AEW Star Tanea 'Rebel' Brooks Joins I AM ALS as Honorary Board Member

All Elite Wrestling's Tanea Brooks is stepping up her leadership role in the fight against ALS.

I AM ALS, the largest patient-led ALS advocacy movement, announced Thursday morning that Brooks, better known to fans of professional wrestling across the globe as Rebel, has been named the very first honorary member of the I AM ALS Board of Directors. 

This announcement comes after the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026 received final congressional approval on September 28, when the United States Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent just two days before the law's expiration.

Tenea "Rebel" Brooks joins I AM ALS Board of Directors

Once signed by the President, the ACT for ALS bill, which was co-authored by I AM ALS co-founder Brian Wallach, will extend the programs created by the landmark law through fiscal year 2031.

Rebel joined I AM ALS as an official ambassador in June of this year, just weeks after publicly sharing her ALS diagnosis. She launched a call-to-action PSA, which encouraged wrestling fans to join the fight to end ALS.

In her video message, Rebel asked her followers to “step into the ring with I AM ALS” and help spread awareness of ACT for ALS, and the group says that her advocacy was instrumental in ultimately getting the bill across the finish line.

As an honorary board member, Brooks will now continue to elevate her story, lived experience, and platform to I AM ALS’s mission and activate fans nationwide to take action on behalf of people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

“Advocacy for ALS is a major priority in my battle,” Rebel said in a statement provided to The Takedown on SI. "I plan to continue to fight the good fight with I AM ALS to find a cure and help others get access to treatment."

Following her diagnosis, Rebel transformed her platform into a powerful force for the I AM ALS community, with All Elite Wrestling joining her push to raise awareness, critical funds and mobilize action.

AEW released Rebel Heart-branded merchandise in Rebel's honor, which included a shirt, bracelet, and Rebel Micro Brawler figure. Upper Deck then continued the effort with a limited-edition Rebel trading card, with all of the proceeds going to I AM ALS and Team Gleason, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with ALS.

The September 9 edition of AEW Dynamite was a special Rebel Heart two-hour broadcast that aired live on TBS and HBO Max. Rebel made a special appearance at the Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia, her first on AEW programming in years, and, just like old times, handed her friend Dr. Britt Baker her signature medical glove to help the former AEW Women's Champion pick up the win in a six-woman tag team match that also featured Hikaru Shida, Persephone, Hyan, Maya World and Thunder Rosa.

In addition to honoring Rebel's pro wrestling career, AEW Rebel Heart Dynamite raised funds for both I AM ALS and Team Gleason. As the September 30 deadline for the ACT for ALS approached, Rebel personally rallied her fans to sign the I AM ALS petition, which urged Congress not to delay in reauthorizing the legislation.

“Tanea turned a devastating moment into immediate action, calling us soon after her diagnosis to join the movement,” said CEO of I AM ALS Andrea Goodman.

“She uses her platform, humor, vulnerability and unwavering honesty to make people pay attention and take action. Welcoming Rebel to our board as congress reauthorizes ACT for ALS is a powerful reflection of what she has helped us achieve and what this movement is built on: collective power and visibility of the very people living with the disease.”

Supporters can still support Rebel's cause by donating to I AM ALS, and by following I AM ALS on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads, YouTube, and Bluesky.