From Ash(a) to Ashes to...Flowers?!

In life, everyone has an acquired taste in everything. From music to places to food to muscle preference...to professional wrestlers, ESPECIALLY professional wrestlers. Everyone who is a wrestling fan has a certain type of wrestling style, company and/or wrestler they like, and it can be multiple. Again, everyone is different. But one thing most seem to love in an underdog story or a story of someone who betted on themselves and was able to reach the mountaintop, which has been the case for several lately, more noticeably Timeless Toni Storm in AEW who completely reinvented herself after walking away from WWE and Naomi this past weekend who walked out of WWE 3 years ago, signed with TNA and took a gamble (help raising their stock in the process) and is now on the run of her life in her 2nd stint with WWE. Now I've set the stage for you, let's talk about a woman who was let go by WWE after being their for a decade, doing everything asked of her (which was unfortunately not a lot because of THEM not HER), signs to a different company, completely reinvents herself, shows how good she has become in the ring AND as a character, winning some titles in the process...but no one in the wrestling world seems to care. Of course...we are talking about one half of the current TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions, Ash by Elegance, formerly known as Dana Brooke in WWE.

Ash was let go from WWE in September 2023 to the delight of a lot of folks in the dreaded and ignorant as hell IWC (internet wrestling community). She would not be gone from wrestling for long as she would sign with TNA and would appear in the first event under their rebrand to their original name (they were known as Impact Wrestling for a time) at TNA Hard to Kill. No longer Dana, she was now Ash by Elegance with her own Personal Concierge (George Iceman). She only appeared for a few seconds but folks wasted no time calling her a cheap ripoff of Timeless Toni Storm. But we would find out real quick that she was anything but a timeless ripoff. But many folks still don't buy it to this day,  so it is what it is at this point. In her first few months in TNA, they positioned her to be THE top heel for their company as it was evident that she would eventually collide with then-Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace, which is exactly what happened at Slammiversary 2024 in an underrated match that should have never been underrated in the first place. This was no carry job as both ladies had their working boots on that night. Had that match been Jordynne vs just about anyone else in pro wrestling, folks would have showered it with praise and even had it a Match of the Year candidate, but because it was Ash, folks couldn't care less. The dirtsheets and bloggers who LOVE pointing out when Ash "botches" had absolutely nothing to say regarding what those who DID watch it as Ash's best match of her career. It's like that match never existed. Don't believe us? Search for yourself, Google is free, people. All they will say it Jordynne retained her title that night. Their rematch on August 24 of last year on TNA iMPACT, which was a Match by Elegance (a hardcore match with various elegant objects), was dare I say even better! Check out the match below in its entirety:

After this, Jordynne would move on to other challengers and after dropping the title to Masha Slamovich at Bound for Glory 2024 would eventually sign with WWE, while Ash would take another step in her TNA journey by having Heather Reckless (now Heather by Elegance) join her and eventually winning the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championships and adding Maggie Lee (now M by Elegance) to officially form The Elegance Brand. And...as expected, folks began to call them a cheap imitation of The Beautiful People, even though both factions are different. They have clearly jelled well as a cohesive unit and have put on some very good tag team matches. The biggest issue is they seemingly only let them have a real feud with one team, Spitfire (Jody Threat and Dani Luna) who are actually not a team anymore. TNA has not done a good job in establishing a Knockouts tag division during the Elegance Brand's time as champions and but should their opponents on Sunday at Slammiversary 2025 (The Iinspiration aka Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay) become the new tag team champions, something tells me the company will put a bit more effort for THEM than they have for the Elegance Brand, which is not far to Ash, Heather, or M at all. 

