Emily to try out for the Titan Games in the first place. It was clear from the get-go that the people in charge liked Emily a lot as she was featured predominantly in their promotions and throughout the show, even though she didn't end up being the overall champion.Check out her Herculean Pull and Mount Olympus runs here from the first episode of Titan Games. Most also said during the show that Emily was on the verge of going to bigger things down the line, maybe even Hollywood. Well...WWE seems like a pretty big deal, doesn't it?!

Photo credit: Emily's Facebook

It seemed like WWE was a future step for Emily as she was chosen to be part of the April 2019 WWE Performance Center tryouts. The wrestling bug bit her good as she enrolled in the Jacobs-Pritchard Wrestling Academy (JP Wrestling Academy or JPWA for short) shortly after. When you enroll in a school owned and taught by Dr. Tom Pritchard and Glenn Jacobs ake Kane, you know you are serious about wrestling and want to learn as much as you can from two of the greatest minds in the business. Emily proved to be a fast learner as she was able to have a match within a few months of training, against local indy star and fellow JPWA graduate Kenzie Paige Henry. This one match showed how dangerous she can potentially be in NXT or even on Raw or Smackdown. Apparently WWE officials paid attention as she was signed to a developmental contract, making her the first graduate (male or female) from the school to join WWE.




Now...why are WE saying to keep an eye on The Pitbull in WWE? Well...for one, LOOK AT HER PHYSIQUE!!! The woman is carved out of stone! Despite her height, she is downright intimidating by her looks alone. But what can you expect when you do two-a-day workouts that consists of weight training, Crossfit, boxing, and jiu-jitsu. Based off the Titan Games and her workouts she post on her social media accounts, her strength is off the charts, which matches well alongside fellow fitness stars Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose, and fellow Knoxvillian Bianca Belair, among others. Her MMA background will match with women such as Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, and Sonya Deville. Her dedication to making her sister proud can make her an easy face to get behind, but she showed in her debut wrestling match that she is more than capable of being a heel. Besides the obvious backing of The Rock, Kane, and Dr. Tom Pritchard, she also has the backing of current WWE Superstar Natalya. When you consider everything she has and what she can improve on going forward, the only person that is going to stop Emily Andzulis from being a top WWE Superstar...is Emily Andzulis. We have seen what she can do in different platforms, and we are excited to see the NeXT chapter in the life and career of The Pitbull. Good luck Emily!

Photo Credit: Emily's Instagram

For more on The Pitbull, make sure to follow her on her social media accounts, and be on the lookout for her coming to a television near you!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyAndzulis75/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emily_andzulis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily_andzulis

Our Take on WWE's Newest Swole Queen, Mandy Rose

There are some people that come around once in a lifetime. Those people that no matter what, you take one look at them and go..."WOW...This person is going places". That is pretty much the vibe many are getting at when they look at WWE Superstar Mandy Rose. Her wrestling career hasn't been the longest by any means, but thus far there has been no indication of why she should NOT be one of WWE's biggest Superstars going forward.

Photo credit: WWE on Instagram

Real name Amanda Saccomanno, Mandy was born and raised in an Italian-American family in Westchester County, New York, and is the youngest of four children. She is of Italian and Irish heritage. For her education, she attended Yorktown High School, where she participated in dance. She felt that dancing was what she would end up doing professionally down the line. She ended up joining the Yorktown High School Dance Team and pretty much killed it as one of their top dancers. But over time, she felt dancing wasn't her true calling after all and decided into looking into fitness modeling instead. She later earned her bachelor's degree at Iona College, where she major in speech pathology, as well as beginning to take her fitness and physique much more seriously now. It got to the point where modeling agencies were beginning to notice her.

Once she was done with college, she decided to focus on fitness competitions, as she felt that (rather than dancing) would be the key to a successful career. To say fitness was definitely the right call for her would be an understatement. In 2013, she would enter the World Bodybuilding Fitness and Fashion (WBFF) Boston show and won it, to the surprise of many. After that, she took some time off to make up her mind on whether she was truly going to continue her fitness competition path. She ended up doing that and would go on to compete in the 2014 WBFF World Championships in the Pro Diva Bikini division and took top honors. That win would draw the attention of more people.

