Tony Schiavone is opening up about the emotional backstage conversation that led to All Elite Wrestling publicly honoring Rebel following her ALS diagnosis.
During the May 2 episode of AEW Collision, the company briefly paused the action to acknowledge Rebel after news broke that she had been diagnosed with ALS following a two-year health battle.
The moment stood out emotionally on the broadcast, especially as fans inside the arena held up “Pray For Rebel” signs while Schiavone addressed the situation on commentary. Now Schiavone has revealed how the tribute actually came together behind the scenes.
While speaking on his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone explained that once he learned Rebel had been seriously ill and officially diagnosed with ALS, he immediately felt AEW needed to publicly acknowledge it on television.
“I discovered that she had been very sick with—and now has—ALS. So I thought it would be best for us to mention something about it.”
According to Schiavone, he personally brought the idea to Tony Khan, who immediately supported making the tribute happen. Schiavone also explained that seeing fans already holding signs supporting Rebel inside the arena made the moment feel even more necessary.
“I did say to Tony, ‘I think we need to say something about Rebel.’ He went, ‘Absolutely. Good call. Absolutely.’ I noticed there were a couple of signs in the audience for Rebel.”
He then contacted AEW producer Josh Matthews through the headset system to make sure production was aware of the crowd support as well. At the same time, Schiavone admitted the company struggled with figuring out exactly where to place such an emotional segment during a wrestling broadcast built around excitement and hype.
“We were kind of wondering where to put this because it’s not a good story—it’s a downer. Where do you put it when you’re trying to hype up this guy and get excited about this person going to the ring? You don’t want to bring anything down.”
Eventually, AEW found the right moment during the show to air the tribute — and Schiavone made it clear his comments came from a very genuine place emotionally.
“So, we found a spot and we did it on camera. And I was sincere—it was from the heart. She’s a great personality.”
Rebel publicly revealed earlier this month that doctors diagnosed her with terminal ALS while treating her for lung-related health issues following a lengthy medical struggle. Since sharing the diagnosis, she has received an enormous amount of support from wrestling fans, friends, and performers throughout the industry.
Do you think AEW handled the tribute to Rebel the right way on Collision, or should the company have done even more publicly to support her situation? Leave your thoughts and feedback below.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
