Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has paid tribute to Benjamin Satterley following the sudden death of the former WWE and AEW star at 40. Johnson shared an emotional video for Satterley’s family, reflecting on the wrestler’s talent, his connections throughout the industry, and the pain of losing someone from the wrestling community so young.
Satterley, better known as PAC in AEW and Neville during his WWE run, died on September 27, one day after competing at All Out in Illinois. He was found unresponsive inside a vehicle in a Des Plaines parking lot at around 4 p.m., with a passerby calling 911 after noticing him.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed that Satterley was pronounced dead at 4:08 p.m. His cause and manner of death remain pending additional testing, while local authorities said there were no indications of foul play and the circumstances were not considered suspicious.
PAC’s death came shortly after his final match. He challenged Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship at All Out on September 26 before appearing later in the show’s AEW World Championship main event involving Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay. All Elite Wrestling announced his death the following night, remembering him for his high-flying style and contributions to the promotion.
“The Final Boss” knew Satterley from his time in WWE and said he had met him several times. Opening his video on Instagram, The Rock acknowledged how difficult it was to record the message.
“It hurts my heart to do this,” Johnson said, before sending “my love, my condolences, my support, my light, my mana” to the Satterley family.
The Rock also made sure viewers unfamiliar with PAC understood who he was, explaining that Satterley was known as Neville in WWE before becoming PAC in AEW. Johnson noted that he was only 40 and described the loss as particularly painful because of Satterley’s age and talent.
“For those who are watching this who don’t know who Benjamin Satterley is, he was a professional wrestler known in the WWE as Neville. I’d met him a few times, shook his hand. And most recently known as PAC in AEW — All Elite Wrestling — and he passed away, sadly, young, too young. I believe he was 40.”
“The Great One” ultimately used the tribute to reflect on the nature of professional wrestling. He pointed out that although wrestlers work for different promotions and come from different parts of the world, they remain connected by the same passion for performing.
“I was just so sorry to hear this news. As global as professional wrestling is, as global as WWE is, as much as AEW is growing into this phenomenal wrestling company, and wherever you’re wrestling at around the world, Asia, Latin America, Europe — it doesn’t matter. As global as professional wrestling is, we’re still a very tight-knit unit and a tight-knit group because we all share the same DNA. And that is our love and our passion for the squared circle and to perform for audiences around the world. And we’re a little crazy, and that’s okay. But when we lose one of our own, it hurts. And when they’re young and so insanely talented, it really, it really (expletive) hurts. Especially when a life is robbed and you don’t get that opportunity to live a full life. I’ve lost a lot of friends, as we’ve known.”
Dwayne Johnson then extended his condolences to AEW President Tony Khan, QT Marshall and the company’s locker room, as well as his former WWE colleagues who had known Satterley. He also addressed the Satterley family directly, wishing them “love and light” as they dealt with the loss.
Johnson encouraged people to take that lesson beyond wrestling and appreciate the people around them while they can. “You just never know what’s waiting around the corner,” he said, urging people to be present in their everyday lives.
He closed by thanking PAC for entertaining fans and for the memories he left behind, ending with a phrase deeply familiar to wrestlers and fans alike:
“God bless you, Benjamin, and thank you for the memories, and thank you for entertaining the masses, and as I like to say, thank you for moving the crowd, and as we say in wrestling, Thank you for the house. Satterly Family stay strong.”
More Coverage on PAC
- Inside AEW Star PAC’s Personal Life: Wife, Parents, Death, and Last Match
- Rhea Ripley, Paul Heyman & Wrestling Stars Mourn PAC
- Wrestling World Defends The Miz From Trolls After PAC’s Death: ‘Clearly Doesn’t Know’
The Rock’s PAC Tribute Comes as Wrestling Mourns a Major Loss
© Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK
Satterley’s wrestling career began in 2004, eventually taking him from the independent scene in the United Kingdom to WWE and AEW. The Stamford-based promotion signed him in 2012, where he became Adrian Neville in NXT and quickly established himself as one of the brand’s standout performers.
Neville won the NXT Championship in 2014 and captured the NXT Tag Team Championship twice. After moving to WWE’s main roster, he became a two-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion before departing the company in 2018.
He joined AEW in 2019 and returned to using the PAC name. Satterley became the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion, a title later renamed the International Championship, and won the AEW World Trios Championship twice. He was also a founding member of Death Triangle and later became part of the Death Riders.
His final night in the ring showed just how active he remained. PAC not only wrestled Andrade at All Out but also returned later during the main event, making his sudden death the following day even more difficult for the wrestling community to process.
Tributes have since come from across WWE, AEW and the wider wrestling world. Triple H, John Cena and numerous other wrestlers have remembered Satterley, underscoring the relationships he built during a career that spanned more than 20 years.
For The Rock, however, PAC’s passing represented more than the loss of a talented performer. His message focused on the people behind the wrestling characters and the importance of appreciating them while they are still here.
More Wrestling News
- WWE Star Keanu Carver Reportedly Under Protection Order After Allegations From Fellow NXT Talent
- Mason Rook Pulled From WWE NXT Championship Match Tonight
- Joe Hendry Addresses Negative Reaction to WWE Raw Segment With Danhausen
- ‘3 of These Posts In 2 Days’: The Miz Mourns the Death of TV Icon & WWE Superfan Dennis Haskins
