Kevin Owens who made his return to WWE after being absent for over a year, due to neck surgery, gave a shoutout during the SummerSlam Night Two Post-Show, to AEW’s Rebel, who is battling ALS.
“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. She’s currently battling ALS and the way she’s doing it is so incredible, and I looked at her and what she was going through and the way she powered through it and it was truly inspirational.”
Ahead of the opening match of SummerSlam Sunday, reinstated SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis stepped out onto the stage to announce that he was adding to the match between Finn Balor and Sami Zayn.
The SmackDown GM proceeded to add Gunther to the No. 1 Contender’s Match, but stated he wasn’t making this a Triple Threat…but rather, a Fatal Four-Way Match, with Kevin Owens making his return to the company to a big pop from the crowd. Owens would connect with a stunner on Sami Zayn for the win.
Owens had been sidelined since April 2025 after revealing he was dealing with a severe spinal cord issue and neck instability, built up from years of wear-and-tear. He missed WrestleMania 41 and underwent surgery in July 2025.
AEW will continue to honor Rebel’s fight against ALS on September 9 with a special Rebel Heart episode of Dynamite from the Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia.
