Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted a video on Instagram today providing an emotional message regarding the death of AEW wrestler PAC. Ben Satterley was the real name of PAC aka Neville from his WWE career. Johnson revealed that he only met PAC a handful of times, but the death touched him personally due to knowing the young age of a peer passing.
Rock went out of his way to offer respect to both PAC’s family and the AEW locker room. The following quote shared why PAC’s death hits him and many others so hard:
“I was just so sorry to hear this news. As global as professional wrestling is, as global as WWE is, as much as AEW is growing into this phenomenal wrestling company, and wherever you’re wrestling at around the world, Asia, Latin America, Europe, it doesn’t matter.
As global as professional wrestling is, we’re still a very tight-knit unit and a tight-knit group because we all share the same DNA. And that is our love and our passion for the squared circle and to perform for audiences around the world. And we’re a little crazy, and that’s okay. But when we lose one of our own, it hurts. And when they’re young and so insanely talented, it really, it really f**king hurts.”
Johnson discussed the bond that the wrestling community feels as a niche artform that connects so many people. The news hurt The Rock and most other wrestlers and wrestling fans seeing someone who performed on television every week dying one day after a PPV.
The Rock Offered Love To Tony Khan & AEW For PAC Loss
Another noteworthy aspect of Rock’s classy message was going out of his way to show love to the AEW locker room. AEW has dealt with multiple emotional stories this year, with former wrestler The Butcher dying earlier this month and Rebel having a celebration show during her battle with ALS.
Rock said the following to Tony Khan and AEW’s locker room:
“To my friend Tony Khan, I’m so sorry for your loss. My friend QT [Marshall] and all the locker rooms, the men and women of AEW, I’m so sorry for your loss. And to those, of course, my colleagues in WWE who knew him well, I’m so sorry. So sorry all around.”
WWE talents rarely reference Khan or AEW directly, but Rock felt this was too big to ignore. A viral video of Khan breaking down in tears during a ten-bell salute for PAC at his recent Ring of Honor tapings showed how much it impacted the AEW President.
PAC’s Death Has United Wrestling World
Both WWE and AEW talents are heartbroken over the news and trying to find ways to honor a fallen friend. Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Penta all wore armbands showing love to PAC on Monday Night Raw last night.
AEW is planning to run a full tribute show on Wednesday night for Dynamite that will be quite emotional. PAC’s closest friends will likely have matches or talking segments about him to pay their respects. The Rock’s classy message was one of many that represents the spirit and passion of pro wrestling.
The Rock Shares Very Emotional Message For AEW Regarding PAC’s Death