Mandy winning the 2014 WBFF Pro Bikini World Championship
Photo credit: WBFF

Even after being a World Bikini Champion, Mandy felt like she could do more with her career and discovered wrestling and decided to give that a try. She would enter the revived WWE Tough Enough competition (under her real name, of course and came in at a billed 120 pounds...this will become important later on in this blog piece) and gained a good deal of publicity on the matter. Not all of it was good, though. While she would meet her current bestie Daria (now known as Sonya Deville) on the show, she rubbed a good deal of people the wrong way, intentionally and unintentionally. Her progression was threatened by a near-quick exit from the show until the Miz pulled out her save card and she was spared from an early elimination (Thanks Miz!) from the show. She ended up making it all the way to the finals where she lost to Sara Lee, who won the contract and the money, yet never appeared on WWE TV after Tough Enough, which ended up being another case of losing making you a bigger winner down the line...which is exactly what happened to Mandy once Tough Enough was done.

WWE liked her look a lot and decided to bring her on for one season of Total Divas. After that, she joined the Performance Center and made a couple of NXT TV appearances, most noticeably a mini-feud (if you want to call it that) with Ember Moon. That match made quite a bit of people open their eyes and go "Okay, she might be more than looks after all!" She would show that through various NXT live events, gaining somewhat of a cult following, do to being a photographer's dream and the shock of fans when they realize just how strong Mandy really is, hence the formation of "The Golden Goddess"

People were beginning to wonder whether she would make a full-on NXT run or move right up to the main roster. After what seemed like forever, we finally got our answer the night after Survivor Series 2017. Raw had a Fatal 4-Way match to determine who would be next in line to face Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship and during the match, Paige made her shocking return to WWE, and she didn't come alone. Mandy (and her bestie Sonya) arrived and (with Paige) unleashed hell on practically every woman in WWE for weeks. Named Absoultion, they took down nearly everyone who stood in their way, until an unfortunate accident at a Raw live event injured Paige to the point that she will never be able to compete in the ring again. This put Absoultion in disarray, and there was uncertainy for both ladies, even though they got to make history during their time in Absoultion, entering the 1st-ever Women's Royal Rumble, Women's Elimination Chamber, and Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal. Mandy and Sonya were both drafted to Smackdown Live, where Paige now runs things as General Manager. She made it clear the first night Mandy and Sonya appeared on Smackdown Live that Absoultion was dead and neither woman would get special treatment from her. And while we are unaware of how WWE views Sonya for the long run, it seems WWE has seemingly made it clear that they see something special in Mandy Rose, as on the May 8th edition of Smackdown Live, she entered her Smackdown debut match against Becky Lynch (1st-ever Smackdown Women's Champion) with a new entrance (complete with blurry effect) and new music and won a quick yet decent match against the Lass Kicker. She has been dubbed "God's Greatest Creation" since Ember Moon (War Goddess) and Alexa Bliss (The Goddess of WWE) have already claimed the Goddess titles.

(The following photos are from mator1267 on Instagram)

During her time in WWE, from NXT to now, she has put on an good amount of muscle on her, to the tune of 20 POUNDS. For someone that's only 5 foot 4, that's a lot. To put this in perceptive, if Mandy were to compete in the National Physique Committee (NPC) as a female bodybuilder, she would BARELY be able to compete in the light-heavyweight division. She revealed her weight in her Instagram story. But then again, when you can leg press over 500 pounds and deadlift over 400 pounds, you can't be a small chick. In the first-ever WWE PC Combine, she placed 3rd among the women, with only Bianca Belair and Ember Moon besting her. Her muscle size, strength, and overall beauty to us makes her the best COMBINATION of muscle and beauty since Trish Stratus in her prime, and even in her prime Trish didn't even have nearly the power nor the size Mandy currently has (Trish was 120 at her heaviest), and we can only see Mandy getting stronger going forward. We say combination because there are those that are definitely stronger than Mandy but maybe not as beautiful, those more beautiful than Mandy but not as strong, and those that are definitely more jacked/toned than Mandy but might lack the beauty and/or strength.

