PITTSBURGH — Emotion. That is a word that echoes deeply through any retrospective of this particular evening, as an immeasurable weight hung over the Petersen Events Center for what transpired as a profoundly somber, yet astonishingly poignant, episode of AEW Dynamite.
What was originally expected to be All Elite Wrestling’s celebratory return television broadcast following an incredible All Out Pay-Per-View instead transformed into an evening of collective mourning, shared grief, and a profound celebration of the life of Benjamin Satterly, universally known to fans across the globe as "The Bastard" Pac.
Satterly passed away unexpectedly on Sunday at the age of 40, coming less than 24 hours after he performed at All Out in Chicago, delivering a tremendous, hard-hitting one-on-one contest against Andrade el Idolo for the National Championship. Consequently, in Pittsburgh—the very city where he wrestled his first-ever Dynamite main event—the promotion gathered to honor a fallen friend and colleague, a heartbreaking duty that this specific locker room has been forced to shoulder far too often in recent years.
Since its inception in 2019, AEW has faced the tragic loss of four remarkable performers from its roster. In December 2020, Jon Huber, celebrated by fans as Mr. Brodie Lee, passed away following a hard-fought battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The resulting Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode of Dynamite remains etched in history as one of the finest television broadcasts the company has ever produced. That memorable night featured Huber’s young son, Brodie, getting physically involved in a six-man tag-team match to help John Silver, Hangman Page, and Alex Reynolds secure a victory over MJF and The Inner Circle. The evening culminated with AEW chairman Tony Khan officially retiring the red-strap design of the TNT Championship—the distinctive design that Huber had made famous within the company. In an unforgettable final image, Huber’s widow, Amanda, and young Brodie placed his worn boots in the center of the ring while fellow wrestlers Cody Rhodes, Preston Vance, and Khan offered their support.
Just over two years later, in January 2023, the wrestling world suffered another devastating loss when Jay Briscoe, whose legal name was Jamin Pugh, lost his life in a tragic car accident. The January 25, 2023, episode of Dynamite honored his memory by placing Jay’s brother, Mark Briscoe, in an emotional main event against their longtime friend and rival, Jay Lethal. Mark ultimately won the bout with the Jay Driller, prompting the entire locker room to pour out onto the entrance ramp to celebrate the emotional victory and honor the enduring life and legacy of his brother.
Only two weeks prior to the Pittsburgh gathering, Andy Williams, widely known as The Butcher, passed away following an independent wrestling appearance. Williams had long been a reliable fixture of AEW’s competitive tag team division as one half of The Butcher and the Blade. His passing occurred during the exact same week that AEW had planned a special episode of Dynamite to honor Rebel, a beloved AEW star currently battling ALS. Just days after Williams’ passing, AEW paid a moving tribute to him during Saturday’s broadcast of Collision.
And then arrived Wednesday. The entire AEW locker room once again poured onto the entrance stage, bowing their heads in unison to pay their final respects to Satterly through a traditional 10-bell salute. As the performers raised their heads, a heartbreaking reality settled over the arena: this locker room is not merely sad; it is profoundly tired. They are tired of mourning, tired of standing for 10-bell salutes, tired of shedding the deep, agonizing tears that only come from losing someone truly close, and tired of penning heartfelt tribute posts on social media to express how deeply they will miss their departed friends.
Despite the crushing weight of grief, what followed was arguably one of the most remarkable and artistically transcendent episodes of professional wrestling television that any company has ever produced. While the physical competition inside the ring was inherently secondary to the emotional burden carried by every individual performer, the sheer brilliance of the in-ring storytelling proved to be a poetic and fitting tribute to Pac’s remarkable legacy.
The broadcast opened with a visibly and audibly shaken Excalibur welcoming the audience. Rather than focusing immediately on the fearsome persona of Pac, he introduced viewers to Ben—the man who, once he stepped behind the curtain, transformed from a self-proclaimed "Bastard" into a loving, charming, and deeply endearing friend. He was a man who genuinely loved his profession, cherished his family, and found joy in simple things like his "sausage dogs" and the hedgehogs that regularly visited his garden.
Broadcast viewers were then transitioned to Tony Schiavone, who stood solemnly inside the squared circle alongside a framed photograph of Satterly and a floral wreath. Schiavone continued to praise the genuine character of the man behind the superstar, emphasizing to the audience that everyone should strive to live the way Ben lived: with unwavering kindness and as a truly wonderful human being.
The broadcast also featured a poignant archival promo from Jon Moxley, Satterly’s stablemate in the Death Riders. Following his own grueling match against Will Ospreay at All Out, Moxley spoke eloquently about the importance of treasuring every single day of life. He noted that when our time comes, we are ultimately given one of two eulogies: one reflecting what we did, and one reflecting who we were. In an eerie, haunting, yet beautifully poetic moment, the final person to exit the frame after those profound words was Pac himself, marking what would tragically be his final on-screen appearance.