Now, her TNA stint isn't the only thing that has elevated her though. She is currently the Boca Raton Championship Wrestling (BRCW) Women's Champion. BRCW is an independent wrestling promotion out of Boca Raton, Florida. But it's her run in World Series Wrestling (WSW), a wrestling promotion in Australia, that has been nothing but all hits and no misses, which includes some of the most brutal matches of her career and in WSW history. If anything, what her TNA run has done is elevated her as a character while her WSW run has elevated her as an in-ring performer. Below are two matches from her WSW run thus far, the first one was when she won the WSW Women's Championship last year for the 1st time and ended up setting the record for longest reign for that title and the 2nd one was when she would begin her 2nd run with the title after losing it (for about 24 hours) earlier this year:

As I've mentioned before, I get that everyone has their preference in pro wrestling. But for the life of me, I have no idea why the majority of fans are flat out AGAINST her. Not her character...the person herself. Seriously...BEING A FAN OF ASH DOES NOT MAKE YOU ANY LESS OF A WRESTLING FAN. IT"S OKAY TO BE A FAN OF HER OR AT BARE MINIUMN APPRECIATE HER WORK! Jordynne Grace has called her "criminally underrated" on social media. Gail Kim has showered her with nothing but praise, calling her a locker room leader and veteran for the TNA Knockouts roster. Others such as Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Fallon Henley and others have said nothing but good things about her. Yet the IWC refuses to budge. The dirtsheets, podcasters, bloggers...NONE OF THEM HAVE HER BACK despite her showing these past few years why she is one of the most improved and reliable performers in wrestling right now. We wish wrestling fans would actually THINK for themselves and actually watch her stuff and let their own eyes judge her rather than listen to wrestling podcasters and just take their word for how "bad" she is rather than form their own opinions about her.  I know, I know...I'm asking WAY too much from wrestling fans these days. But for those that actually HAVE watch Ash's career (especially these last couple of years) and can see how far she has come over the past decade, you know she has more than earned her flowers. And we at FitGems Nation are more than happy to give them to her while she is alive and still putting in that work, and we will keep those flowers as nourished and full of life as possible...even if no one in wrestling or wrestling media will. 

For more on Ash, follow her on X/Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and OnlyFans (doing free subscription right now, BTW). Also click here to view more articles we've written on Ash over the years.

For more on TNA, follow them on Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram and go to https://www.tnawrestling.com and don't forget to watch TNA Slammiversary this Sunday at 8pm Eastern/7PM Central where the Elegance Brand (Ash and Heather by Elegance) will defend the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championships against the Iinspiration in what many are calling the most important night in TNA history!

The Wrestlemania Debut of Trish Stratus: A Mainstream Muscle Cult Favorite

As most of you know by now, this year is the 25th anniversary of Trish Stratus being part of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, used to be known as the World Wrestling Federation, or WWF for short). Trish build her reputation as being one of the top female performers in WWE history, many say she is THE best female performer in WWE history and one of the best ever regardless of gender. Today marks the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania 2000. Since we are a female muscle platform and not a pro wrestling platform, we are not going to talk about the actual Wrestlemania event but rather talk about Trish making her first-ever appearance at Wrestlemania and why it has become a favorite mainstream muscle moment amongst some fans.

As stated before, Trish made her Wrestlemania debut 25 years ago today. Now consider Trish debuted in WWE only TWO WEEKS AGO prior. You wouldn't think someone who debuted just a couple of weeks ago would make an appearance at WWE's biggest show of the year THIS early in their career, but that's exactly what happened. And the first look of Trish we get at Wrestlemania? Her famous "puppies" front and center as she escorts Test (R.I.P.) and Albert (known as T&A) for their tag team match against Steve Blackman and Al Snow (who had their mascot Chester McCheeserton (don't ask) with them) aka Head Cheese. Head Cheese entered the match first and then T and A and Trish made their way to the ring. Here's where the muscle part comes in. 