140 Pounds of Muscle...and looking great doing it!
Photo credit: Mandy's Instagram Story

When you look at her past in high school, college, the WBFF, and wrestling, Mandy really is unlike any blonde that has come in WWE in a while. A college degree, a background in dancing, a former world fitness bikini champion, lifting PRs that would put even some of the strongest MEN to shame, and constantly learning in the ring with each match...Mandy has everything it takes to succeed in WWE and be one of the company's top stars for quite some time. When it's all said and done, we don't think she will be known as the second coming of anyone. She will be the first (and ONLY) Mandy Rose.

Credit to Greatest Physiques (https://www.greatestphysiques.com/amanda-saccommano/) for some of the content used in this blog piece. 

For more on Mandy Rose, follow her on Twitter (@WWE_MandyRose), Instagram (mandysacs), and her WWE-ran Facebook page. You can also follow her on Snapchat under mandysacs.

IFBB Bikini Pro Potentially Heading to WWE?

Editor's note: All photos belong to their respective owners

IFBB Bikini Pro...future WWE Diva?

In early March, all eyes were on Columbus, Ohio during the Arnold Sports Festival, which could explain why what I'm about to say might have fell under the radar. We noticed that IFBB Bikini Pro Eboney Chipman made an interesting post on March 6th:

JAYSUS!!!!
DID I JUST GET A MESSAGE FROM THE WWE ASKING ME TO COME TO TRY OUT #DIVA 󾌯󾌯

󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁

— Eboney Chipman (@EboneyFitness) March 6, 2016

As you know from our previous posts, we do our best to highlight any fitness personality that enters the rankings of sports and entertainment. Of course, we have been checking to see if anymore has come out of it, and less than a week later, she revealed on Twitter that she sent in her application. Now the waiting game begins for her. Most women from the fitness industry have gone on to have great success such as Torrie Wilson, Lisa Marie Varon (Victoria), Lexi Kaufman (Alexa Bliss), Ashley Sebera (Dana Brooke), and Celeste Braun (Kaitlyn). And do we even need to mention a certain fitness model who became a 7x WWE Women's Champion and currently youngest female WWE Hall-of-Famer of all time? Should she get this opportunity, we think she could do very well. She has the height, beauty, and athleticism to have a good career in WWE. We will keep you all posted on how things go with Eboney and if WWE will be part of her future going forward. From all of us at FitGems Nation, we want to wish you best of luck, Eboney!

Potentially coming to a WWE arena near you...

For more on Eboney, follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Our Take on Dana Brooke's NXT Debut

(All photos are from WWE.com)

This week on NXT, the NXT and WWE Universe was formally introduced to the newest Diva, Dana Brooke. Fitness fans have known her for quite some time in the fitness industry as Ashley Sebera. She has been a fan of WWE for quite some time and at one point she was actually rumored to have already signed with NXT (that was the time when current NXT Diva Alexa Bliss (Lexi Kaufman) and former prospect Christina Vargas were signed). That turned out to be false at the time, but she would later on be offered a developmental contact several months later and has been doing her thing on NXT live events.

Welcome to Brooke City, Blue Pants!

As mentioned earlier, Dana would make her official debut on the April 15^th edition of WWE NXT on the WWE Network. Right away, she came out doing a flip here and there and showing off what she worked on building for years. Arrogance, cockiness…if you got enough of that, I don’t care how beautiful you are, you’re gonna get booed. So mission accomplished on getting her character down pat. Now on to the match itself…not everything is gonna be perfect on your first match. I’m sorry, it’s not gonna happen. It was obviously she was a bit “green” (that’s the term used for those that aren't as experienced in the ring), but she showcase her strength quite a bit, which helped make up for her greenness, which WILL improve with patience and dedication. Speaking of power, her finisher is NASTY!! That’s something you would expect a guy to do, so major kudos to Dana for having a unique finisher. It’s definitely not S-A-W-F-T…SAWFT! (You’re welcome, Enzo and Big Cass).

BROOKE...SMASH! 

