AEW Fight for the Fallen Makes Huge Donation to Hurricane Recovery

All Elite Wrestling has made a six-figure donation to the victims of Hurricane Helene, which devastated a huge swathe of the Southeastern United States in September 2024.

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According to an official post from the promotion, “This past Wednesday, #AEW presented Fight for the Fallen as a benefit to bring awareness to those affected by Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to donating $100k to organizations on the frontlines of disaster efforts, AEW hosted many of the staff, families, and first responders who are providing resources locally. To help support these ongoing efforts visit http://aewtogether.org/fftf!”

The 2025 Fight for the Fallen was held on January 1 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina. This was the sixth installment of the annual charity event, marking the first since August 2023 and the first one-night iteration since 2021.

The event aired live as a special episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite on TBS, as well as on the streaming service Max in the United States, making it AEW’s first event to be simulcast on both platforms. Going forward, all AEW television programs will be broadcast this way.

The 2025 edition of Fight for the Fallen was held to support victims of Hurricane Helene, which devastated the Asheville area in September 2024.

Local AEW talent, including FTR and Cope (who officially changed his name to Cope the previous night), were actively involved in relief efforts, helping their community recover from the disaster.

The event was organized to raise funds for the victims and offer aid to those affected by the storm, showcasing AEW’s commitment to giving back during times of need.

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During the event, the newly-rebranded Cope addressed the crowd.

“Man. First, match back in seven months,” Cope said. “One more surgery. Another plate, seven screws. Doesn’t matter because guess what? I live in the 828. And here in the 828, we’re tough sons of b******. We don’t let a hurricane keep us down, do we?”

“No, we don’t. We pick ourselves up,” the WWE Hall of Famer said. “We dust ourselves off and we come and have a good time. I cannot say enough about this community. I cannot say enough about the things I saw when we went out trying to help some people, just like all of you did.”

“Because we’re a community. Because we’re neighbors,” Cope concluded to the cheering crowd. “So if I see any of you in the street just come on up. ‘Hey Cope, what’s up?’ ‘I don’t know what’s up with you?’. Maybe we have a coffee, maybe we have a good time, just like we had tonight. So AVL! Stand up, all of your get off your asses, I know you can do it! Cmon! Everybody up! Say ‘Go to hell hurricane and guess what? 828!'”

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