Trish powerwalked to the ring with big boss energy accompanying her team with her soon-to-be trademark cowboy hat and trench coat, but her usual outfit of a top and skirt was replaced with a silver sports bra and booty shorts, an outfit that paid tribute to her fitness modeling days and working at expos. It was pretty obvious Trish was proud of the physique she had build for the last few years as her quads kept bulging with each step she made during the team's entrance. Pretty sure she had a quick gym session or pump similar to competitors before going out there but I can’t confirm that. Trish was definitely in Quadzilla mode that night probably more than any other night in her WWE career. The muscle jiggle is ever more impressive when the entrance is slowed down. Look below and see for yourself:

Trish's physique has not completely transitioned into wrestling mode just yet so her fitness modeling look was still there, so many fans that were not familiar with Trish from her MuscleMag magazines got to see a different type of body and this no doubt contributed to her popularity amongst male fans and it wouldn't surprise me if this help contributed to a few more women hitting the weight room. These days, a physique like Trish had back then is more acceptable and widespread (Thank God) but back then it was a rarity and I believe Trish had a small role in changing the norm with it came to strong, feminine bodies. Before muscle mommies, there was the fitness models aka the muscle mommies before muscle mommies were cool. Yet another reason to say...THANK YOU TRISH! 

For more of Trish, go to https://www.trishstratus.com and don't forget to follow her on all her platforms:

Facebook

X (Twitter)

Instagram

Threads

TikTok

Ash: From Heartbreak to Elegance...and why the journey is far from over

Ever since her WWE release exactly one year ago today (September 21, 2023), TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) Knockout Ash by Elegance (fka Dana Brooke in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)) has been putting in work in her character development and in-ring skills and has surpassed how she was portrayed in WWE, in our honest opinion. It was never made clearer than during her first-ever World Series Wrestling tour in Australia and during Slammiversary in her first opportunity at a major women's championship in her career. During her WSW tour, she would compete in a singles match on Night One, have a mixed tag match on Night Two, win the vacant World Series Wrestling Women's Championship on Night Three in a fatal-4-way match, and would defend the title in a brutal No Disqualifications (No DQ) match. At TNA Slammiversary in front of the biggest crowd TNA has had in over a decade, Ash would get her first crack at a major women's championship, the TNA Knockouts World Championship, taking on Jordynne Grace, who has been on an historic run since early January. She would fail to win but would win over a lot of folks that have hated and/or doubted her for years...or at least the folks that decided to pay attention to Ash. Yes, despite putting on a four-day, four city tour overseas and having a Match of the Year candidate a few days after, the majority of wrestling fans STILL don't view Ash as a legit performer, and quite frankly, we're getting sick and tired of how the internet fans keep devaluing her. In fact, Ash would have ANOTHER Match of the Year candidate in a Match by Elegance and rather than giving both ladies props, the focus of the majority of the IWC focused on Jordynne. In no way are we talking down on Jordynne, as she is incredible and deserves all the praise she has received this year...we just wish folks would give Ash some praise as well.

2024 was the year of an ELEGANT comeback
Photo credit: TNA Wrestling

If you have followed Ash throughout her career, it has been no secret that she has had a hard time trying to win over the IWC. They constantly putting her down in various ways, from her wrestling to her look. It's like she can't win with them no matter what she does. But we aren't that ignorant. We have seen the hard work Ash has put in in her decade-plus in pro wrestling, whether it be in WWE or now in TNA. Now, can you say she's a late bloomer? Yeah, it's fair to say that she has taken longer to pick up on wrestling that others, but no need to vilify her for that. She has been given crap and has done her best to make it as entertaining as possible. Hell, she made a silly green title in WWE (the 24/7 Championship) have some value in it before they discontinued it under the TKO regime.

We honestly have no clue why the hate for her is so deep when all she has wanted to do is prove that she belongs in pro wrestling. You would THINK that would be appreciated among wrestling fans, but NOPE! They shun her because she didn't go through the traditional way aka "paying your dues in the indies" and it's not right. She has put in the work since her WWE release last year and completely reinvented herself as Ash by Elegance. If you can look at it from a unbiased look, Ash lowkey has had one of the best breakouts years of a non-WWE wrestler due to her character development and match catalog, especially with Jordynne and the WSW tour. We don't know what will awaits her for the rest of 2024 and beyond, but we do hope that one day, folks will stop hating on Ash because it's the cool thing to do and actually THINK for themselves and come to the realization that Ash isn't as bad as dirtsheets and podcaster CLAIM she is. Among the hate and venom she gets, we are proud to give Ash her flowers right now so she has the chance to smell them. 

