Wrestling World Reacts To The Death Of AEW Star PAC

By Sam Palmer
PAC on AEW Collision AEW/Ricky Havlik
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The wrestling world is in mourning today as Benjamin Satterley, who wrestled as PAC in AEW and as Adrian Neville in WWE, passed away on September 27 at the age of 40. All Elite Wrestling announced the news on social media, and since then, tributes have poured in from those who knew Satterley both professionally and personally.

AEW President Tony Khan took to his own X (formerly known as Twitter) account shortly after the announcement to pen his own tribute. He wrote "Benjamin Satterley defined excellence, as a beloved husband & friend to his many loved ones, + in his wrestling knowledge, skill, unprecedented athleticism, professionalism, consistency + dedication to the sport that he loved & traveled the world to pursue. May Ben rest in peace."

A former two-time AEW World Trios Champion, as well as the inaugural AEW International Champion when the title was known as the AEW All-Atlantic Champion, PAC was an original member of the All Elite Wrestling roster and even appeared at the first-ever AEW rally in 2019. He would cross paths with every member of The Elite at one point or another, in particular Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks as part of Death Triangle with current WWE Superstars Rey Fenix and Penta. Nick Jackson, Fenix, and Penta all took to their respective Instagram stories to pay tribute to PAC.

In 2024, PAC became a member of the Death Riders alongside Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir, with Daniel Garcia and Gabe Kidd joining the group a year later. Both Shafir and fellow AEW star Lance Archer wrestled at a Warrior Wrestling event in Wisconsin just a few hours after learning of PAC's passing, and cut promos after their respective matches about their fallen friend. Credit to X user @CMSmilee for the footage.

Archer would post a message on social media later on, urging people to tell those around them that you love them. Shafir would also post a simple message on her social media accounts after the event was over.

To His AEW Peers, He Was Ben

PAC on AEW Collision AEW/Ricky Havlik

Despite his intimidating presence and his even more intimidating nickname, PAC was the polar opposite to his wrestling character behind the scenes. Many of his AEW peers had nothing but nice things to say about the man they knew as Ben, including referee Bryce Remsburg, who credited Ben for turning his children into fans of Kinder Eggs and Newcastle United.

Current AEW World Champion Will Ospreay would call PAC both the greatest export from the United Kingdom, and the greatest human being as well. Kyle Fletcher wrote on X that PAC was one of his favorite wrestlers of all time, but felt even luckier to have known him personally. He said "I was lucky enough to meet my hero, work with my hero, but even more lucky to get to know him. He was a better man than I ever could have hoped for. I am heartbroken. I love you, Ben. Rest easy mate."

Both Swerve Strickland and Anthony Bowens couldn't put into words how they felt, to the point where Bowens said "Tell me this isn't f****** real." Sammy Guevara and Rush both sent their condolences to PAC's friends and family, as did Guevara's wife Tay Melo, who wrote "I'm in disbelief. Hug your loved ones, we truly NEVER know when it will be the last time. Prayers to the family and friends. I'm out of words." Melo's tag team partner Anna Jay was actually livestreaming when she was informed of the news, and quickly ended her stream before penning her own message.

RJ City would say that PAC will be forever loved and forever respected. Prince Nana revealed that PAC would always take care of him whenever he was in Europe, and will miss sharing inside jokes with him backstage. Dustin Rhodes went on to write "He was an incredible man and talent loved by us all. I am praying for his family and loved ones." Bryan Keith simply wrote "We love you PAC" on his X account, Lio Rush credited PAC for helping get his "Blackheart" character over with the fans, before thanking him and saying he will miss him.

PAC's Influence Was Far Reaching

Neville at WWE WrestleMania 33 WWe

Before joining AEW in 2019, Satterley was already regarded as one of the greatest high-flyers of his generation. Both as PAC in Japan, Mexico, and the independent scene, and as Adrian Neville in WWE, he made a lot of friends along the way.

New Japan Pro Wrestling, CMLL, RevPro, and the company where PAC truly made his name in Japan, Dragon Gate, all posted tributes to PAC on social media. Shingo Takagi worked with PAC in Dragon Gate and AEW, and was hoping to cross paths with him again before his passing. He posted his own message saying he is proud to have shared the ring with him, before posting a picture he found of PAC from an old tour of Japan.

A number of WWE performers who knew PAC sent their condolences and shared some of their best memories with him. Paul Heyman wrote "What a tremendous talent and even finer human being. My most profound condolences to all who knew him. A truly terrible loss!" on X. Adam Pearce posted a lengthy tribute to a man he knew from his days on the independent scene, stating that he was an incredible performer who he enjoyed interacting with every time he bumped into him.

Both Rhea Ripley and Alexa Bliss were speechless when posting their tributes to the man they knew as Neville, and Becky Lynch, someone who knew PAC long before either of them worked for WWE, called him "One of the best in every way possible."

Danhausen worked with PAC during his time in AEW, and called him "One of the kindest, most welcoming people in a locker room." Paige worked with PAC in both AEW and WWE, even holding the WWE NXT Men's and Women's Championships at the same time in 2014, and she wrote a lengthy message on social media.

Current TNA International Champion Mustafi Ali worked with PAC during his final months in WWE when he was known as "The King of the Cruiserweights," and honored the man he still calls a king to this day with this message:

One of PAC's closest friends throughout his career was Kevin Owens, who shared a whole host of memories from their days on the road before simply writing. "The best lad...We love you."

As tributes continue to pour in, everyone here at Wrestling Inc. sends their condolences to the Satterley's family, friends, and at this difficult time. May he rest in peace.

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