Hikaru Shida vs Serena Deeb is the feud the AEW Women’s Division needs

Hikaru Shida versus Serena Deeb has the potential to be a show-stealer at AEW Winter is Coming.

AEW Winter is Coming is set for this Wednesday. With a major main event match scheduled between “Hangman” Adam Page and Bryan Danielson, that’s more than enough to look forward to on this card. But the third edition of Hikaru Shida versus Serena Deeb should not be overlooked. This is the exact type of match that the AEW Women’s Division needs to further cement itself within this still young promotion.

The booking of the AEW Women’s Division has been highly criticized in the last two years since AEW’s inception. Fans want to see more time dedicated to the ladies, more than one match per show, more variety on who is featured on television, and more requests that are attainable. The addition of the TBS Women’s Championship gives this division a boost, but there’s still a need for substantial feuds outside the immediate title picture. That is exactly why Shida-Deeb III is coming at the perfect time.

The stage for this rivalry was perfectly set. Shida was looking to become the first woman with 50 wins on the AEW roster. It seemed like a forgone conclusion when she faced off with the returning Deeb on October 6. But their back-and-forth contest saw Shida get in the victory in a little more than ten minutes. But it was the post-match beat down that let everyone know that Deeb is not here to be overlooked.

This led to their matchup in the first round of the TBS Title Tournament. Shida needed nearly 11 minutes to get her revenge, but again Deeb would assault her post-match. The situation furthered when Deeb cost Shida her quarterfinal match against Nyla Rose.

Shida versus Deeb III builds both women and the division at the same time.

Now the two women are facing off at Winter is Coming and fans should be excited about this contest. Shida and Deeb are two of the best workers on the AEW roster and they can put together instant classics. This feud isn’t built around the idea of who is more attractive or the attention of a man; instead, these two women are going to beat each other up simply for the desire to prove their superiority in the ring. That’s more than enough story to create an investment in a pro wrestling match. Plus, it builds interest in two women outside of the title picture at the same time.

While Shida and Deeb have already faced each other twice, this is a solid use of rematches with consequential victories to lead to the trilogy. Instead of lazy distraction finishes, disqualifications, and more; this story has been told around the idea of competition. As the AEW Women’s Division continues to bloom, neither Deeb nor Shida wants to be left in the dust. Hopefully, they get the opportunity to wrestle for twice as long as their previous two matches. That would be the perfect setting to bring this story to a close, for now.

Serena Deeb versus Hikaru Shida III may be one of the best AEW matches of the year. Fans are hyped for Winter is Coming to see Page versus Danielson, but Shida versus Deeb deserves all the respect as these two women can steal the show.