PAC looked like a man who could rip somebody apart whenever he stepped through the curtain, but Bayley says the Benjamin Satterley she eventually got to know backstage was completely different. Behind that intense exterior was apparently one massive goofball.
Bayley shared the story during WWE’s tribute video for PAC, explaining that the NXT locker room got to see a side of Satterley that wrestling fans watching Neville on television never fully experienced. Bayley said his sense of humor became even funnier because of how proper he sounded while delivering insults and jokes.
“Not everyone knows Ben, who… he was such a goofball. He was such a funny guy. Like, and it always made it funnier how proper he was. Like, if he was insulting you, his accent made it funnier.”
Getting to that version of Satterley wasn’t easy. Bayley admitted she found him intimidating at first because of how experienced and ridiculously talented he already was. That didn’t stop Bayley and Carmella from deciding they were going to break through his quiet exterior.
“He’s one of the best wrestlers in the whole world. He can do things that you’ve never seen anyone do. His footwork is impeccable.”
“Myself and Carmela are so annoying together that we were so determined to break this guy down.”
The breakthrough happened during a night out in Orlando when PAC brought his wife Natalie. Bayley said Natalie enjoyed watching them poke fun at Satterley, and that appeared to make him finally drop his guard. After that, the jokes started flying both ways.
“I felt like after that, that’s when, like, he let us in because his wife liked us and he loved his wife so much. Ever since that night, like, he would give in to our jokes and he would start joking back or he would poke fun at us back.”
Satterley died at 40 years old, and WWE later paid tribute to Neville at the beginning of RAW. The stories since then have painted a remarkably consistent picture of somebody who could intimidate people with his talent before making them laugh once they actually got close to him.
Fans got PAC the wrestler. Bayley and the NXT locker room got Ben the troublemaker, and judging by her reaction, that version may have been even more memorable.
What do you think about Bayley revealing PAC’s goofy backstage personality, and would you have liked to see more of that side of Neville on WWE television? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
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