Nocturnal 
Wrestling fans woke up to devastating news on Sunday night: Benjamin Satterley, better known to millions as Pac in AEW and Neville during his WWE days, has died at the age of 40.
The news is especially shocking because Satterley had competed just a day earlier, on the Saturday, at AEW’s All Out pay-per-view in Chicago, where he challenged Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship. He also appeared in the show’s main event, reportedly helping his Death Riders stablemate Jon Moxley.
All Elite Wrestling confirmed his death in an official statement, saying it was “saddened to announce the passing of Benjamin Satterley, aka Pac”. The promotion added that he was “a native of Newcastle upon Tyne, England” who “began his wrestling career in 2004” and went on to perform “for wrestling organizations all over the world, captivating fans with innovative high-flying moves and incredible in-ring ability”.
No cause of death has been made public at this stage, and it remains unconfirmed exactly how he died.
From Neville in WWE to Pac in AEW
Satterley signed with WWE in 2012, where he wrestled under the name Neville (also known briefly as Adrian Neville) and became a standout on the NXT brand. He held the NXT Championship for a lengthy title reign and won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on two occasions before leaving the company in 2018.
He joined AEW in 2019 under the name Pac, quickly establishing himself as one of the promotion’s most respected performers. He became AEW’s first-ever All-Atlantic Champion and a two-time AEW World Trios Champion, the latter alongside the Lucha Brothers. AEW said he “held multiple AEW Championships and competed in some of the most memorable matches in AEW history”.
Tributes pour in from wrestling world
Tributes have flooded in from across the wrestling industry since the news broke. Among them, WWE and former AEW star Paige, who worked alongside Satterley in both promotions, posted an emotional message on X.
“For everyone that knew Ben (Pac) would tell you what an incredible human he was. Truly one of the best. This is heartbreaking..sending so much love to his family and everyone else who was lucky enough to know him personally and to all who got to watch him perform and witness the greatness that was that man. Rest in power Ben,” she wrote.
Paige and Satterley’s careers ran in parallel for years. Both signed with WWE around the same time and rose through NXT together, with Paige becoming the brand’s inaugural Women’s Champion while Satterley became its fourth-ever men’s champion. Both later moved into AEW, where Paige competed as Saraya and won the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Where things stand now
AEW has sent its condolences to Satterley’s family, friends and fans, and further tributes from colleagues past and present are expected in the coming days. As of now, no details on funeral arrangements or an official cause of death have been released. This is the second sudden loss to hit AEW’s roster in recent weeks, following the death of fellow star The Butcher.
