AEW issued the following press release:
AEW ANNOUNCES $100,000 DONATION TO OCEANA DURING SPECIAL AEW: DYNAMITE EPISODE “FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”
— Donation Caps Special “Shark Week” Collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery in Support of Oceana’s Mission to Protect and Restore the World’s Oceans —
July 27, 2022 – Continuing its commitment to supporting charitable organizations and communities, AEW announced a $100,000 donation to Oceana, the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is winning campaigns around the world that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks.
The donation was announced during Wednesday’s special “Fight for the Fallen” episode of “AEW: Dynamite” on TBS, live from the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The donation comes on the heels of an unprecedented cross-promotion between AEW and Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week,” summer’s most-anticipated television event which returned on July 24 for its historic 34th year. Premiere night of “Shark Week” showed no signs of slowing down — up a whopping +500% vs. the same night a year ago in Live +Same Day ratings. “Shark Week” elevated Discovery Channel to be the #1 network in Prime Time across all of television among Men and Teens*.
Now in its fourth iteration, AEW’s “Fight for the Fallen” event historically benefits a charity partner, with past causes focusing on victims of gun violence, COVID-19 relief, and victims of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. This year’s donation will support Oceana’s work, including its campaign to ban the buying and selling of shark fins in the U.S. Individuals can sign Oceana’s petition at: Oceana.org/FinBanNow.
Fans can also join AEW in supporting this effort by donating to Oceana at: Oceana.org/donate.
“From AEW’s inception, we’ve been committed to giving back to the community and helping make a difference in people’s lives, and it’s why ‘Fight for the Fallen’ continues to be such a special show to everyone at AEW,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “Kicking off a new era under Warner Bros. Discovery, our integration with Shark Week created the perfect opportunity to bring Oceana to the forefront and help this incredible organization to support something that impacts our entire planet.”
This year’s “Fight for the Fallen” episode featured a stacked card including AEW Interim World Champion Jon Moxley defending his title against Rush, Bryan Danielson making his in-ring return against the Jericho Appreciation Society’s Daniel Garcia, AEW World Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland taking on Tony Nese and Mark Sterling in a handicap match, AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa defending her title against Miyu Yamashita, FTW Champion Ricky Starks defending his title against Danhausen, Sammy Guevara taking on Dante Martin, and Jungle Boy speaking for the first time since he was attacked in a shocking betrayal by his former mentor Christian Cage.
* (Men 25-54, Persons 12-17), no exclusions. Source: Nielsen Live+SD CVG RTGs; ranks based on 000s; YAGO comparisons are vs. Sunday, 7/25/21 timeslots to the nearest quarter-hour
