AEW's Beautiful Heartbreaking Rebel Tribute Takes Over Special Dynamite Episode (AEW News)

AEW Rebel Heart celebrated Rebel and raised awareness of ALS.

by Andrew Pollard
AEW Dynamite Rebel Heart Britt Baker Rebel
AEW

Last night saw AEW put on a special Rebel Heart edition of its weekly Dynamite flagship, celebrating Rebel and spotlighting her battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

Per the Mayo Clinic definition, ALS is "a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord" and "leads to muscle weakness and other symptoms that get worse over time." As explained by Rebel, she first experienced symptoms of ALS in late 2024 and was diagnosed with terminal ALS earlier this year. In recent months, the pro wrestling world and beyond have been taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge to spread awareness of ALS and to help fund research into the condition.

In the opening segment of Dynamite, it was the return of The Waiting Room, featuring Rebel, Britt Baker, Persephone, and Hikaru Shida, with Baker, Persephone, and Shida teaming up later in the night to take on Thunder Rosa, Maya World, and Hyan. Britt said how great it was to have The Waiting Room back, and reverted to calling Rebel Reba, to which Rebel brilliantly corrected her. Rebel also corrected Persephone to refer to Britt as Dr. Baker, before the segment ended with Rebel telling D.M.D. not to forget her patented glove.

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During the trios match itself, Rebel would head to ringside in her wheelchair to a huge ovation, hand Britt Baker the glove, and watch on as Baker tapped out Hyan with the Lockjaw. In an incredibly emotional moment, Britt jumped into Rebel's lap, and the two made their way backstage to loud chants of "Rebel!"

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Immediately after the match, a video aired to celebrate Rebel's time with AEW, with comments from her peers and footage of those Ice Bucket Challenge moments, as Rebel said how close we are to new medicine and a potential cure for ALS.

For more details on ALS, Rebel's battle, and to support the cause, visit aewtogether.org/rebelheart.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.