The Rock’s tribute to PAC clearly left an impression on Jim Ross. After watching Dwayne Johnson put WWE and AEW aside to honor Benjamin Satterley, Ross said that’s exactly how the wrestling business should be acting when one of its own passes away.
Speaking on Grilling JR, Ross and Conrad Thompson were looking back at PAC’s incredible 2020 Iron Man match with Kenny Omega when the conversation shifted to The Rock’s tribute video. Thompson admitted that, out of everything he’d seen online after PAC’s passing, Johnson’s message stood out because he simply paid respect to Ben while also saying kind words about Tony Khan and AEW instead of turning it into another company rivalry.
“Speaking of one of the best in the world, I don’t know if you saw this, but on social media—and I’ll admit there’s been some dirt to dig through—I was so surprised and so happy to see a long-form video, a selfie video from The Rock in his home gym, paying tribute to the real-life Ben and having some very kind words for Ben and Tony Khan and AEW. He just put all the tribalism to the side, and he was just a real f******dude. Shout-out to The Rock.”
Ross loved hearing that, as he said, “Isn’t that nice?” After Thompson agreed, Jim Ross questioned why wrestling can’t do that more often.
“And it should—how easy could it be?”
Ross then compared wrestling to Major League Baseball. With the MLB playoffs underway, he pointed out that you don’t see people from the American League and National League constantly taking shots at each other just because they’re on different sides.
“If everybody—you know, it’s like MLB playoffs are underway now, the Wild Card games, all that shit. Well, you don’t see the American League representatives and any National League representatives at each other’s throat. You just don’t see it because it’s unheard of. You don’t see it at all. So, wrestling—wrestling doesn’t do its own self that many favors at times.”
The comments came just days after The Rock posted an emotional video following PAC’s death, where he offered condolences to Satterley’s family, Tony Khan, the AEW locker room and everyone in WWE who knew him. Rather than making it about promotions, Johnson made it about a wrestler who was gone far too soon.
Bottom line: Jim Ross clearly appreciated that approach. In his eyes, moments like this aren’t about WWE or AEW—they’re about remembering someone who dedicated his life to professional wrestling.
Do you agree with Jim Ross? Should the wrestling business put tribalism aside more often, especially when it’s time to honor one of its own? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
