What happened to Ben ‘Pac’ Satterley? What we know about the AEW star - USA Today

One of the brightest flames in All Elite Wrestling has been extinguished. In a shocking turn of events, the promotion announced Sunday night that Benjamin Satterley, better known to fans as Pac inside the squared circle, passed away aged 40, one day after taking part in the company's annual All Out event.

Satterley had been with the promotion since 2019, adding electric high flying moves and veteran gravitas to the roster of a fledgling brand. AEW needed performers capable of adding a gritty edge and elite work rate as it began an uphill battle to make American wrestling a two-company horse race in prime time. Pac fit the bill, a surly Englishman who proudly called himself a bastard and looked like a vision from J.R.R. Tolkien's nightmares.

He wasn't just a stack of tightly coiled muscle. He was also an acrobat whose finisher, the black arrow, was a tempest of air currents equal parts graceful and violent.

Before challenging, and failing, in an AEW National Championship match against Andrade El Idolo Saturday night, Pac was a foundational member of the Blackpool Combat Club, a one-time All-Atlantic champion (now the AEW International Championship) and a three-time AEW World Trios Champion. He was also a decorated competitor in his six-plus years under the WWE umbrella, winning the NXT Championship and the WWE Cruiserweight championship. His match against Seth Rollins, barely into his main roster career, remains absolute electricity inside the squared circle.

But even after moving to AEW and adopting a hard-edged persona, he proved a capable straight man to the circus of pro wrestling that unfolded around him. His match with Orange Cassidy at 2020's Revolution was a star-maker for both men, establishing each as absolute pros capable of working with just about anyone and creating emotions from intensity, silliness or, as was the case in 2020, intense silliness.

Satterley's death comes just weeks after the passing of another AEW talent. Andy "The Butcher" Williams suffered a reported cardiac event at an independent show earlier this month. Given his status in the company, he'll likely be celebrated with a tribute show so fans and colleagues can send him off with the respect he deserves. No cause of death has yet been reported.

Edit: A previous version of this story misspelled Satterley's name as "Satterly." I regret the error.