All Elite Wrestling announced the passing of Benjamin “PAC” Satterley on Sunday evening.
He was 40.
A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Satterley performed on the company’s All Out pay-per-view from Chicago on Saturday night. He had been with the company since 2019 as one of its original signings. During his time with AEW, Satterley was a two-time AEW World Trios Champion and the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic (since rechristened as International) Champion.
Turning pro in 2004, Satterley was widely known for his aerial ability and technical prowess. He would make his debut in the influential Los Angeles-based independent company Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) in 2006 and go on to have well-received matches against the likes of A.J. Styles, Kevin Steen (known as Kevin Owens in World Wrestling Entertainment) and El Generico (now wrestling as Sami Zayn). His work in PWG acted as a springboard to Dragon Gate (now called Dragongate Japan Pro-Wrestling).
In Dragon Gate, Satterley would establish himself as one of the promotion’s top stars. He would go on to win several major titles with Dragon Gate, including the Open the Dream Gate Championship, the company’s top singles title. Satterley departed Dragon Gate for WWE in 2012 before a return from 2018 to 2019.
Working in WWE as Adrian Neville (later shortened to the mononym Neville), Satterley began his tenure in the company’s NXT developmental territory. He became NXT Champion in 2013, winning the title in a ladder match. Satterley held the title for 287 before dropping it to old foe - and real-life close friend - Zayn.
In 2016, Satterley joined the main roster and went on to become the WWE Cruiserweight Champion on two occasions, adopting a “King of the Cruiserweights” gimmick. He would depart the promotion in 2017, unhappy with his booking the direction of his character. His contract would officially expire in 2018.
After a brief return to Dragon Gate, Satterley returned to North America with AEW and quickly became one of its top heels as “The Bastard” with feuds against “Hangman” Adam Page and Kenny Omega, memorably defeating the latter at All Out 2019. The following February, Satterley and Omega would wrestle in a well-received 30-minute iron man match that Omega won in a five-minute overtime period.
Satterley claimed his first AEW singles title in 2022, winning the All-Atlantic title in a four-way match against Clark Connors, Miro and Malakai Black. He would hold onto the title for 108 days before losing it to Orange Cassidy in Toronto in the main event of AEW’s first-ever Canadian event. While still champion, Satterley and his Death Triangle stablemates of the Lucha Bros. (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix) captured the AEW World Trios Champions, making Satterley the company’s first-ever double champion.
In recent years, Satterley was a member of the Death Riders stable along with Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Marina Shafir, Gabe Kidd, Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta.
Praise from Satterley’s peers poured on social media following the news of his passing.
“PAC is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time,” Kyle Fletcher wrote. “I was lucky enough to meet my hero, work with my hero, but even more lucky to get to know him. He was a better man than I ever could have hoped for. I am heartbroken. I love you, Ben. Rest easy, mate.”
“I’m speechless,” WWE agent Adam Pearce wrote. “My heart goes out to the family, friends, and everyone affected by the passing of Pac. Ben, you were an incredible performer. I truly enjoyed every interaction we had…even the ones that sucked. It was a pleasure to be around your passion, to watch you work, and to work alongside you. Godspeed, Bastard Pac. Rest well, my friend."
“It was a true honor to wrestle you,” New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Shota Umino wrote. “I will never forget the matches we had in the UK and the US. Love you, you magnificent bastard.”
