The AEW women’s division has often stuck out as a sore thumb to some fans amongst all the exhilarating programming we get to witness on a weekly basis. While Tony Khan has bolstered the division with additions like Ruby Soho, Toni Storm and Piage VanZant over the last year, the booking of the division hasn’t escaped criticsm.
Even at times when criticism was high, Serena Deeb and Hikaru Shida had one of the most memorable women’s feuds in AEW’s short history. The Woman of a Thousand Holds emerged victorious after defeating the former AEW women’s champion in a Philly Street Fight.
While speaking to Phil Strum on Under The Ring, the former Straight Edge Society member reflected on the current state of the division and her optimism towards the futute.
“There’s a lot of chatter about it. Tony has his hand on the pulse with everything in wrestling. He’s been doing so much more with the women. We’re in a really good spot right now. We’ve acquired, recently, Toni Storm, who is a great wrestler. There are people who have untapped potential who, within the next coming years, will surface as main contenders. There is a lot of young talent that, from the Nightmare Factory and Dustin’s school in Texas, they are training people the right way. We are also doing ring training in Orlando at Universal where the Dark tapings are held. Everybody wants to help each other grow. What more could you ask for? Your division is only going to get better when everybody wants to help each other. There are other companies and chapters of my career where it hasn’t been like that, it’s been a little more divided and some people are a little more selfish.”
– Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb went on to speak about the fierce competition the stars within AEW have in their pursuit of being the best. She then mentioned the backstage trainers who played a major role in helping the women, giving a special mention to Dean Malenko, the man who conferred her with the title of the Woman of a Thousand Holds.
“What we have at AEW is a lot more of a sisterhood. That reminds me of my years at SHIMMER. Everybody was like, ‘we want to make this the best.’ SHIMMER built a reputation for being the women’s evolution (or) revolution. I’m feeling those same vibes at AEW where everybody wants it to be the best division. There is a lot of competition, but it’s good. The competition is good. I try not to compare us to other companies and other women’s divisions, some people get stuck in that trap. For me, how can I help this division grow? Wrestling fans these days, it’s not a knock or a bad thing, but it’s always, ‘who is the best? What is the best?’ That’s a lot of the chatter on social media. I want everyone to enjoy all products. If they don’t enjoy one product, they don’t have to watch it. We’re working really hard, there is a team effort, we have a lot of great minds in our locker room from Arn Anderson to Tully Blanchard to Jerry Lynn to Dustin (Rhodes) to Sonjay (Dutt) to Pat Buck, Mark Henry, Big Show, (CM) Punk, Bryan Danielson, there are so many resources there now that maybe weren’t there six months to a year ago. Dean Malenko, how could I leave him off? My hero. We have everyone around us that wants to help and a lot of the girls are making use of that. We have so much opportunity for growth. People also have to remember that AEW is only three years old. It’s taking off and doing great, it’s a great company, but it’s still relatively new. If you look at wrestling history, promotions take several years to build. It’s still in the building process.”
– Serena Deeb
At the upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view, Serena Deeb will look to dethrone Thunder Rosa to capture her first ever title in All Elite Wrestling. The show will take place at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 29th.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription
