FitGems Nation Blog: wrestling

Showing posts with label wrestling. Show all posts

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Ash By Elegance: TNA Knockout

Credit to the original owners of the photos

When Ashley Sebera (formerly known as Dana Brooke in WWE) was released from her WWE contact, we would hope that if she wanted to continue wrestling, she would go to Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling (TNA) as their women’s division (known as the Knockouts division) is viewed by most wrestling fans to be the best women’s division in mainstream wrestling and the REAL birthplace of the women’s revolution in pro wrestling (not WWE like they claim to be). On January 17, 2024, it was made official that Ashley did indeed sign to TNA.

Her first appearance for the company took place at TNA Hard to Kill under the name Ash by Elegance. During the premium live event (PLE), a blonde woman (whose face was not shown) stepped out of a vehicle and walked into the arena. A lot of speculation was made, and some folks discovered the shoes the mystery woman wore were the same shows Ashley wore in an Instagram photo from her Fantime site. Because of SPECULATION ONLY, her WWE name Dana Brooke trended on Twitter/X throughout Hard to Kill, even being talked about just as much as the event itself. Right before the TNA Knockouts World Championship match between then-champion Trinity and now-champion Jordynne Grace, it was revealed that Ashley was indeed the mystery woman, now going by Ash by Elegance. She even had a manager with her now, George Iceman. For those that watched Impact Wrestling before the TNA relaunch, he was part of BTI (Before the Impact) and would give insider scoops on what to expect on Impact shows and premium events. With BTI now a thing of the past, it looks like Iceman will be Ash’s manager going forward, which could do her wonders.

While not even making a promo or being in the ring, her look caused some folks to think she copied Timeless Toni Storm in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The problem with the comparison is folks are judging Ash by less than 30 seconds of footage from a PLE where she did not speak, nor did she get in the ring. In due time (maybe as early as tonight’s TNA iMPACT), we will get our answers.

One thing we can say is that Ash is ready to unleash her untapped potential that WWE refused to let out. TNA has done wonders for women who wanted to take their careers to the next level: Gail Kim, Taryn Terrell, Brooke Tessmacher, Tara, Deonna Purrazzo, Mickie James, and most recently Trinity, among others. If Ash gets her way, we can very well add her to that list. We said whoever gets her was gonna get a hell of a worker. TNA is about to find out why we sing her praises and will continue to do so for as long as we can. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the era of Total Nonstop Ash by Elegance!

Follow Ash on the following social media accounts and her own premium website:

Follow Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling at https://www.tnawrestling.com

Saturday, May 27, 2023

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.

Monday, May 22, 2023

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.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

#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

Saturday, August 15, 2020

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!

Monday, August 3, 2020

#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

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

#FittestFemaleWWESuperstarEver Round 1 Voting

Welcome to Round One of the Fittest Female WWE Superstar of All Time Tournament! This round will go on until this Friday (July 10th) at 10pm Eastern with the round of 32 beginning on Monday. Reminder...this is not about who's the hottest, prettiest, or the most accomplished in the ring or outside the ring. Size, strength, shape, conditioning, athletic build and ability...THAT'S the name of the game here. To see the actual bracket, click here.

Feel free to use the hashtag #FittestFemaleWWESuperstarEver throughout all of social media throughout the tournament. Good luck to all the women!

Billie Kay