More elegance to come! The fight is far from over!
Photo credit: TNA Wrestling

For more on Ash, follow her on 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.

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. 

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

In Dana Brooke We Appreciate

DISCLAIMER: All photos belong to their original owners.

You know…in a world like it is today, you would THINK that folks would get rewarded if that actually WANT to come to work and perform. When you have an employee who is willing to do anything that is asked of them with little to no complaints, one would THINK that they would be rewarded. Someone hasn’t bothered to relay that message to WWE because there is an employee on their payroll that fits exactly that. Her real name is soon to be Ashley Sebera-Diaz. Her WWE performer name…is Dana Brooke.

Over the years, we have shown her praise practically every chance we get. Unlike the wrestling world and the fickle fan base, we have seen and witness her progression over the least near-decade. Was she the best when she first entered the company? Absolutely not. Even we mentioned that in our earlier post about Dana. But you know what she HAS done? Year after year, she has put in the time and effort behind the scenes to make herself a better performer, whether it be in the ring or doing her promos or even how she presents herself in the events she’s on while representing WWE. Over the years, she has experience this thing called GROWTH as an overall performer, and for some reason wrestling “fans” (and i use that term VERY loosely these days) refuse to give her any sort of respect. It’s like it’s a crime to give her any sort of credit for improvement or for actually just being good. But man…the second she makes a mistake, folks are ready call for her job. 

SPEAKING of folks calling for her job…how big of an asshole do you have to be to work in the same company and PUBLICALLY call for her to get her pink slip on national television without any provoking? That is what Corey Graves is…an ASSHOLE. For whatever reason, this son of a bitch has has it out for her for what seems like her entire career. Sam Roberts, a wannabe “journalist”, mentioned on commentary a few years back about Tamina, a fellow WWE Superstar, was miserable (she wasn’t, it’s her persona in WWE) and UNPROVOKED he mentioned that “you would be miserable to if you had to work with Dana Brooke” . BTW…this was said around the time Dana had lost her boyfriend at the time, Dallas McCarver. Not only ignorant but classless to do it at a time like that. Earlier this summer, another wannabe “journalist” Denise Salcedo just about had a damn heart attack and declared the world was coming to an end just because Dana got ONE (JUST ONE) pinfall victory over Becky Lynch (with help from Asuka, BTW). She was literally about to blow a gasket just because of that ONE victory! Funny how others can have that shocking victory and no one whines about it, but Dana gets that ONE unexpected win…and the internet losers declare the world is burning. I know, we should be showing love to the wrestling media that DOES give her her flowers, but that’s the sad thingL There isn’t one. Outside her own fans, there is not one wrestling podcast, blog, social media account, no entity that has ever given her any props. No legend to our knowledge has had her back in any way, shape, or form. That’s why FitGems Nation roots for her as hard as we do because no one else will. If there’s any wrestling entity that doesn’t entirely hate Dana Brooke, we would like to hear from you. We want to know that not EVERYONE is against her. 

Outside of R-Truth (Get well soon, man!), NO ONE outdid Dana Brooke as far as carrying the title with fun and enjoyment. 

Now…let’s talk about why we appreciate Dana Brooke. Like we’ve mentioned before, she has constantly put in the work in the ring as far as doing moves in addition to selling moves. She has mention going to acting classes outside of WWE to improve her promo skills. If you can’t tell how much she has improve on her speaking presentation from her earlier days to now, we don’t know what to say to you. She seems more natural on the mic now and nowhere near as nervous as before. Her run with the now-retired 24/7 Championship helped out with that a lot. In the ring, she has become more fluid with her moves. They look better, more crisp, and they have purpose as to why she does it rather than her just doing moves for moves sake, which she has done in the past. One think she has CLEARLY improved on that even the haters can’t deny is her selling. Dana has made some folks’ finishers looks like a million bucks, which is what you’re supposed to do. In no ways are we calling her the best seller in WWE (she isn’t) but she had gotten pretty damn good in that aspect that some folks that are current champions in the company (Ronda Rousey, looking at you) fail to comprehend. Oh yeah…Dana has done a lot for charity, whether representing WWE or herself, especially when it comes to kids. She has stated multiple times that she believes kids are the future and you can tell they mean a lot to her via her attendance and participation at Be A Star rallies and her own involvement with her future stepson.

