During the SummerSlam post-show, Kevin Owens paid tribute to Tanea Brooks, who used to wrestle under the name Rebel, and who is currently going through some rough times after being diagnosed with ALS.
Talking about his time away from the ring and recovery, Owens said that it was “truly inspirational” to see her battling through both ALS and cancer.
“There’s somebody called Tanea Brooks, who’s known to wrestling fans as Rebel. She has not wrestled here, but some things are bigger than wrestling,” Owens told the panel.
“She’s currently battling ALS, and the way she’s doing it is so incredible. I looked at her and what she was going through and the way she powered through it and it was truly inspirational,” he continued.
Brooks noticed Owens’ words and used social media to thank him for his words.
“Thank you KO. I am proud of your return and you fighting through it to get there,” Brooks wrote. “Never stop giving your everything because you are right, it can be taken away in a second.”
AEW is currently preparing to honor her at an upcoming Dynamite next month with a show marketed as Rebel Heart, which takes place on Wednesday, September 9 in Athens, Georgia.
Several AEW stars have restarted the ALS ice bucket challenge to support her.
