Serena Deeb is ready to put on a show in Pittsburgh.
Deeb spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of the AEW Dynamite 5th Anniversary show. She will face off with Britt Baker, D.M.D. on the show, which takes place in Baker’s hometown of Pittsburgh.
Deeb reflected on the past five years, four of which she has spent in AEW. She watched AEW from the outside, but soon found herself with an opportunity to wrestle there on the September 2, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite. Deeb signed soon after that match with Thunder Rosa, and has enjoyed the ride she’s been on the last four years.
Serena Deeb reflects on AEW’s anniversary
“I signed really quickly after that [match with Thunder Rosa]. [It was] about a week later. I inked the deal and it’s been a ride. I remember five years ago watching the first episode of Dynamite. At the time, I was coaching at the [WWE] Performance Center. I loved my job, I loved coaching — I still love coaching, helping people and giving back. But the whole time I was coaching, I felt internally that I had unfinished business in the ring,” Deeb explained.
“I felt that every single day, and when I watched the first episode of Dynamite, it was incredible because it was the first time in so many years that we saw another company just burst onto the scene. It had a different vision and I remember watching it and being really inspired. It just brought out my love for wrestling so much because I saw, ‘Hey, this is different, this is really cool. I want to be back in the ring and I think this is the perfect place to do it.’ And so I always had that in my mind for that first year, I just kept watching, I kept envisioning myself there.”
Deeb lost her job at WWE as a result of the pandemic. As difficult as that was for everyone in the industry, Deeb called it one of the best things that ever happened to her.
“I was able to get back in the ring, I started training so hard. I didn’t know if there was an opportunity coming at AEW, but it came so fast, like the night before that match with Thunder Rosa, I was contacted. But the thing is, I was ready,” she said. “I had been training and preparing because I ‘knew’ that was coming. And four years later, here we are. It’s been an awesome ride.”
“I’m treating this like a pay-per-view match”
Britt Baker was the first woman signed to AEW. She is also considered to be the face of the women’s division and racked up many accolades in her career. Baker also returned to the ring this year after recovering from serious health issues. This included suffering two herniated discs, and an injured hip labrum. Baker was also hospitalized for a transient ischemic attack, which can be a warning sign for a stroke.
Deeb says there’s a lot of pressure on her on Wednesday, but she thrives under pressure. She respects everything Baker has overcome in her own life, but knows what a win over her would mean for her own career.
“I am treating this match like a pay-per-view match. This is one of the most important matches of my career, definitely top three of my time in AEW,” Serena Deeb said. “I’m going into this with a very serious mindset. I’ve been preparing myself for the past week, week and a half, since I found out about this match. I’m really excited that it’s in Pittsburgh. I think playing around with that crowd is going to be really fun.”
Serena Deeb respects Britt Baker’s resilience
“As you mentioned, Britt has also gone through a journey of some really hard stuff. She came out on TV and told us that she’d gone through some mini-strokes, which is — I can’t imagine how terrifying that was for her. So, I have a lot of respect for her climb back to the ring. I can only imagine how many different things she was dealing with during that time, and the thoughts that circulate [in your mind while being away],” Deeb said.
Deeb called professional wrestling her greatest love, and she believes it’s what she was meant to do in life. Deeb says she’s never complacent and works well under pressure, so she’s excited to have one of the greatest matches in her career.
“I respect the fact that she worked her way back,” she continued. “She says she’s the face of the division, so I think walking into [her] home territory of Pittsburgh and wrestling one of the women that is a true ‘OG’ — been there since day one, first woman signed to the company — if I can defeat the “golden goose” of AEW, that’s massive.”
Watch our full interview with Serena Deeb below:
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