AEW Dynamite became a deeply personal night for Rebel, real name Tanea Brooks, as the company presented a Rebel Heart special on Wednesday. The show marked an emotional return to AEW television for Brooks, who has been diagnosed with ALS and continues to advocate, fundraise, and fight for greater awareness around the disease.
Brooks appeared during The Waiting Room alongside Britt Baker and was also involved in Baker’s women’s trios match. Her presence was the centerpiece of an evening built around support for a performer whose connections throughout professional wrestling have been evident in recent months.
That support extended well beyond what viewers saw on television. Killer Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, Gail Kim, Christy Hemme, and AEW announcer Dasha Gonzalez were among the friends and colleagues backstage at Dynamite. Family members and additional friends were also present for the occasion, creating a significant personal support system around Brooks during the AEW event.
The gathering represented the reach of Brooks’ relationships in wrestling. The names in attendance have worked across different eras and promotions, but they came together around a shared purpose: supporting their friend as she continues her battle with ALS.
For more background on this topic, read Persephone Says Mercedes Moné Rivalry Can Wait as She Targets Other AEW Conflicts.
A Rebel Heart Night On Dynamite
The Rebel Heart presentation gave AEW an opportunity to recognize Brooks publicly while allowing her to return to a familiar environment. Rebel has been associated with AEW through multiple chapters of her career, including her prominent on-screen partnership with Baker. Their history made The Waiting Room appearance especially fitting, as Brooks joined Baker in a segment connected to one of the best-known roles of her AEW run.
Brooks also helped Baker in the women’s trios match, ensuring that her role was not restricted to a ceremonial appearance. The moment placed Rebel back in the middle of the kind of wrestling-show atmosphere where she has spent much of her professional life, surrounded by an audience and colleagues who understand the impact she has had.
AEW’s decision to frame the night as a Rebel Heart special put the focus on the person behind the wrestling character as well as the performer fans know from television. Brooks’ diagnosis is serious, but the presentation emphasized her continued presence, determination, and connection to the wrestling community.
For an industry often defined by rival promotional identities and separate locker rooms, the list of visitors backstage was notable. Kross and Bordeaux have publicly appeared alongside Brooks in ALS-related efforts, while Kim and Hemme are longtime figures whose careers and friendships have overlapped with hers over the years. Gonzalez’s presence added another familiar AEW face to the group supporting Rebel.
Wrestling Community Rallies Around Tanea Brooks
Brooks has received visible backing from wrestlers and fans since disclosing her ALS diagnosis. One of the most recognizable demonstrations has been the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which has seen multiple wrestling personalities participate in support of Tanea. Brooks herself appeared in a challenge video alongside Kross and Bordeaux.
The challenge has long been associated with raising awareness of ALS, and its reappearance around Brooks’ advocacy has allowed wrestlers to use their platforms for a cause that has become personal to many within the industry. The participation of Kross and Bordeaux has also made their support especially visible, and their attendance at Dynamite continued that message in person.
Wednesday’s backstage turnout was not about a storyline, a promotional angle, or an in-ring rivalry. It was a show of solidarity for a colleague facing a terminal diagnosis. The gathering served as a reminder that the relationships built through wrestling frequently exist away from cameras and can remain meaningful even as performers move between companies, roles, and stages of their lives.
Brooks’ AEW return allowed those bonds to become visible to the audience. Fans saw her again with Baker, while the people backstage provided the kind of support that is less visible but no less important. The combined effect made the Rebel Heart special a meaningful point of connection between Brooks, the AEW roster, visiting friends, and viewers watching at home.
Rebel’s Work With I AM ALS
In June, Brooks joined I AM ALS as an ambassador. The patient-led movement works to drive progress in research, treatment development, and public policy for people living with ALS. Brooks has used her platform to encourage supporters to take action alongside the organization.
“ALS may be a terminal diagnosis, but I’m showing up to fight as an Ambassador for I AM ALS. This patient-led movement is stepping into the ring every day to drive real progress and passing laws like the ACT for ALS for research and treatments. I’m proud to join I AM ALS and I’m asking you to step into the ring with us. Please take action,” wrote Rebel.
Her words directly connect the language of wrestling to the advocacy work now central to her public mission. Rather than allowing a diagnosis to define the limits of her involvement, Brooks has continued to show up publicly and ask others to participate in efforts that can lead to research, treatment access, and legislative progress.
The ACT for ALS is among the initiatives referenced in her message. By highlighting it, Brooks underscored that advocacy is not solely about awareness. It can also involve concrete action intended to improve the research and treatment landscape for people living with the disease.
As an ambassador, Brooks has made it clear that she wants fans and colleagues to engage with the cause. The wrestling community’s response has included Ice Bucket Challenge videos, public messages of encouragement, and now an in-person gathering around her AEW appearance. Those gestures cannot change the severity of ALS, but they can help amplify the work being done by patients, advocates, and organizations such as I AM ALS.
Why The Backstage Support Matters
The names gathered at Dynamite tell part of the story, but the larger meaning is in the shared history behind the attendance. Professional wrestling can be a demanding and transient profession. Talent travel extensively, change promotions, take on new responsibilities, and sometimes lose the day-to-day contact that comes with working in the same locker room. Moments like this one illustrate the relationships that endure through those changes.
Kross and Bordeaux’s presence continued their public support of Brooks following their joint ALS awareness activity. Kim and Hemme brought their own longstanding ties to the wrestling world and to Brooks’ professional circle. Gonzalez was there as an AEW colleague, while family and other friends made the night an even more personal occasion.
For Baker, the chance to share the screen with Rebel was also rooted in a partnership that AEW viewers have known well. Their association helped define a significant stretch of both women’s on-screen stories. Bringing Rebel back into Baker’s orbit for the Rebel Heart special recognized that history while keeping the focus on Brooks herself.
The trios-match involvement added another layer. Rebel was not merely introduced and sent away; she took part in the environment of the match and helped Baker. That choice gave viewers a familiar glimpse of Rebel’s personality and screen presence, something particularly meaningful in the context of a tribute-oriented program.
A Continuing Call To Action
The Rebel Heart special was a celebration of Brooks’ resilience and a display of friendship, but it also carried a broader message. Brooks has consistently encouraged people to learn about ALS, support the patient-led movement at I AM ALS, and take action where they can. Her ambassador role is an extension of the fighting spirit that fans have seen throughout her career.
ALS is a terminal diagnosis, as Brooks stated in her own message, but she has refused to disappear from the public conversation. Her AEW appearance, the support from friends backstage, and the continued participation of wrestlers in awareness initiatives all reinforce that she remains active in making her voice heard.
Wednesday’s Dynamite did not simply bring Rebel back to AEW television. It brought together people who wanted to stand beside Tanea Brooks during an extraordinarily difficult chapter of her life. From the Waiting Room segment and the women’s trios match to the visitors backstage, the Rebel Heart special made that support impossible to miss.
Brooks’ message remains the central takeaway: keep fighting, keep advocating, and take action. The wrestling world showed on Wednesday that Rebel does not have to carry that fight alone.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.