We have stated over and over that Dana Brooke is arguably THE most underrated, underappreciated, underutilized, and overhated female in WWE these days, and we have pretty much wrote a mini-novel as to why we say that. Whatever she has been given to do, she do her best to make it work. Hell, she took what was supposed to be a comedy title in the 24/7 Championship and turned in into a defacto midcard women’ title so other ladies can get the spotlight, including Doudrop, Tamina, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Nikki Cross, who threw the title in the trash, retiring it and spitting in the face of what Dana was trying to do with the title. 

THIS is who needs to win the Money in the Bank briefcase next year. NO ONE ELSE!

We do hope that one day folks do get the hate and ignorance of their hearts and FOR ONCE give Dana Brooke the flowers she has EARNED over the last few years. We also hope one day that she will get a chance to show the world how talented she really is. And if WWE isn’t careful…it won’t be them that gets to see that. 

For more on Dana, visit her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

Trish Stratus…Fitness COMPETITOR?! WHY NOT?!

When it comes to popularity, Trish Stratus might be the most popular mainstream female wrestler of all time. Her popularity began due to her superhero-like body and Hollywood looks, but she maintained her popularity for not just her physique but her dedication to professional wrestling. She could have easily had a carrer in wrestling at the time based off her looks alone, but the tomboy and competitive nature in her was too great to let that happen, and women’s wrestling and wrestling as a whole is better because of it. Her success as an beautiful woman who can also kick ass in the ring and show it off paved the way for so many women with her credentials to follow suit in the wrestling world, and is still inspiring female wrestlers today. I mean, 6x WWE Women’s Champion, 1x WWE Hardcore Champion, WWE Hall of Fame, 2022 George Tragkos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame as the first-ever female recipient of the Lou Thesz Award…we say Trish has definitely made her mark in wrestling. 

From wrestling world to fitness world: THANK YOU!
Credit: TrishStratus.com

But as much as Trish has made her mark in wrestling, she has also made her mark in the fitness world. Considered one of the First Ladies of Fitness Modeling, she (along with a group of others including Victoria Pratt, Monica Brant, and fellow WWE Hall-of-Famer Torrie Wilson) helped established a new breed of woman, showcasing that women can be strong AND sexy at the same time. Trish was (and still is) proof positive that having muscles and being feminine were NOT mutually exclusive to one another. Her arrival to the wrestling world in 2000 gave new meaning to the phrase “eye candy”. I mean, I don’t need to go into details…but some one like Trish is what you would expect from a video game or a comic book…NOT in real life, not even in wrestling. But that’s what happened. Trish brought a look that WOWed folks then and still influences folks now. I mean, folks that love ranking the hottest women in wrestling just HAPPEN to have fit and built but curvy and feminine at the top of their list. Coincidence?! We don’t think so. 

How could any woman NOT want to get in the weight room after seeing THIS?! 
Credit: WWE.com

These days, Trish is looking better than ever, putting her quarantine time last year to work and reshaping her body to what might be her strongest yet. While Trish was more about shape and SOMEWHAT size back in 2000, she seems stronger and more cut than she ever was during her WWE heydays. Her social media posts have shown that. Which begs the question…could she make it as a fitness competitor TODAY?! I think so, to be honest with you. I mean, hell, she spent over six years getting her ass kicked in the ring and kicking ass, taking various bumps along the way. I think Trish doing a physique competition would be cool for her to do, especially with how she looks as a mom of two! Now what division she would be good in? I could see two: Bikini and Wellness. If Trish is more committed to developing her lower body (and yes, the woman has amazing legs) the wellness division would be the way to go for her. If she keeps the size she has now or even adds a tiny bit more (but not much more) and hones in more on her conditioning, then bikini would be the way to go for her. If she dedicated herself to more size all over, Trish in figure wouldn’t be out of the realm for her as well. But in all reality, we see her doing bikini or maybe wellness. 