Here’s where I get mean…not to Dana, but to her detractors. Most internet dirtsheets want the wrestlers to be perfect from the word go and will lash out on anyone who isn't, and that does double for the ladies…especially those who don’t come from an independent wrestling background. Dana is from the fitness world, so you know they picked her apart piece by piece, as well as those in the IWC (internet wrestling community). Take a look at sites such as Bleacher Report and others to see what I’m talking about. Is it fair? HELL NO. Do they care?! HELL to the NO. Is it fun to make them eat crow. OH…HELL…YEAH!! And I truly feel Dana will make every single one of those haters eats it by the plateful sooner than later. Last I checked, Trish wasn't the best when she started, and looked how she turned out. I will say this, most people see that Dana has SOMETHING special that you just can’t teach, no matter what type of tools you have at your disposal (looking at you WWE Developmental Center…even though I would love to go there on a weekend just to try it out.). Once all the stars aligned, I think most haters and critics will see that WWE/NXT has something special with Dana.

With AJ’s retirement, now’s the time for the Divas division to step up and for someone to take over as the new face of the Divas division. Dana Brooke isn't there yet, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if one year from now, we see Dana on top of the NXT women’s division as their champion or maybe even on the main roster in the Divas Championship title hunt or as Divas Champion. We have Dana’s back. We support Dana and wish her the best of success. So to those that want to see her fall, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news…you don’t get to win this round. Dana Brooke is on her way to do major things in NXT and WWE. WHEN (not if) she does succeed, we’ll make sure to send you some crow and humble pie to eat on…and in honor of Dana, we’ll make sure it’s low in fat and high in protein. ;) 

Keep hating, haters. Her fun has only just begun!

For more on Dana, follow her on Twitter at @DanaBrookeWWE as well as on Instagram, and make sure to see her and all the NXT talent on the WWE Network ($9.99 a month, no commitment) Wednesday nights at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central.

NXT Diva Competing at the 2015 Arnold

DISCLAIMER: All photos used belong to their original owners. 

As you all probably know by now, the lists for the 2015 Arnold on the pro side have been released, with the biggest and best names in the industry competing for top honors in one of the biggest shows of the year. One name that stood out to me was Ashley Sebera for the fitness side, known as the Fitness International. Some of you probably know her by a different name...Dana Brooke. Yes, THE Dana Brooke from NXT, WWE's developmental brand. My initial thought about this was..."Was this a mistake? The committee knows she's part of WWE, right? Do they even ALLOW this? But after seeing the retweets from Triple H (WWE's COO) and Sara Amato (NXT trainer), that's when it hit me. A WWE performer is going to represent the entire wrestling world in one of the largest fitness competitions in the world.

Former WWE Divas Aksana (real name Živilė Raudonienė) and Kaitlin (real name Celeste Braun) were former IFBB and NPC figure competitors who stopped competing to become WWE Divas. Torrie Wilson and Lisa Maria Varon were fitness competitors before entering the world of professional wrestling. So how and why is Dana (we'll be using her WWE name going forward in this article) able to compete in one of the top fitness shows in the world AND still be a WWE/NXT Diva? Better question is...why not?

Dana is one of the top prospects in NXT who has not (as of this writing) made it to the TV roster (or NXT's home, the WWE Network...$9.99 a month, no commitment needed. I know, cheap plug). Known as the Killa Barbie, she has shown a lot of promise as a tough-as-nails performer who could be one of the next top female powerhouses in WWE, based off fans who have seen her perform during NXT live events. SO...back to the point of "What's the big deal of Dana making the Arnold list?"

If memory serves me right, this will mark the first time in WWE history that a WWE performer UNDER CONTRACT will compete in a fitness event. The ladies I mentioned earlier competed in fitness competitions but stopped after entering WWE. This practically guarantees big opportunities for the WWE and IFBB to showcase their companies to new people. IFBB, while big, doesn't have nearly the mainstream media power that WWE has. Can you imagine the exposure the IFBB can get if some of the Arnold was shown on WWE programming? WWE, in turn, will have a massive amount of fit talent (male and female) they can look at and scout for the next breed of Superstars and Divas for WWE and NXT. The company will be like kids in a candy store trying to see who can one day lead their company.

