Jennifer WiderstromI was a bit slow picking up why Jennifer Widerstrom, aka "Phoenix", is wearing wings in her publicity photos. But finally I realized that they're phoenix wings.

Still, you have to be careful trying to extract meaningful symbolism from "American Gladiators". The sirens of myth are usually depicted with wings, and yet there aren't any photos of Valerie Waugaman with them strapped on. Also, Widerstrom's hair is purple, and I'm not aware of any mythological tie-in to that.