If she were to dab in a competition, we could see her doing one in late 2022 or early 2023 in her home country of Canada (even though this selfish person writing this would love to see her do it in the States, but I digress). Imagine the press she could get doing a physique competition…and the amount of people that she could inspire to get into shape, especially mothers and working women. Fitness has given Trish so much. To us, this would be a cool way for her to give back to the industry that got her discovered. 

If Trish were to do a fitness competition, we would BACK her up 100%
Credit: Trish’s social media accounts

For more on Trish, make sure to check out her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and her website at https://www.trishstratus.com.

Trish Stratus's 1st WWE Women's Championship: 20 Years Later

November 18, 2001

The city: Greensboro, North Carolina
The venue: Greensboro Coliseum
The event: WWE Survivor Series 2001

Survivor Series 2001 was built around the tagline of "Winner Take All". Whoever won the Survivor Series Elimination Tag Match would rule all of sports-entertainment, either WWE (then known as WWF) or The Alliance (WCW/ECW). Title matches took place during this event, with the winners securing their spot no matter which side would win the war. One of the matches was the crown a new Women's Champion. It was a Six=Pack Challenge that consisted of the following competitors: Lita, Mighty Molly, Jacqueline, Ivory, Jazz...and Trish Stratus. Off all the competitors, Trish was the least-experienced of the bunch by a landslide and at the time, folks wondered why someone who has had less than a year's experience would be in such a high profile match. To say no one had Trish walking out of Survivor Series as Women's Champion that night would be an understatement, but that's exactly what happened. Trish would debut her Stratusfaction bulldog, delivering the move to Ivory, pinning her and winning the first of six WWE Women's Championships. The talent that she would defend the title against, as well as the matter of how she defended the title and represent the company, would help make the classic WWE Women's Championship title viewed as a true title that is still respected today. Being champion also helped elevate Trish as a performer. Her elevation as a performer would pave the way for so many competitors who thought that you had to choose between either being pretty in wrestling or being taken seriously as a wrestler.

We're not going to tell you what you already know about her career, which is so much already. But the fact that Trish is STILL someone that people look up to over 20 years later and folks celebrating her first title win 20 years ago like it's a holiday says something about the impact Trish has had and still has today. Many compeittors will come and go, but Stratusfaction will be guaranteed...forever!

 To view more contributions for Trish Title Day, check out our Instagram page (https://instagram.com/fitgemsnation) as well as StratusVerse on Instagram (https://instagram.com/stratusverse). Follow Trish on the following social emdia accounts:

https://www.facebook.com/trishstratuscom

https://twitter.com/trishstratuscom

https://instagram.com/trishstratuscom

Photos belong to their respective owners.

#LetDanaFlex: Our Open Challenge to the Wrestling World

DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE IS BASED OFF THE OPINIONS OF THE OWNER OF FITGEMS NATION AND DOES NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF FITGEMS NATION AS A WHOLE. 

Call us crazy, but I feel that when you put the work in, one should reap the benefits from it at some point. For this article, I'm going to focus on wrestling, or more specially WWE, and even MORE specifically a certain WWE Superstar. If you have followed us enough, you probably have a good guess on who that is. As a long-time fan of pro wrestling, I know that every woman in WWE has put in the time, effort, dedication, and hard work to make themselves better, the women's division better, and in general, their company better. While I don't doubt the hard work of any woman in WWE, I truly feel Dana Brooke (real name Ashley Sebera) is among the hardest working women (or person in general) in WWE that has not gotten her due in the company yet, whether by fans, her coworkers, legends, or the company itself. While FitGems Nation loves to talk about Dana as much as we can (especially on our social media accounts), we should NOT be the ones writing this particular article. This should be done by wrestling journalists because wrestling fans are the ones that need to see this more than the fitness world does. But Dana came from the fitness world, where unlike the wrestling world right now, we KNOW her hard work. We RESPECT her hard work. So it's only right that the world gets to understand who Dana is from people that know her best outside of her immediate family, and right now...it sure as hell isn't the world of professional wrestling. 

