All Elite Wrestling will bring a special episode of its flagship show “Dynamite” to Athens on Wednesday, dedicating the night to raising money and awareness for pro wrestler Tanea Brooks, known to fans as Rebel, who is battling ALS.
The event, called “Rebel Heart,” will be held at Akins Ford Arena. Since Brooks announced her diagnosis in May, wrestlers across multiple promotions have rallied behind her, promoting “Rebel Heart” T-shirts and taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise funds and draw attention to the disease.
AEW and Ring of Honor owner Tony Khan discussed the upcoming show in August following ROH’s Death Before Dishonor event in Philadelphia.
“Rebel’s been a great friend to all of us and a great part of AEW from the very beginning,” Khan said. “We haven’t seen Rebel on AEW TV in a long time but it’s going to be great to have an episode of AEW TV dedicated to Rebel, fighting this terrible disease, ALS. AEW ‘Rebel Heart’ next month is going to be raising money to fight ALS and it’s in honor of Rebel.”
“We all care for her very much and she’s very much a part of the AEW family. Even though she’s not on TV every week, you can believe everyone’s got Rebel in their hearts and we’ll be thinking about Rebel every week.”
Brooks shared her diagnosis in a video posted May 1.
“The doctors have diagnosed me with terminal ALS,” she said. “There is not a lot of research behind ALS, and we don’t know how long I have. But it explains why I have trouble walking and talking, and all my functions will soon decline. But now we can prepare for the future and what is to come. And I want to say thank you.”
Brooks joined AEW in 2019, first working backstage as a stylist before appearing on-screen in 2020 alongside Britt Baker as her personal makeup artist. She wrestled in a handful of matches before suffering an injury. She began her pro wrestling career with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2013 and later made appearances for Ohio Valley Wrestling, Stardom and, briefly, WWE.
What’s on the card
Wednesday’s show features a full lineup, including:
- Will Ospreay vs. David Finlay in an AEW World Championship elimination match
- Darby Allin and Steven Borden vs. Mark Davis and Josh Alexander in a tag team bout
- The AEW World Trios Championship, with Swerve Strickland, Kofi and Austin Creed facing Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reily and Roderick Strong
- A women’s trios match between Maya World, Hyan and Thunder Rosa against Persephone, Baker and Hikaru Shida
- The Young Bucks vs. Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight in a tables match
Brooks is also expected to appear on the broadcast in a segment with Baker called “The Waiting Room,” with Persephone and Shida anticipated to be featured as well.
