Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has addressed the reported WWE reaction to his comments about AEW while paying tribute to the late PAC. “The Great One” explained that he was not thinking about WWE’s competition with All Elite Wrestling when he recorded the message, saying his concern was with the wrestlers affected by the loss.
Johnson commented on Instagram after Clutch Wrestling shared Dave Meltzer’s report, which claimed that some people within WWE were surprised by the wording of his tribute. Rather than arguing about the reported reaction, The Rock explained why he believes a wrestler’s death changes the way he views the usual boundaries between competing promotions.
“you’re right brother, and humanity matters to me. I was born into this business and I’ve seen it all, but when one of our own passes away, I don’t care nor do I see “our competition”, I care about the wrestlers and how it affects them. I’ve been there. To me, humanity matters most.”
Johnson’s response makes clear that his comments about AEW were deliberate rather than an attempt to make a statement about WWE’s business relationship with its biggest American competitor. He viewed PAC’s death through the perspective of someone who has spent decades in professional wrestling and has experienced the loss of people from the same industry.
The Rock’s original tribute came after AEW announced that PAC, whose real name was Benjamin Satterley, had died at 40 on September 27. Satterley had wrestled as Neville in WWE before leaving the company in 2018 and later establishing himself as PAC in the Tony Khan-led promotion.
Dave Meltzer Explained Why The Rock’s AEW Praise Stood Out
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Meltzer reported on “Wrestling Observer Radio” that the surprise inside WWE was not about Dwayne Johnson paying tribute to PAC. Instead, he said people were caught off guard by how positively The Rock spoke about AEW and Tony Khan, particularly given Johnson’s position on TKO’s Board of Directors.
“Rock and Nick Khan are close. I do not believe that has changed,” Meltzer said, adding that he did not know whether WWE President Nick Khan himself was surprised. He suggested Johnson may even have spoken to Khan before posting the video.
Meltzer also explained why the wording mattered to those who raised the issue with him. The Rock had described AEW as a promotion “growing into this phenomenal wrestling company” and referred to Tony Khan as his friend, going beyond simply acknowledging PAC’s time there.
The Rock had also addressed the wider wrestling community in his original tribute, describing the industry as a tight-knit group despite performers working for different promotions. He sent condolences to PAC’s family, Tony Khan, QT Marshall, the AEW locker room and his WWE colleagues who knew Satterley.
Meltzer’s report therefore centered on the unusual corporate context surrounding Johnson’s words, while Johnson’s response has now made his own position clear. For The Rock, PAC’s death was a moment to put the person and the wrestling community ahead of the competition between companies.
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