Five Years of Flex Appeal...and counting! 
Photo credit: Dana's Instagram 

We will be the first to admit Dana didn't exactly set the world on fire during her debut on NXT over five years ago (we actually mentioned that on our blog before). But like every single person who's ever stepped into a wrestling ring, it takes time to mature and evolve. Not one wrestler gets it right the first time. Seriously, check every wrestler's first year (and yes, wrestling fans, we're definitely talking about your favs as well) and tell us just how perfect they were the very first time they stepped in a ring. Most of you couldn't do it. Despite that, today's wrestling fans seemed like they had already made up their mind about how to approach Dana no matter what. She didn't come from a wrestling background, wasn't from the independent wrestling circuit, nor was she international. She entered pro wrestling from a fitness background, which included..yes, modeling. Today's wrestling fans HATE women that come from modeling backgrounds of any kind, despite them putting in the work to try and shatter that overplayed stereotype. I've seen it time and time again over my years being a fan of professional wrestling and it absoultely sucks. 

We want to make this very clear to everyone. We know Dana isn't the best performer in the women's division. We know in-ring wise, she is below the talent of the Four Horsewomen (Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley). We know there are those outside the 4HW in WWE that are better than Dana in the ring. However...it doesn't change the fact that she constantly works on her craft, whether it's her in-ring gear, her moveset, interacting with the crowd (when WWE was actually in front of crowds). I mean, there's no way in hell you can watch Dana over the last couple of years of her career and NOT see her progression, unless you are totally blind or you have THAT deep of a hatred towards her. In no way are we saying that Dana should be the ace of WWE's women's division, but it would be nice to put her in a position in WWE where folks can see what those in the fitness division already know about her...Ashley Sebera the person is special, and the same can be said about the wrestler Dana Brooke. 

No matter where she goes, whether mainstream, behind-the-scenes, or somewhere in between...Dana always finds a way to make an impact!
Photo credit: Dana's Instagram 

Want proof? I got some proof for you all. Take a look at this year's Money in the Bank. Who were people talking about the most during that match? Who was the MVP of that match? Who had folks entertained more than anyone else, male or female? DANA BROOKE. Her comedic antics stole the show, especially the Money in the Bank fake-out. It got folks hoping that she could take a more comedic approach to her persona. How about last year's build to Wrestlemania? Dana got to show her real self to the fans with a passionate promo against then-Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey and got a title match with her the following week (which honestly was nothing more than a sham to make Ronda credible for Mania...like she needed that. We will never forgive Vince McMahon for that). At Wrestlemania 35, she competed in the Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal and got one of the biggest reactions of the night with folks chanting her name and actually going nuts when she eliminated 2/3rd of the Riott Squad by herself before getting elimnated by Mandy Rose, which didn't set well with the fans in attendance, FYI. When Dana was dropped by Charlotte Flair before Wrestlemania 33, Dana went on a ranpage whooping Charlotte's ass with the entire crowd chanting her name without it feeling forced. The next week, they had a match and Charlotte beat her like it was nothing and they dropped it like a bad habit.

If Dana actually was blowing her moments, we wouldn't be having this discussion. But she kills it each time she is given a chance to shine, but WWE for whatever reason or another refuses to follow up on anything she does. Which is why we can't help but have our worries for her new tag-team partnership with fellow fitness star and WWE Superstar Mandy Rose (someone else we think highly of on here). Thus far, their tag team is working and things are clicking so well, but anyone who has followed WWE for a while knows that they have a tendency to drop stuff on the fly without any explanation. And with their track record thoughout Dana's career ALONE, we can't help but be worried for Dana's current direction in the company right now. But maybe for once, they will let this follow through and potentially taste gold for the first time in her career in the form of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship and maybe eventually the Raw or Smackdown Women's Championship down the line.

