TNA Wrestling is lending its support to a charitable cause connected to Aerial “Big Swole” Johnson, donating a collection of fan experiences and signed memorabilia for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s A Toast for A Cure gala in Tampa Bay.
Johnson, known to wrestling audiences for her previous run in AEW and her current work as an ASÉ Wrestling commentator, is the 2026 A Toast for A Cure Honoree. The recognition comes as Johnson expands her involvement with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Tampa Bay chapter, where she has become one of the organization’s newest board members.
The gala includes both a silent auction and raffle intended to raise funds for the foundation’s work. TNA’s contribution gives wrestling supporters several ways to participate, from bidding on items connected to prominent company names and events to entering for an extensive live-event package.
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Big Swole’s advocacy is rooted in lived experience
Johnson has been open about the long road that brought her to advocacy work. In discussing her role as the gala’s honoree, she reflected on living with inflammatory bowel disease and the importance of helping people who continue to face similar health challenges.
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“I am excited to be the 2026 A Toast For A Cure Honoree for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Although I am overjoyed to say that after 18 years, 10+ surgeries and countless hospital stay I am healed and healthy! However, I feel I have a duty to help patients like me who are suffering from IBD issues.”
Her statement makes clear that the occasion is about more than an honorary designation. Johnson’s involvement is built around using her platform and personal experience to help increase awareness, community support, and resources around Crohn’s disease, colitis, and related IBD issues.
Johnson said she is turning her attention toward philanthropy through the Tampa Bay chapter and sees the new board position as an opportunity to give something back. For someone who has publicly navigated years of treatment, surgeries, and hospitalizations, the work carries a deeply personal meaning.
“Turning my sights to philanthropy, I am working with the local chapter here in Tampa Bay as one of their newest board members. I am happy to be able to pay it forward within my community and beyond because knowledge is meant to be shared. Everything I've experienced has been to help others and that, for me, makes life worth living. Please join me in making an impact in this critical work.”
The message places the focus on patients and families dealing with IBD, while also highlighting the value of visibility from people who have experienced the daily realities of those conditions. Professional wrestling has often created opportunities for performers to connect with fans through personal stories, and Johnson’s support of the foundation is an example of that connection being directed toward community-based fundraising.
TNA’s Ultimate Fan Experience leads the raffle offerings
The centerpiece of TNA’s donation is the Ultimate TNA Fan Experience, which will be raffled during the benefit. The package includes four front-row seats, a backstage tour, a meet-and-greet with TNA talent, and signed memorabilia.
For a group of wrestling fans, the prize is designed to offer considerably more than a standard event ticket. Front-row seats place winners directly at ringside, while the backstage tour and meet-and-greet component provide access to parts of the live-event experience that fans do not ordinarily receive. The added signed memorabilia gives the package a lasting element beyond the event itself.
Raffles are a central part of many charity events because they allow attendees and supporters to contribute while having a chance to receive something distinctive in return. TNA’s package combines several of the company’s strongest fan-facing attractions in one donation, making it especially notable among items that will support the evening’s fundraising goals.
The organization has also supplied multiple pieces for the silent auction. Those items include signed merchandise from The Hardys, the neck from Elijah’s guitar, a Slammiversary turnbuckle, and an event-used canvas.
Memorabilia connects the fundraiser to TNA history and presentation
Each of the silent-auction items carries a different kind of appeal for collectors. The Hardys remain one of the most recognizable tag teams in modern professional wrestling, and signed merchandise tied to the team gives bidders an opportunity to pursue memorabilia connected to two performers whose careers have reached audiences across generations.
The guitar neck from Elijah’s guitar is a more character-specific donation, bringing a physical piece of a wrestler’s presentation into the auction. Items associated with a performer’s entrance, gear, or signature props can hold a particular appeal because they are directly tied to the identity that fans see on television and at live events.
The Slammiversary turnbuckle brings the company’s major-event history into the fundraiser. Slammiversary has long been a significant name on TNA’s calendar, and event-branded equipment gives the item a connection to the atmosphere and visual identity of one of the promotion’s landmark shows.
An event-used canvas rounds out the listed donations. Used-ring items are often among the more distinctive pieces available to wrestling memorabilia collectors because of their direct connection to an actual event. Rather than being a conventional retail product, the canvas represents a part of the environment in which matches took place.
Together, the raffle experience and auction contributions create options for different kinds of supporters. Some may be most interested in attending a future TNA show with premium access, while others may prefer memorabilia that can be displayed and kept. In both cases, the proceeds are directed toward the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s mission.
A wrestling community effort for a Tampa Bay cause
Johnson’s place in the wrestling world gives the fundraiser an additional connection point for fans who know her from her in-ring career, her commentary work, and her broader presence around the industry. TNA’s involvement also demonstrates how wrestling promotions can use access, experiences, and one-of-a-kind production items to support causes important to members of the wrestling community.
While the donated items are designed to excite fans, the benefit’s purpose remains centered on the people affected by inflammatory bowel disease. Johnson’s remarks stress that even after reaching a place of being “healed and healthy,” she believes there is a responsibility to stand with patients who are still suffering.
That perspective is especially relevant to a gala format that brings together fundraising, recognition, and advocacy. Honoring Johnson acknowledges her journey, but the silent auction and raffle transform that recognition into direct opportunities for attendees to contribute to the foundation’s work.
The A Toast for A Cure gala is scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET. The silent auction and raffle conclude tonight, making the final hours an important window for supporters who want to take part in the fundraising effort and pursue the TNA items on offer.
Johnson’s honor marks another chapter beyond the ring
For Johnson, becoming an honoree and board member represents a meaningful extension of her public work beyond wrestling. Her career has introduced her to a wide audience, but her comments about the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation emphasize the value of applying that visibility toward education and support for others.
Her call to “pay it forward” is the central theme of the benefit. The gala recognizes the severity of an 18-year health journey involving more than 10 surgeries and numerous hospital stays, while also spotlighting what can come from turning that experience into advocacy. Johnson is not presenting her story simply as a personal victory; she is using it to encourage action for people still seeking treatment, information, and support.
TNA’s donations add a wrestling-specific dimension to that effort, offering fans tangible reasons to engage while keeping the attention on a cause that affects patients and families far beyond the ring. With the raffle package, The Hardys merchandise, Elijah guitar piece, Slammiversary turnbuckle, and event-used canvas all in the mix, the fundraiser brings together wrestling fandom and charitable outreach in support of Johnson’s work with the Tampa Bay chapter.
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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.