Gabe Kidd thought he and PAC might eventually have something pretty special together in AEW. While reflecting on the late wrestler, Kidd revealed that the two had actually started discussing the idea of becoming a tag team — two “rough English boys” tearing it up on American television.
Speaking with Chris Jericho, Kidd opened up about his relationship with PAC, whom he referred to by his real name, Ben. Their history went all the way back to 2011, when Kidd was helping set up the ring for a Dragon Gate UK event in Nottingham.
“I met Ben in 2011 in Nottingham, Dragon Gate UK. I was setting up the ring because it was our ring. And we were setting it up, and it was in the Royal Albert Hall, and it was just this beautiful venue with an organ in the back.”
They would cross paths on and off over the years, but Kidd said they became much closer during their time together in the Death Riders. In the weeks leading up to PAC’s reported passing, the two spent more time together on the road and Kidd started discovering sides of him he never expected.
“He told me he loved dancehall music, and I was like, ‘I would have never thought that, bro.’ And even in the Death Riders locker room, I bring in a speaker just to get that energy up before we have to go out there. And I’m putting on dubstep, and he’s like, ‘You like dubstep? I love dubstep.’ And I’m like, ‘Never would have guessed that.’”
Those conversations went much deeper than music. Kidd recalled having dinner with PAC in Charleston, West Virginia, where they started comparing the surprisingly similar paths they had taken after leaving England for Japan.
“But we were saying that we went there as boys. We lived at home, never lived outside of the home. And when we went there, it was like the first time we had to do our own laundry and stuff like that.”
And somewhere during those conversations, the two started kicking around an idea that unfortunately never got the chance to become reality. Kidd revealed that he and PAC discussed teaming together in AEW and leaning heavily into their shared English backgrounds.
“And just, we were talking about the idea of a tag team and being like two rough English boys, you know, on American TV.”
Kidd also made it clear just how much respect he had developed for PAC. Being around his Death Riders teammate and seeing his commitment firsthand apparently pushed Kidd to demand even more from himself.
“And we’re connecting, and just his level of commitment only makes me want to be a better human, even when I think I’m doing it.”
For Kidd, processing PAC’s reported death still doesn’t seem completely real. He explained that PAC would sometimes disappear from AEW shows while returning home to England, and part of him still feels like this is simply another one of those stretches where Ben isn’t around.
“And then you realize why, and it’s almost you don’t want to accept it. It’s still so fresh. And there would be periods of time where he would go back to England and he just wouldn’t be at the show. So it almost still feels like that now.”
The tag team idea obviously carries a much different weight for Kidd now. What started as two friends talking over dinner about putting a couple of rough English wrestlers together on American television has instead become one of those ideas Kidd will always be left wondering about.
Would you have liked to see Gabe Kidd and PAC become a full-time tag team in AEW? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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.
