AEW star PAC has died at 40 just hours after competing in a Chicago pay-per-view match, leaving the wrestling world stunned with no cause of death yet revealed.
The Daily Mail reported that All Elite Wrestling confirmed the death of Benjamin Satterley, known in the ring as PAC, shortly after he competed live on Saturday night in Chicago.
AEW announced the news with no cause of death or further details disclosed. Satterley was 40.
Company officials said they were saddened to announce the passing of the English-born star who had signed with the promotion in 2019 and gone on to hold multiple AEW championships.
On Saturday night in Chicago, PAC competed live on HBO Max against Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship. He lost the match and shook his opponent’s hand.
Shortly afterward, he appeared again on the same pay-per-view card. He returned during the World Championship main event between Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay.
Hours later, AEW confirmed he was gone.
"All Elite Wrestling is saddened to announce the passing of Benjamin Satterley, aka Pac. A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Satterley 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. Pac signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2019 and held multiple AEW Championships and competed in some of the most memorable matches in AEW history. Our condolences go out to Satterley's family, friends and fans."
Retired wrestler and WWE executive Adam Pearce posted a tribute on X that captured the suddenness of the loss.
"I'm speechless. 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."
WWE star Rhea Ripley offered her own short farewell: "What a tragic day. What an extremely talented person. Speechless... RIP PAC."
Fans echoed the same shock. One wrote, "I'm completely lost for words, I just saw him on Wednesday. RIP PAC." Another called him "one of the greatest high flyers of his generation, still in his prime right now," adding that nothing about the news felt right or real.
Satterley hailed from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and started wrestling in 2004. He built his name across the United Kingdom, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and Mexico’s Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre before reaching larger American stages.
From 2012 to 2018 he competed in WWE as Adrian Neville, also known simply as Neville. He appeared at WrestleMania in 2017 under that name. In 2019 he signed with AEW, where he won the All-Atlantic Championship in 2022 and later worked as part of the Death Riders group alongside Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta.
Colleagues and fans knew him for the high-risk, high-flying style that defined his matches and drew crowds for two decades.
No official cause of death has been released. No exact time or location beyond the relative timeline, Saturday night in Chicago, announcement hours later, has been made public.
A performer can leave everything in the ring on Saturday and be gone before the next sunrise. That is the hard edge of a business that runs on guts, timing, and bodies pushed to the limit, and it is why the tributes keep coming.