What's in it for Dana? To bring two words together and show both audiences why she's one of the top athletes on the planet. The thought of a good deal of the crowd chanting "NXT! NXT! NXT!" during her swimsuit round and fitness routine round brings a tear and a smile to my face knowing one of our own is returning home to represent everything she loves: fitness and pro wrestling. For more reasons than you know, Dana is already a winner.

2015 is her year...she makes history on March 6th. 

We would like to publicly wish Dana the best of luck as she prepares to represent pro wrestling in one of the biggest stages in the fitness industry and we would like to thank Paul Levesque (Triple H), Sara Del Ray (Sara Amato), and WWE/NXT for giving Dana the opportunity to make history. Good luck Dana! FYI, you can follow Dana on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DanaBrookeWWE and Instagram at http://instagram.com/ashasebera_danabrooke

The 2015 Arnold Sports Festival is March 5-8 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, with the Fitness International Prejudging and Finals on March 6th. Click here for ticket information. 

Kaitlyn Gone from WWE

She will always be known as "The Hybrid Diva"!

Former NPC figure competitor Celeste Bonin aka Kaitlyn is (as of today) no longer under contract to WWE. If you think about it, this shouldn't come as a surprise to a lot of people based off the news of her being engaged to PJ Braun. No, we are in no ways saying that her engagement has anything to do with her departure. But this isn't the first time a Diva has left the company shortly after getting engaged. Eve Torres did this one year ago around the same time, and in 2006, Trish Stratus left the company. Both ladies were able to leave on their own terms: Trish retired with the title and Eve put over Kaitlyn in her home state of Texas.

Kaitlyn's departure will be no different, as she will be taking on her best friend in real life, AJ Lee on ION Television tonight. Usually when one does right in the eyes of WWE, you are able to have your own moment as sort of a "thank you" gesture and not be embarrassed, and it looks like Kaitlyn will get that "thank you" gesture tonight.  Besides her engagement, apparently she is working on something big according to PJ. We can't wait to see what the former Divas Champion and NXT Season 3winner has in store for everyone now that she's not a part of WWE. We hope to have something posted about it once we get word on it.

On behalf of FitGems Nation, we would like to say "Thank You" for everything you did during NXT Season Three and during your time as a WWE Diva. We look forward to seeing what's next in your life!

WWE Divas Division Adding Some Muscle...Literally!

There were plans that Paul Levesque aka Triple H was going to rebuild the Divas division via development, and it looks like based off today's news, the rumors appear to be true. Announced by various wrestling sites, IFBB bikini competitors Lexi Kaufman and Christina Vargas have signed WWE development deals.

Get ready, WWE Universe! They are coming to take over the Divas division!
Credit: Christina Vargas's Facebook

While most wrestling fans are just now finding out about this, we at FitGems Nation (as well as our good friends over at Fit Model TV)have known about this for months. In fact, fans of Lexi and Christina have known about this for months if they have followed them on their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. To say we are proud of these ladies would be an understatement. The WWE Divas division is in need of some serious muscle right now, and WWE has LITERALLY added that with these two ladies on the scene. 

The hardcore wrestling fans (aka marks and the IWC, which stands for internet wrestling community) are gonna be hard to please because they didn't come from the indies, but if they knew what we know, they have nothing to worry about. Both ladies have put in hard work for years to attain their physiques, and they will put in the effort to entertain you as WWE Divas. We hope they will make it far and take WWE by storm. We're rooting for you both!

Check out the links below for more on WWE's newest developmental divas:

Lexi Kaufman

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexi-Kaufman/171733126219865

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lexi_Kaufman

Instagram: http://instagram.com/lexi_kaufman

Christina Vargas:

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/CVargas26

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VARGAS26

Instagram: http://instagram.com/christinavargas

EXCLUSIVE Interview with Brittany Beede

Last year, fans of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) were introduced to a Diva who described herself as three simple words: Sexy, Strong, and Unstoppable. Her name is Brittany Beede, although most WWE fans will know her as Jamie Keyes. Whether she was ring announcing on Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and WWE NXT Season 2 or kicking butt in the ring and competitions during NXT Season 3, Jamie seemed to find a way to get the attention of many of the WWE Universe. She's been gone from the WWE since October 2010 and has since begun to help people reach their fitness goals and begin her own journey into becoming one the next top fitness celebrities. Although her schedule is as busy as ever without WWE, Brittany was kind and gracious enough to conduct this interview with us.

