AEW founder Tony Khan grew emotional as he addressed the death of wrestler Benjamin Satterley, known to fans as Pac, ahead of Monday’s taping of Ring of Honor in Jacksonville, Florida. Satterley, 40, had appeared at AEW’s All Out event just two days earlier in Chicago.
Khan told those gathered that Satterley “optimized the very best of wrestling and the very best of humanity,” calling him “one of the best people” he had ever known.
“Ben was an absolutely fantastic wrestler and an absolutely fantastic human being. A great person to work with and a great person to spend time with,” Khan said.
Ring of Honor, though a separate promotion from AEW, is also owned by Khan, and wrestlers regularly appear on both brands. Following Khan’s remarks, the company held a 10-bell salute in Satterley’s memory.
Satterley had been part of AEW since the promotion launched in 2019. Before that, he wrestled for WWE under the ring name Neville from 2012 to 2018.
He was found unresponsive in his car outside a CAVA restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, on Sunday at around 4 p.m. and was pronounced dead eight minutes later. A spokesperson for the Des Plaines Police Department said there are “no indications of foul play and the circumstances surrounding the death are not considered suspicious.”
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said a cause of death is pending additional testing following an initial autopsy.
Satterley had competed at the All Out pay-per-view at NOW Arena in Chicago on Saturday night, losing to AEW national champion Andrade, and later appeared during the main event between Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay.
Khan announced that Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite broadcast from Pittsburgh will serve as a tribute show for Pac. The company held a similar tribute recently for Andy “The Butcher” Williams, who died at 48 on September 5 after striking his head during an independent wrestling match.
Reflecting further on Satterley’s legacy, Khan said: “He set his mind to being one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and I believe he succeeded in that.”
“You’ll hear a lot about what a wonderful person Ben was this week, because frankly I’ve never met a person who was more beloved by his peers and his friends. It was such a pleasure to spend time with Ben outside of wrestling as well. Whether it was having dinner or watching a football match or traveling. Ben is a very first-class person and he left behind a lovely wife and a lot of great friends and a legacy that will last forever,” Khan said.
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