Kevin Owens wasn’t expecting anything back when he dedicated part of his SummerSlam return to Rebel. He got one anyway.
Just hours after Owens used one of the biggest moments of his WWE comeback to praise Rebel’s courage in her battle with terminal ALS, Rebel took to Twitter with an emotional message that quickly had wrestling fans in their feelings.
She thanked Owens for thinking of her during one of the biggest moments of his career and congratulated him on making it back to the ring after his own long road to recovery.
“🫶🏼❤️ thank you KO. I am proud of your return and you fighting through it to get there. Never stop giving your everything because you are right, it can be taken away in a second.”
It’s a fitting response to one of the most genuine moments of SummerSlam weekend. Fresh off returning from a 17-month absence and earning himself a future Undisputed WWE Championship match, Owens could have spent his entire post-show interview talking about his own comeback. Instead, he turned the attention towards Rebel.
“There’s somebody called Tanea Brooks, who’s known to wrestling fans as Rebel. Some things are bigger than wrestling.”
Owens explained that watching Rebel continue to fight ALS with incredible strength gave him perspective while he was dealing with the uncertainty surrounding his own neck injury.
“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 was truly inspirational.”
It wasn’t a wrestling promo. It wasn’t a storyline. It was simply Owens making sure someone he admires received the recognition he felt she deserved. Judging by Rebel’s response, the tribute meant just as much to her as it did to everyone watching.
What did you think of Rebel’s response to Kevin Owens? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
