Benjamin Satterley, who wrestled in All Elite Wrestling under the name Pac, has died at age 40, the Jacksonville-based promotion announced Sunday night. His death came just 10 days after he posted a tribute to fellow wrestler Andy Williams, who died two weeks earlier following a medical episode during a tag-team match.
On Sept. 17, Satterley shared a throwback photo of himself and Williams posing backstage at an undisclosed event, both wearing matching flame-printed bandanas. The post came days after Satterley delivered a televised tribute to Williams on Sept. 12.
“We always knew you were an anomaly too good for this world,” Satterley said in that tribute. “I just want to say I love you, man. And you always made sure that I knew you loved me too. I’ll miss you, my friend. ‘Till we meet again.”
Satterley had signed with AEW in 2019 and competed at the company’s “All Out” pay-per-view at NOW Arena in Chicago on Saturday night, just a day before his death was announced. He was AEW’s inaugural All-Atlantic champion and a two-time World Trios champion. Before joining AEW, he wrestled in WWE from 2012 to 2018 under the name “Neville,” where he held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, the NXT Championship and the NXT Tag Team Championship.
AEW owner and chief operating officer Tony Khan issued a statement following the announcement of Satterley’s death.
“Benjamin Satterley defined excellence, as a beloved husband & friend to his many loved ones, + in his wrestling knowledge, skill, unprecedented athleticism, professionalism, consistency + dedication to the sport that he loved & traveled the world to pursue,” Khan said.
Satterley’s death came on the same day that Williams’ family, friends and fans gathered at Buffalo RiverWorks in Buffalo, N.Y., for a public celebration of his life.
Williams, 48, known to fans as “The Butcher” and as the guitarist for the band Every Time I Die, was competing in a tag-team match with partner Jesse “The Blade” Guilmette at Mr. Small’s Theatre in Millvale, Pa., when he struck his head against the ringpost and later collapsed. He was given CPR before being rushed to Allegheny General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Love Wrestling, the organization that ran the event.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Williams died following a medical crisis but has not released a preliminary cause of death.
Williams’ father, Frank, spoke to WIVB about his son on Sunday.
“Anybody who knew Andy, they were his friend,” Frank Williams said. “If he had a dollar in his pocket and you needed it, he would try to get you a dollar and a quarter. He was that type of guy where money meant nothing to him, friendship meant everything, and that was my son.”
