AEW Pays Tribute to Wrestler Pac on ‘Dynamite’ Following His Death at 40

All Elite Wrestling opened Wednesday’s episode of “Dynamite” with a tribute to Pac, the professional wrestler whose real name was Benjamin Satterley, who died Sunday at age 40. His death came just hours after AEW’s All Out pay-per-view event.

Wrestlers from the company’s roster gathered on stage as broadcaster Tony Schiavone delivered remarks honoring Pac before the show transitioned into a replay of a promo cut by Jon Moxley after Moxley’s loss to Will Ospreay in the pay-per-view’s main event for the AEW World Championship. Schiavone noted that the segment marked the final time Pac appeared on AEW cameras, as Pac stood alongside fellow Death Riders stablemates Marina Shafir, Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta during the promo.

In the speech, Moxley reflected on loss and legacy following his defeat.

“I gave everything I had. I took every shot I had to the best of my ability. I have no regrets. Will Ospreay is indomitable. It’s just part of the game, though, man. You’re gonna lose. I don’t care who you are, you’re gonna lose. You gotta know how to lose. You’re gonna lose in wrestling. You’re gonna lose in life. You’re gonna lose people. You’re gonna lose opportunities. You’re not going to get what you deserve. You’re not always going to get what you earned. Things aren’t always going to go your way. But what are you gonna do?”

“You gotta smile, get up tomorrow and do it again and just give it your best every single day because every single day is a gift. Do you know what it’s like to walk out in front of a sold out crowd? Chicago? New York? Tokyo? Sold-out crowd like tonight? Surrounded by your friends, teammates, these great people that pay that money they work hard all week for to see you do? The opportunity to be out there in the ring? Out there in the ring, doing this job, the best job in the world? There is nothing better than that.”

“Every day is a gift. Look, I’m serious, Will. You won tonight. You were the better man tonight. You are the best in the ring. Congratulations. All you have earned is more hard work. There’s two kinds of eulogies at funerals. One of them is, ‘This is what this guy did.’ The other one is, ‘This is who this guy was.’ When I’m dead, burned up and I’m ashes and I’m in the wind, I know which eulogy I want to have. I know what I want people to say about me at my funeral. I know what I expect from you, Will. After a couple years, I still don’t think anybody sees it, man.”

“They don’t see what we have. What this place can be. What we’ve been gifted. What’s at stake. The future of professional wrestling, our craft, what we grew up dreaming of doing, what kids around the world – just like us, nobodies from nowhere – what they’re growing up dreaming of doing right now. We have the future in pro wrestling in the palm of our hands. Whatever pro wrestling is gonna be, it’s going to be what we make it, Will Ospreay, anybody else, who has the guts to do what it takes to be great, to really be great, to really grab life by the ba—s, to take this opportunity, to take this gift and do something with it. Do something with it.”

As Moxley finished speaking, he walked off, followed by Shafir, Yuta and Garcia. Pac remained briefly in the corner, his long hair covering part of his face and his arms crossed, before turning to follow the rest of the group off stage.

Later in the broadcast, Moxley defended the AEW Continental Championship against Orange Cassidy. As he made his entrance, a chair was left empty at the side of the arena in honor of Pac. Moxley went on to defeat Cassidy and retain the title.

After the match, as Moxley stood in the ring, AEW veteran Bryan Danielson’s entrance music played. Danielson, visibly emotional, entered the ring and embraced Moxley. The two wrestlers, who have a long history of rivalry in AEW, set aside their differences for the moment in a shared tribute to Pac.