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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.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.Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video if you use quotes from this article.
