50 Best Wrestlers Of The 2020s (So Far)
49. Serena Deeb
Though plagued with inconsistency due to peculiar booking at times, Serena Deeb’s half decade has been about re-establishing herself as a ring general, leaning on technical precision and the art of making wrestling look real in order to elevated her own status in a crowded marketplace.
Arriving in AEW during a time when the women’s division was still finding its feet, Deeb immediately set a standard for match quality; not through spectacle, but through sheer, old-school craft. The run with the NWA Women’s Championship that opened the door produced some of the most technically sound matches of the year, particularly against Riho and Thunder Rosa. Her crisp transitions and mean streak turned otherwise straightforward contests into tense chess matches. Deeb never needed 20 minutes and plunder – just a limb, a weakness, and a reason to exploit it.
As 'The Professor', she was often a weekly highlight on AEW TV during one of its celebrated creative peaks. Her series with Hikaru Shida in particular stood out not only for their brutality, but because Deeb’s storytelling always gave the violence purpose. She peaked as a title challenger rather than champion, but became known for pushing holders to the limit in gems that did so much to keep reigns from ever feeling fragile.
But it’s not just the wrestling that made Deeb one of the decade’s best - it’s the respect she commanded. When an on-camera beef with Britt Baker appeared to pole-axe Deeb’s push in late 2024, the fallout didn’t land on her. Instead, fan sympathy seemed to shift her in opposition to Baker's apparent unprofessionalism. People do care - Deeb may never be booked as the face of a division, but her body of work has made her one of its 2020s foundations.