Serena Deeb's inspiring return has been a revelation for AEW
The re-emergence of Serena Deeb has to be one of the most well-deserved comeback stories of 2020. The 15-year veteran recently defeated Thunder Rosa in episode seven of UWN Primetime LIVE for the NWA World Women’s Championship. This masterful upset adds another positive note to what has been a pleasant surprise.
Serena Deeb has remained relevant for over a decade
Before this year, Serena Deeb hadn’t competed in a match since the inaugural Mae Young Classic. Even more, the six-time OVW Women’s Champion hadn’t wrestled since 2015 heading into WWE’s network-exclusive tournament. In February 2018, she joined the company’s Performance Center where she spent the next three years as a coach.
Along with Sara Amato, Serena Deeb helped to mentor a new generation of women’s wrestlers until WWE released her in April. Her sudden departure came in the midst of cutbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, it was tough not to feel bad for the Virginia native but she stayed upbeat and eventually earned a contract with AEW. On the September 2nd episode of Dynamite, she made her return to in-ring competition in a match with Thunder Rosa.
Although Serena Deeb lost to La Mera Mera in her debut, she ended Rosa’s 277-day reign on October 27th and returned to AEW’s flagship series as the 41st NWA World Women’s Champion. In the blink of an eye, Deeb went from unemployed to the holder of the most historic women’s title in the industry. During the media scrum this weekend at Full Gear, she called the experience “surreal.”
At AEW’s final pay-per-view of the year, Serena Deeb successfully defended her title against a former champion, Allysin Kay. Afterward, Rosa appeared to demand a rematch and further signaled a working relationship between AEW and NWA.
On Saturday night, Deeb noted that this could be beneficial for wrestlers and the fans. “In the territory days, people moved around a lot,” she said. “The monopolization hurt talent, fans, and prevented certain matches from happening. So, NWA-AEW cooperation is super powerful.”
The new champion already has two successful defenses under her belt and she already has her eyes on the AEW Women’s World Championship. Moreover, she would like to take a leadership role on the company’s new and inexperienced women’s roster.
Serena Deed has a wealth of knowledge as both a competitor and coach. She has also trained with a who’s who list of wrestling minds including Lance Storm and Al Snow. So, she can add so much to a fledgling division that has already seen its fair share of criticism.
It would be easy for Serena Deeb to take this opportunity to put herself over, but she’s more interested in building a bridge between AEW and NWA and continuing to help up-and-comers. It’s magnanimous and it makes her return to network television feel even more special.
She has appeared all over the world as an indie wrestler and she has been part of a high-profile storyline alongside CM Punk with WWE. So, hardcore women’s wrestling fans know how good Serena Deeb is and how remarkable her career has been.
However, most mainstream fans may not appreciate her accomplishments as much as her relatively niche fanbase. As such, seeing Deeb finally get her time to shine as a world champion on national television is so rewarding. The fact that she wants to use that moment to help AEW’s locker room grow proves that they have a diamond in the rough on their hands.