All pictures used in this interview were provided by Brittany herself and are property of the original companies.

Original source: Body by Brazil

FitGems Nation: May you start off by telling a little bit about yourself?
Brittany Beede: I'm Brittany Beede, 26 years old, and blessed to be born and raised in the beautiful city of Sarasota, Florida!:) I found my passion for the fitness lifestyle at a very young age. I was extremely active growing up, taking part in every sport I was able and was very serious about my 11 years as a cheerleader! I have always liked challenges and when I saw there was a wrestling school in Tampa (FCW) I enrolled with the goal to make it in the WWE. Lucky for me I achieved that goal and after a short time training in the WWE developmental program I was on TV as Jamie Keyes.

FitGems: We’re gonna get the wrestling questions out of the way. First up…what made you become a fan of pro wrestling in the first place?
Brittany: My dad was always a fan of wrestling! I grew up watching it on t.v. with him and attended a few local shows. He was very supportive and proud when I expressed my interest in becoming a diva myself.

FitGems: How did you begin your wrestling career, and how did you end up in WWE?
Brittany: As I stated earlier, I attended FCW's wrestling school before being hired with the company. I was actually attending nursing school at the time. I began training to be a wrestler (sports entertainer!) under the leadership of Steve Kiern and Norman Smiley. I actually drove over an hour, the day of the first class, and was greeted by the Celtic warrior himself, Sheamus! I wasn't hired immediately after completing the school, but with persistence and drive I was given my opportunity! I made the move to Tampa, Florida and ended up on the road after only a month!

FitGems: You were brought into WWE as the announcer for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and WWE NXT Season 2 and eventually became a Rookie Diva on NXT Season 3, going by the name Jamie Keyes. What did you enjoy about each of your roles while being a part of the company?
Brittany: I think wrestling fans are incredible! Being able to perform live and impact audiences in sold-out arenas as both an announcer and a wrestler was a tremendous opportunity and blessing!

FitGems: During your time in the company, did you learn any new workout tips that helped you out when it came to training?
Brittany: We were given the privilege of being trained by WWE's incredible strength coach, Rob MacIntyre. Through his knowledge and expertise I learned the importance and benefits of the power lifts and Olympic lifts. I still look to his mastery when planning my own Booty camp group classes.:)

FitGems: I gotta be real with you…I thought WWE didn’t do enough to push your character during your time, and from what I gathered from others, they feel the same way. Were you the least bit surprised that you were the first person eliminated on NXT Season 3?
Brittany: Not at all! What I think people don’t realize is how quickly I was put on the road. I was only in developmental for a few months. I didn’t have as much time to train once I was hosting. Then all of a sudden I was on NXT. I was honored but overwhelmed. The other girls were much more experienced than I was. I was lucky to even be there. I am honored to have fans that feel differently but the truth is I felt my inexperience was apparent.

FitGems: And now the million dollar question, in your own words…What (at the time) was the reason (or reasons) you decided that WWE’s just not for you right now? In other words, what’s the REAL story behind your release?
Brittany: Ha ha. I wish I had a scandalous story for you! There is no story really. As I said in the previous answer I hadn’t been there long before I had been put on the road. It is hard to imagine how tough the WWE schedule is until you do it. I joined the WWE because I was a fan, and wanted to promote the fitness lifestyle. However, after being with the company for a while I learned I loved fitness more than wrestling. Everyone treated me great. I loved the people. I loved the opportunities. I didn’t have any fights backstage or anything interesting to talk about. I just felt I could pursue a career helping others with health and fitness that would be more fulfilling to me.

FitGems: Since your time in WWE, you have shifted gears towards fitness, which has been your main focus from the beginning. How did you get involved in fitness in the first place?
Brittany: Like I stated previously, my adoration for the fitness lifestyle was apparent at a very young age. I participated in countless extra curricular activities and began teaching group fitness classes while attending nursing school and continued through wrestling school. Even with the tedious schedule on the road with WWE I always made my workouts a top priority. It's something that I take very seriously and will carry with me for the remainder of my life!