Future WWE Women's Tag Team Champions?!
Photo credit: Mandy's Instagram 

She's far from the only person that has suffered from on/off booking in WWE and she definitely won't be the last, but for someone who represents less than 1% of the world's population as an IFBB Fitness Pro, she should be shown in a far better light than what she's currently been given. Dana/Ashley loves WWE, otherwise she wouldn't have signed a five-year extention with them last year rather than explore other options (and trust us, there's a LOT more options now. WWE isn't the only game in town anymore, despite what some in the company wants you to believe). It's time for WWE to love her back. Put her in, folks. Let Dana earn your trust...and this goes to the wrestling fans and critics just as much as it does the company itself. 

LET. DANA. FLEX. 

We've known her greatness for years now. Time for the wrestling world to know it as well.
Photo credit: WWE's InstaStory 

Make sure to follow Dana on her social media accounts:

Her WWE-run Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WWEDanaBrooke/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/DanaBrookeWWE 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashasebera_danabrooke 

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJa2xV7T/

The Fittest Female WWE Superstar of All Time Is...

 All summer long, we hosted a tournament with 64 of the fittest women to ever grace WWE. Ranging from the most muscular to the comic-book heroine looks, from Crossfitters to fitness champions, it was an amazing tournament from start to finish with surprising upsets throughout in the quest to crown the Fittest Female WWE Superstar of All Time.

After weeks and weeks of voting, we have finally been able to crown a winner. Congratulations to Lita on winning our tournament and being named the Fittest Female WWE Superstar of All Time! She beat Mandy Rose by ONE VOTE. When one looks at her physique and focuses on her fitness level, it's not hard to see why. To do what she had done in WWE, you have to have an extreme level of fitness to pull off her moveset, including her world famous moonsaults. In the consoulation round (which was just as tight), Chyna defeated Naomi to claim third place. 

So the final results are as followed:

Winner: Lita
Runner-up: Mandy Rose
3rd Place: Chyna
4th Place: Naomi

Congrats to Lita, Mandy, Chyna (R.I.P), and Naomi on making it as far as you did and to all the women that made the tournament, thank you all for inspiring the WWE Universe and beyond, not just in the ring but in the gym as well. We hope to do more fun tournaments like this down the line. Hope you all enjoyed this one! 

#FittestFemaleWWESuperstarEver FINALS and CONSOLATION ROUND

Earlier this summer, we began a tournament to crown the Fittest Female WWE Superstar of All Time. It was hard but we were able to select who we felt were the 64 fittest women in WWE history (thus far). There were some suprises and upsets throughout the tournament, but now we have made it to the Finals of our tournament. 

On one side, you have Mandy Rose, a former WBFF Bikini World Champion who has brought a physique  to WWE that is not only pleasing to the eyes of many in the WWE Universe but has a lot of power behind it that most men WISHED they had. On the other side, you have Lita, who is known for her rebel style and attitude in the ring, but behind her in-ring attire lies a strong, asthetic physique in her own right that wowed fans in various bikini productions in WWE. One of these two will be crowned the Fittest Female WWE Superstar of All Time. Old school vs new school. The Queen of Xtreme vs God's Greatest Creation. Who takes the title?!

Also, we have a third-place consolation battle between Chyna (the most muscular competitor in the tournament) and Naomi (who may be the best pure athlete in WWE today, male or female). Who will take third place? 

Both polls will go on until Midnight Eastern time this Friday. To everyone that has voted and been part of this event, we can't thank you enough for your support. We hope to do more things like this in the future. Best of luck to the remaining competitors! 

#FittestFemaleWWESuperstarEver: FINAL FOUR

For the first time in the entire tournament, we didn't need a runoff! Congratulations to the Final Four: Mandy Rose, Naomi, Lita, and Chyna. The winners of these matches will move on to the Championship next week while the losers will meet in a consolation match next week for 3rd place. Voting ends this Friday at MIDNIGHT instead of 10pm this time. 

Mandy Rose vs Naomi

Lita vs Chyna