Who Is AEW Star Tanea Brooks? What to Know About the Pro Wrestler Amid 'Terminal' ALS Battle
AEW wrestler Tanea Brooks left the wrestling ring amid a lengthy and mysterious health battle.
"I want to say thank you for all of your prayers because, for those who know, it's been a two-year medical journey trying to find out what is wrong," Brooks said via Instagram in May 2026. "Finally, our prayers have been answered."
Brooks revealed that she was diagnosed with "terminal" amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder that causes individuals to gradually lose control of their muscles and speech. There is currently no cure.
"There is not a lot of research behind ALS, and we don't know how long I have," the pro wrestler stated. "It explains why I have trouble walking and talking [and] all my functions will soon decline. But now, we can prepare for the future and what is to come."
Keep scrolling to learn more about Brooks amid her ALS battle:
Tanea Brooks Is a Pro Wrestler
Brooks joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she competed under the stage name "Rebel," in 2019. After five years of performing, Brooks took a step back in 2024 amid a series of symptoms of a then-unknown health issue.
"I want to say thank you to Tony Khan and AEW for supporting me on this medical journey," Brooks said in a May 2026 video, referring to the AEW founder. "It has been a blessing that is unheard of and, from the bottom of my heart, thank you and thank you to all of you for your prayers."
Tanea Brooks Used to be an NFL Cheerleader
Brooks danced for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders from 1998 to 2001.
"Wrestling moonsaults aren't that different than things I did with cheerleading," Brooks told Huffington Post in 2014 of making the leap from the DCC to the wrestling ring. "There are times I think, ‘I did that in cheerleading on the ground, so maybe I can fly off the ropes.' When it's things you're passionate about and enjoy doing, you do want to be the best at it. You always want to be learning, growing, moving forward."
Tanea Brooks Is Battling Cancer
Brooks announced in November 2025 that was diagnosed with primary pulmonary lymphoma, a rare form of lung cancer, the year prior.
"After a year of not getting better, I decided to go to the Mayo Clinic … and they found that it was not cryptococcal pneumonia this whole time, and that it is primary pulmonary lymphoma," she said in a social media video. "Tomorrow, I start rehab because along this journey, I picked up a little disorder called functional neurological disorder and it has taken my ability to walk. I now walk with a walker, and [it has affected] my ability to speak. I've also lost some of the ability [and] function of my right hand."
Tanea Brooks Is Candid About Her Health Journey
Since stepping back from AEW, Brooks has kept followers up to date on her medical search for a diagnosis.
"Right now I am in the hospital, but it's for a good reason. It's a rehab hospital," she said in a February 2026 Instagram video. "I've been trying a few different rehabs and just not getting great results while I'm waiting for doctors to figure out what to do next … but meanwhile, while I'm waiting, I was able to get into an in-patient rehab."
Brooks underwent occupational and speech therapy at the time. Months later, doctors discovered that she had ALS during a lung surgery.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 12:55 PM.