FitGems: Let’s be honest…from your recent pics, you look like you can step on stage and hold your own in a physique competition. Do you actually see yourself competing one day?
Brittany: I have no interest in competing. I stay in shape for me and because I truly love working out.

FitGems: What is your favorite kind of workout to do?
Brittany: My workouts constantly change, but there is nothing like lifting heavy weights at fast speeds over your head or the feeling after completing a long run! I like to do it all! I want to be known as the girl who knew her limitations only because she consistently challenged them. I want to look back at my life and have no regrets! If I am capable, I will attempt it!

Original source: Lift Studios/Hardbody

FitGems: When your website (BrittanyBFit.com) was launched, many WWE personalities went to Twitter and put you over, including Natalya, Chris Jericho, and Joey Styles. Did you expect some of the WWE people to do that, and how did it make you feel?
Brittany: I felt very honored! WWE is successful because of every single person involved! Everyone from the cooks to Mr. McMahon himself were welcoming, supportive and encouraging during my entire career with the company.
It's an incredible feeling to have been given the opportunity to work side by side with such talent and prestige!

FitGems: How important do you think fitness modeling is for the fitness industry? Some competitors just work out and compete and that’s all we ever see them is in competitions.
Brittany: I am certainly not an expert on the industry but I think in the world of women’s fitness, there is more of a differential between competing and modeling. Competitive male bodybuilders sell men's magazines. Fitness models sell women’s magazines. They don’t necessarily have to compete. The people who buy these things don’t really know who won the fitness Olympia. They just want to see a hot, fit girl. So I see no problem if someone just wants to compete. There is not a shortage of fitness models.

FitGems: What magazine would you like to be on the cover of someday?
Brittany: I'd love to be on the cover of Oxygen! I love what they stand for and have had a subscription for years!
 
FitGems: If you were not in fitness, what would you be doing right now?
Brittany: Wishing I was!

FitGems: What advice would you give to people who want to start living healthy lifestyles?
Brittany: I would tell them that it's a process, yet something that will be the most positive, life-altering decision they will ever make. Fitness and making smart decisions with nutrition is not easy! If it were, every person would be healthy and fit. I don't believe that anything worth it is ever comes without a tremendous amount of passion, dedication and hard work! Set your mind to be ready for the change and be consistent!

FitGems: Oh…here’s the OTHER one million dollar question all former wrestlers are asked…is there a chance that one day you might be back in WWE?
Brittany: Never say never.

FitGems: What are your future plans in the fitness industry, and where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Brittany: My goal is to continue to be a personal trainer, life coach, and source of inspiration to each and every person that I am able. Fitness has changed my life in so many incredible ways, and I plan to share my revelation with as many people as possible by empowering them to live positive, healthy, happy lifestyles, through proper diet and exercise.
Of course I will always continue the challenge of refining my own physique and lifestyle to be the best I can be!

FitGems: How can your fans connect with you and contact you if they want to know your upcoming plans or want to book you for future endorsements, commercials, print work, etc. (website, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?
Brittany: Other than www.BrittanyBFit.com, please contact me through Facebook and twitter! Here are the links!:)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrittanyBeede
Official Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Beede-Jamie-Keyes-WWE/151485664892299

Original source: Body by Brazil

Again, huge thanks to Brittany for doing this interview with us! In addition to the links she provided, she writes for this very blog periodically, so be on the lookout for more articles from Brittany in the very near future. Hope you all enjoyed this special interview, and to all wrestling news sites, if you plan on reposting the interview by parts or in full, please credit FitGems Nation. Thank you.

Brittany Beede: Fitness's Next Breakout Diva

Fitness industry...meet Brittany Beede!
Photo credit: WWE.com

A couple of weeks ago, Jamie Keyes was eliminated from WWE's show NXT. This week, she was given her pink slip from the entire company altogether. Needless to say, this struck a nerve with quite a few people, including yours truly. So what's a girl to do after seeing her dreams of becoming a WWE Diva crumble before her eyes? Simply...pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go forward. Jamie is doing more than just going forward, folks. She's aiming to create a fitness empire!

