Not Becky Lynch, Tiffany Stratton or Stephanie Vaquer - WWE Hall of Famer picks former AEW star as female wrestler of the year (Exclusive)

Every year, we get to witness the rise of a new WWE star who breaks the ceiling in the professional wrestling business. Last year, in 2024, we saw the rise of Tiffany Stratton, while this year saw Dominik Mysterio take his character to an entirely new level.

Following the breakup of The Vision, it seems like next year will be the breakout one for Bron Breakker. However, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has revealed his best wrestlers for the year. The former SmackDown General Manager has given two names, one for the men's division and one for the women's.

During a recent episode of The Wrestling Time Machine on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Long named former AEW star Jade Cargill as the best female wrestler this year, ignoring current champions like Becky Lynch, Tiffany Stratton, and Stephanie Vaquer. Meanwhile, he went with Gunther as the best male wrestler, despite the former World Champion missing for the majority of the year.

"For the girl, in my view, for the girl, I think Jade Cargill. And for the guy, I would have to go with Gunther." Teddy Long said.

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Gunther hasn't been seen within the WWE since losing the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk at SummerSlam 2025. The Ring General has had a topsy-turvy time with the belt this year. He lost the championship to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41, after the Royal Rumble winner tapped him out.

Shortly after his loss, he would regain the title from Jey before losing it to Punk at SummerSlam. Meanwhile, Jade Cargill has set her sights on Tiffany Stratton's WWE Women's Championship.

The two have had multiple matches between them, but the equation changed on this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown. She turned heel and attacked Tiffany, setting a match between the two for Saturday Night's Main Event.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed