Serena Deeb has been a respected individual in the wrestling world for some time. Whether it be knocking out banger matches, shaving her head, or training the next generation of talent, she has all-round acclaim. After a recent run of excellence, does she have a case to be considered the best in the world?
Serena Deeb's Journey To Her Current Success
During her first in-ring campaign, Deeb spent time in companies such as WWE, Shimmer, Impact (TNA at the time), and Ring of Honor. Following her time performing in those companies, she took a semi-retirement in 2015, with her last match coming in the June of that year on an episode of Impact.
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Her first match back after her time away was in the inaugural Mae Young Classic WWE Network Special in 2017. Though she had a short time in the tournament, it was clear that she could rub off any ring rust with ease. Despite a couple of strong matches against Vanessa Bourne and Piper Niven, Deeb was signed to WWE as a Performance Centre coach rather than a full-time, in-ring talent.
In WWE’s release wave at the start of the pandemic, the former Straight-Edge Society member was let go in the April of 2020. This sparked a blessing in disguise, perhaps.
Stand-Out Performances In AEW
Deeb made her next return to the ring later that year, losing to Thunder Rosa in a great match on AEW Dynamite. This was proof, yet again, that Serena could shed ring rust and perform to a high standard. From there, she has continued to improve and become one of the most reliable women’s wrestlers today. This single performance was such a stand-out that she was given an AEW contract.
In what was a testament to this almost ethereal ability to perform to a high standard after such a long time away, Serena traveled through the proverbial ‘Forbidden Door’, and defeated Rosa in a rematch to win the NWA World Women’s Championship. For a company to have such trust in someone with only three prior matches under her belt since 2017, is proof of her talents and shows the respect that people must hold in high regard for her.
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Following this, Deeb defended the title numerous times on Dynamite and various PPVs, putting on eye-catching performance after eye-catching performance, elevating anyone who stepped in the ring with her. She was also trusted with the very first match back in front of a full crowd for AEW at the Double or Nothing show, in a match that rightfully produced ‘This Is Awesome’ chants against Riho.
Despite losing the title recently to Kamille, Serena has made all the right moves upon returning to the ring, and likely has big things to come.
Who Else Can Say They're The Best Women's Wrestler?
There is a vast array of women’s talent across all promotions. Names such as Mayu Iwatani of Shimmer and Jordynne Grace of Impact have had a great past year, so could be considered as the best currently also. The Four Horsewomen of WWE are perhaps the biggest stars of women’s wrestling, and for a good reason.
Charlotte Flair has a natural ability to produce consistently strong performances, winning title after title. The likes of Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair recently main evented Wrestlemania, proving their worth and talent on the grandest stage. These names are more the ‘full package’ stars with a huge amount of exposure, due to being in WWE, and a mixture of charisma, mic skills and wrestling ability.
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Why Could She Be The Best?
However, from purely a technical, in-ring standpoint, Deeb has to be considered within the top echelon of women’s wrestlers. In a way that people see Daniel Bryan as one of the easiest wrestlers to work with due to being able to elevate everyone else and provide invaluable experience to his opponents, Deeb has a similar style, with mat-based and submission offense which is smooth and looks authentic.
With only seventeen matches since 2017, it's perhaps hard to say outright that she is the best, considering that others have been more consistently active, but it’s impossible to ignore her phenomenal and versatile in-ring expertise. At 35, she still has plenty of time left to win more titles, produce more high-quality matches and cement her name in history books alongside others who paved the way.
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