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Matt Hardy recently handed out several wrestling awards in a year-end episode of his podcast. The current AEW star gave his thoughts on the most impressive women in the wrestling industry right now, including Rhea Ripley.
Ripley won the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble match before defeating Charlotte Flair in one of the most memorable bouts from WrestleMania 39 weekend. Since then, the Women's World Champion has continued to feature prominently on RAW alongside her fellow Judgment Day members.
On The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy named the 27-year-old as the Female Wrestler of the Year:
"The female that stands out to me more than anybody else in the year 2023, my pick would be Rhea Ripley. I think it was a very special year for her, especially winning the championship, the elevation with The Judgment Day, and just the stuff she's done with Dom [Dominik Mysterio] has really kept her in everyone's [mind]." [1:16:26 – 1:16:53]
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Ripley has retained her title against Natalya, Raquel Rodriguez, Zelina Vega, and Zoey Stark in premium live event singles matches since May. She also defeated Rodriguez, Stark, Nia Jax, and Shayna Baszler in a fatal five-way match at Crown Jewel.
Matt Hardy's honorable mentions in the Female Wrestler of the Year category
Outside of WWE, Matt Hardy has been impressed with Athena and Toni Storm's progress in Ring of Honor and AEW, respectively, in 2023.
Hardy also gave credit to WWE stars Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair for continuing to perform at a high level eight years after their main roster call-ups:
"Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, they're always gonna be in there while they're in here doing their thing. They're always great." [1:16:16 – 1:16:23]
In the same episode, Hardy provided his thoughts on which wrestler could realistically win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns in 2024.
Do you think Rhea Ripley was the Female Wrestler of the Year? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
