Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s tribute to the late PAC was meant to honor a wrestler who worked across WWE and AEW, but his comments apparently drew attention within WWE. According to Dave Meltzer, some people in WWE were particularly surprised by how strongly “The Great One” spoke about AEW while serving on TKO’s board of directors.
PAC, whose real name was Benjamin Satterley, died at 40 on September 27, with AEW announcing his passing after he had wrestled at All Out the previous night. Satterley had spent six years in WWE as Adrian Neville and Neville before leaving the company in 2018, later joining AEW in 2019. He became the inaugural AEW International Champion and also won the World Trios Championship.
Johnson posted his tribute on Instagram two days after Satterley’s death. He remembered PAC’s career, sent condolences to his family and acknowledged his former WWE colleagues, while also directly addressing AEW President Tony Khan and the AEW locker room.
The wording of that message became the focus of the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio.” Meltzer explained that people within WWE were not surprised that Johnson made a tribute video, but rather by the praise he gave AEW during it.
“Rock and Nick Khan are close. I do not believe that has changed. Were there people in WWE who were very surprised at his wording and what he said, especially with him being on the TKO board of directors? Yes, okay. They were very surprised. Nick may not have been. He may have told Nick ahead of time. Maybe he didn’t. He can do whatever he wants.”
Dave Meltzer later clarified that the reaction was about the message rather than Johnson paying tribute to Satterley.
“Not that he did the video, but the wording in the video, where he praised them and essentially gave the stamp of, ‘Yeah, you guys are good for business and work hard, and you’re helping make wrestling.’”
Meltzer added that the comments were not necessarily something WWE would want coming from someone who sits on TKO’s board, but stressed that nobody was upset about the tribute itself. He also said he did not know whether WWE President Nick Khan had been informed beforehand, noting that Johnson and Khan remain close.
The Rock Called AEW A “Phenomenal Wrestling Company”
While remembering Satterley, The Rock described professional wrestling as a close-knit community and acknowledged both WWE and AEW. He specifically said AEW was “growing into this phenomenal wrestling company” before sending his condolences to Tony Khan, whom he referred to as his friend.
Johnson also addressed the AEW locker room and WWE wrestlers who had known Satterley. His comments came after a wrestler who had competed for both promotions died unexpectedly at 40, making the tribute one of the more notable cross-company acknowledgments following Satterley’s passing.
Satterley’s final match took place at AEW All Out, where he challenged Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship. He also appeared later in the show during the Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay main event.
There is no indication from Meltzer’s report that Johnson’s relationship with WWE or Nick Khan has changed. The reported surprise was centered on the language he used while praising AEW, particularly given his position within TKO.
For Johnson, the video was ultimately a tribute to a wrestler whose career crossed company lines. For some within WWE, however, Meltzer’s report suggests that the decision to openly praise AEW made the message stand out.
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