The Rock didn’t dance around how hard PAC’s death hit him. Dwayne Johnson took to Instagram on September 29, 2026, and said losing Benjamin Satterley at just 40 years old “really f***ing hurts,” while sending love directly to PAC’s family, Tony Khan, the AEW locker room and everyone in WWE who knew him.
The message came after AEW announced PAC’s death at 40 years old on Sunday night. Satterley had wrestled Andrade at AEW All Out just one night earlier before later appearing during the Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay main event. Rock opened the video by sending everything he could to Satterley’s family. He also took a moment to explain to fans outside the wrestling bubble exactly who PAC was and how their paths had crossed.
“Man, it hurts my heart to do this. I want to send out into the universe and to the Satterley family, my love and my condolences, my support, my light, my mana as you are enduring the loss of your loved one, Benjamin Satterley. For those who are watching this, who don’t know who Benjamin Satterley is, he was a professional wrestler known in the WWE as Neville. Had met him a few times, shook his hand and most recently known as PAC in AEW, All Elite Wrestling. And he passed away sadly young, too young, I believe he was 40, and just so sorry to hear this news.”
From there, Rock got into something wrestling fans understand immediately — the companies may be rivals, but the people inside them are still part of the same weird little family. He pointed to WWE, AEW and wrestlers working all over the world, saying the business may be global now, but the bond between wrestlers hasn’t changed.
“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.”
Then Rock got brutally honest about what it feels like when somebody that young and talented is suddenly gone.
“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 fucking hurts. And especially when a life is robbed and you don’t get that opportunity to live a full life.”
Rock didn’t stop with PAC’s family. He directly addressed Tony Khan and the AEW locker room, making it clear that this wasn’t some WWE-versus-AEW moment. It was wrestlers grieving another wrestler.
“So to my friend, Tony Khan, I’m so sorry for your loss, my friend. QT and the entire locker, 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.”
Satterley had competed at AEW All Out on September 26, losing to Andrade in a National Championship match before resurfacing later in the show.
By Sunday afternoon, the situation had turned tragic. Satterley was found unresponsive inside a rental vehicle in Des Plaines, Illinois, and was pronounced dead later that day. His cause of death has not been officially announced, with additional testing still pending. Rock avoided speculating about what happened. Instead, he turned the final stretch of his message into something bigger, saying losses like this should force everyone to think about how quickly life can change.
“Let this heartbreaking loss, may it inform us all, as all losses do when we lose people we love and care about, young, not young, family members, etc. Let it guide and inform us on how we should live every day, in every moment, try to be as present as we possibly can in everything we do. Because you just never know what’s waiting around the corner.”
“God bless you, Benjamin, and thank you for the memories and thank you for entertaining the masses. And as I like to say, thank you for moving the crowd and as we say in wrestling, thank you for the house. Satterley strong.”
The Rock has lost plenty of friends in and around wrestling over the years, and this one clearly hit a nerve. PAC was only 40, had wrestled less than 24 hours before his death, and was still actively performing at the highest level. Rock’s message cut through the company lines and got right to the point — losing somebody that young and that gifted hurts like hell.
What did you think of The Rock saying PAC’s death “really f***ing hurts,” and what PAC memory sticks with you the most? Let us know your thoughts and feedback 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.
