AEW Pays Tribute to PAC in Emotional Episode of ‘Dynamite’

Martin Holmes
Comments
AEW tribute to PAC
AEW YouTube

What To Know

  • AEW aired an emotional tribute episode honoring Benjamin “PAC” Satterley, who passed away suddenly at age 40 on Sunday.
  • The night included heartfelt eulogies, a ten-bell salute, and matches dedicated to Satterley’s legacy.
  • Bryan Danielson also came out of semi-retirement to honor his late friend and former teammate.

The stars of All Elite Wrestling gathered Wednesday night (September 30) to pay tribute to Benjamin “PAC” Satterley, the beloved pro wrestler who died suddenly on Sunday (September 27) at 40 years old.

A highly emotional edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS opened with commentator Excalibur fighting back tears as he honored Satterley’s life inside and outside the ring. Fellow commentator Tony Schiavone then eulogized Satterley in the ring, surrounded by flowers and a framed photo of the fan-favorite grappler.

Schiavone threw to footage filmed after the All Out pay-per-view on Saturday night (September 26), which marked Satterley’s final time on camera. In the promo, Satterley’s Death Riders teammate Jon Moxley spoke passionately about his loss to AEW World Champion Will Ospreay and the future of the wrestling industry.

The promo was strangely ominous, as he talked about eulogies and life being a gift. “There’s two kinds of eulogies at funerals. One of them is, ‘This is what this guy did.’ The other one is, ‘This is who this guy was.’ When I’m dead, burned up and I’m ashes and I’m in the wind, I know which eulogy I want to have,” Moxley said.

At the end of the promo, Moxley and his fellow Death Riders crew members walked off screen, leaving Satterley alone, who stared directly into the camera before exiting. Fans had speculated that PAC was set to split from the Death Riders in the coming weeks.

A ten-bell salute followed, with members of the AEW roster appearing on stage, many of them distraught. What followed was a night of heartfelt condolences and beautiful tributes, including matches tied to Satterley’s history in both AEW and beyond. Satterley previously competed in WWE as Neville from 2012 to 2018.

Moxley faced long-time PAC rival Orange Cassidy in the opening bout. After the match, former Death Riders member Bryan Danielson made a surprise appearance and buried the hatchet with Moxley. Danielson later came out of semi-retirement to wrestle in the main event 10-man tag, teaming with the Death Riders against the Don Callis Family.

The Elite (Matt and Nick Jackson, Hangman Adam Page, and Kenny Omega) reunited to take on members of the Don Callis Family in an 8-man tag match. Page, who was one of Satterley’s first opponents in AEW, also broke down in tears as he spoke about his late friend.

World Champion Ospreay took on Ricochet in a spellbinding, high-flying spectacle. Both men were close friends of Satterley and were influenced by his style of aerial combat. Ospreay won the match by performing PAC’s incredible “Black Arrow” maneuver from the top rope. The two rivals then put aside storyline differences to embrace after the match.

The current AEW World Trios Champions, Swerve Strickland and the New Level (Austin Creed and Kofi Kingston), paid tribute by laying their belts to rest in the ring beside Satterley’s picture. PAC was a two-time trios champion, first with the Death Triangle (Penta and Fenix) and later with the Death Riders.

Renee Paquette read a statement sent by Satterley’s wife and parents, who live in the United Kingdom. Satterley was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne and continued to travel back and forth between the UK and the US for his AEW commitments.

Satterley’s teammate Marina Shafir teamed up with Thunder Rosa and Hyan to take on Mercedes Mone, Britt Baker, and Persephone. Shafir got the win for her team using PAC’s devastating “Brutalizer” submission hold.

The night ended with the Death Riders defeating the Don Callis Family and comforting each other in the ring afterward. A heart-wrenching video package then played, highlighting Satterley’s career, matches, friendships, and family. It ended with Satterley’s own tribute to Andy “The Butcher” Williams, a fellow wrestler who died just weeks earlier.

“Until we meet again,” Satterley said as the video package faded out. The final shot of the show saw the Death Riders gathered around the empty chair PAC often sat in during his ring entrance.

You can watch clips of the tributes above let us know your thoughts below.

AEW Dynamite, Wednesdays, 8 pm et, TBS

All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite key art
Jim Ross

Jim Ross

Tony Schiavone

Tony Schiavone

Excalibur

Taz

Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson

⨁Full Cast & Crew

TBS

Live Sports Event

2019–

TV14

Pro wrestling

Where to Stream

Latest Headlines

More All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite ›
All Elite WrestlingAll Elite Wrestling: DynamiteBenjamin 'PAC' Satterley



Conversation

Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.

Register or sign in to join the conversation.