Fresh off her WWE venture, she's hopping right into the fitness world full-steam with a campaign unlike anything I've seen from one individual. She's launched a Youtube channel, a Google profile page, and an official Facebook fan page, not to mentioning changing her Twitter name to better suit her current and future fans, and that's just within a mere few hours! Imagine how things are going to be for here when everything starts to take off! THIS is what is going to set her apart from many in the fitness industry. She's aiming to become someone in the industry, not just a name or a face in the crowd. It's pretty clear she doesn't need the WWE to succeed (Trust me, they need her a hell of a lot more than she needs them), but I wouldn't rule out a possible return somewhere down the line. But for now, look for Brittany to make an huge and lasting impact on the fitness industry. There's a possible chance that you might see her at the 2011 Arnold "hint..hint". Just like when FitGems Nation supported Brittany during her days as a WWE Diva, we will continue to support Brittany during her journey to becoming fitness's next breakout diva. Good luck, Brittany!! :)

Here are the links to follow Brittany on her quest to becoming the next fitness icon:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrittanyBeede
Official Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Beede-Jamie-Keyes-WWE/151485664892299
Google profile page: http://www.google.com/profiles/britter1231
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/britter1231
And of course, her fansite that was created prior to becoming a star in WWE: http://www.jamiekeyes.com

EDIT: For all fans of Brittany, I've created a fan page called the Brittany Brigade, to help keep up with all things Brittany, from the beginning of her career until now. You can join it by clicking here.

Fitness Stars Invade WWE; A Change in the Air?!

Are we looking at the return of fitness muscle in WWE?
From Left to Right: Kaitlyn (Celeste Bonin), Aksana (Zivile Raudoniene), Jamie (Brittany Beede)
Photo credit: WWE.com

As some of you know, I happen to be a big fan of wrestling, especially WWE. One of their big things happens to be their Divas, the names for their female wrestlers, or more appropriately, their female entertainers. For the most part, the Divas are seemingly fit, but not in the realm of fitness/figure competitors, at least not since the days of Trish Stratus, Chyna, and Torrie Wilson. The closest to that kind of physique right now is Beth Phoenix...at least until this past Tuesday.

This past Tuesday was the season premiere of WWE NXT, and this season's an all-Divas season. I mentioned earlier on this blog that Aksana (Zivile Raudoniene) and Jamie (Brittany Beede) are two fitness stars that are a part of the cast this season, and as broken first by Isaac Hinds, we would find out that ANOTHER fitness star would join the NXT rankings.

Before NXT even began, WWE NXT was down one Diva (Aolesia) due to some outside complications that surfaced before the season began. So they teased a new Diva coming in for Pro Vickie Guerrero. That diva would be Kaitlyn, but for us, we know her by the name of Celeste Bonin.

Celeste's a former NPC figure competitor who was contemplating going to bodybuilding, but obviously that is out the window now with her being in the WWE. Her look alone has definitely caught the eye of WWE fans, collectively known as the WWE Universe.

This article is not about how well they did (For those interested in THAT, go to my NXT column on Diva-Fiva.com. WARNING: I get a bit personal and carried away a bit when I do wrestling talk.). Rather, this article is about how it seems like the winds of change are fast approaching WWE, and possibly mainstream entertainment. Let's be honest, things are not the same anymore. Thin is not in when it comes to what people LIKE to see. It seems like those with a bit of meat on their bones are being more praised. No, I'm not saying that female bodybuilding is becoming the norm. That could be some time, as I don't think the mainstream is quite ready for that yet. But there are those seemingly willing to give those in figure/fitness/bikini a chance to showcase themselves in the mainstream eye.

I might be jumping the gun a bit, but there's a good chance that these three ladies in this aricle might be going something more than they realize. They might holding the keys to the future of entertainment, possibly the future of what women's aspire to be. Maybe not wreslter, but fit yet feminine women who can do anything they can put their minds into. The Original American Gladiators did it in the 1980s. Kiana Tom did it in the mid-1990s into early 2000s. These three (regardless on how long they last in the competition) just might be the start of something big in the world of mainstream entertainment. Only time will tell whether these three help make a difference by just being on TV, but if their past achievements are of any indication...I wouldn't bet again any of these ladies and the influences they can bring in in the short-term and long-term.