Led by AEW chairman Tony Khan, the locker room gathered on the stage for the solemn 10-bell salute. While the evening did not necessitate a meticulous, move-by-move breakdown of every athletic contest, the booked card was intentionally structured with numerous subtle nods and specific spots that paid direct tribute to the defining moments of Pac’s storied career.
The opening contest pitted Jon Moxley against one of Pac’s greatest all-time rivals, Orange Cassidy. Both competitors were visibly emotional, with Cassidy requiring a quiet moment after the opening bell to compose himself. In a touching touch of continuity, the two recreated a signature comedy spot from their past rivalry, with Cassidy rolling away from Pac multiple times. Pac’s relentless intensity contrasted against Cassidy’s trademark indifference had historically created brilliant entertainment, and on this night, it carried a heavy emotional resonance. Moxley ultimately secured the victory, but the segment did not end there. In a stunning surprise, the arena erupted as Bryan Danielson’s music hit, signaling his walk to the ring. In the ongoing storyline, Moxley and the Death Riders had effectively ended the career of Danielson, who has been retired from in-ring competition in real life since a severe beatdown by the group nearly two years ago. The two men stood face-to-face, locked eyes, and embraced in a tearful hug as Danielson visibly sobbed.
Later in the evening, The Elite—consisting of The Young Bucks alongside "Hangman" Adam Page and Kenny Omega—reunited. This marked Omega’s first match back since losing the world championship to Will Ospreay at All In in late August. They faced off against The Don Callis Family, represented by Kyle Fletcher, Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta. While this particular match was not defined by specific in-ring callbacks to Pac’s repertoire, it featured the company’s foundational group performing in their signature style, proudly honoring their fallen friend under the banner of All Elite Wrestling. Before the bell, Page delivered a heartfelt sit-down tribute, fondly reminiscing about his early program with Pac. He recalled how Pac stunned everyone on the company’s inaugural day by showing up to the opening press conference dressed in his full wrestling gear—an iconic moment that directly inspired the naming of AEW’s major pay-per-view, Full Gear. The two had subsequently faced off in what was essentially the first unofficial match in the company’s history at an independent show in Nottingham, England. The Elite ultimately claimed the victory following a combination of a V-Trigger, a Buckshot Lariat, and a BTE-Trigger from the Bucks to secure the pinfall.
In another standout moment, Will Ospreay and Ricochet delivered a performance that functioned as an absolute love letter to Pac’s career. Their match was packed with direct callbacks to their own previous encounters with him, alongside offensive maneuvers and high-flying spots that Pac had famously popularized during his stints across Dragongate, Ring of Honor, NXT, WWE, and AEW. The match concluded when Ospreay climbed to the top turnbuckle and executed Pac’s patented finishing maneuver, the Black Arrow—a breathtaking corkscrew shooting star press that only a tiny fraction of athletes in professional wrestling history have ever been capable of performing. In a moment of cinematic perfection, camera framing caught the massive jumbotron image of Pac looking down over Ospreay’s shoulder, creating the eerie visual sensation that Pac was standing right beside him as he prepared to launch into the air. Ospreay landed a picture-perfect version of the move to secure the win, after which he, Ricochet, and their respective allies shared an emotional embrace in the center of the ring. Ospreay later took to social media to reveal the dedication he poured into executing the tribute.
"Got to the arena at 2PM and was in the ring til doors opened practicing," Ospreay wrote online. "I haven’t performed the Black Arrow in 8 years. Something told me on this night I could make the jump. I threw my heart out in front of me and Ben caught it. Thank you Pac."
The women’s division was represented by a trios tag team match featuring the team of Persephone, Dr. Britt Baker, and Mercedes Moné squaring off against Thunder Rosa, Hyan, and Marina Shafir, who was Pac’s fellow stablemate in the Death Riders. Shafir secured the victory for her team by locking Dr. Britt Baker into the Brutalizer, Pac’s signature submission hold, forcing an immediate tap out. Shafir had wrestled on an independent event the very day Pac passed away, speaking candidly to the live crowd that night about how grateful she was that she had the chance to tell Pac she loved him before his passing.
The evening culminated in a high-stakes main event that saw other members of The Don Callis Family—Mark Davis, Lance Archer, Jake Doyle, Josh Alexander, and Wardlow—colliding with the Death Riders contingent of Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, and Gabe Kidd. Although Moxley had already competed earlier in the night, he walked out with his stablemates before heading directly to the commentary desk to help call the action. As the two factions stared each other down, a brief sense of mystery hung in the air regarding whether the Death Riders would compete undermanned or if a surprise fifth member would emerge.
The mystery was answered when Bryan Danielson’s music hit once again, though this time he emerged in full wrestling gear, stepping out of retirement to temporarily aid the Death Riders in honor of their fallen friend. Despite the chaos inherent in a ten-person tag team match, Danielson looked every bit like "The American Dragon" of years past. More than just delivering his greatest hits, he willingly took physical bumps on his surgically repaired neck—the very medical issue that had forced him into retirement. The Death Riders ultimately claimed the victory, standing tall in the ring with their arms wrapped tightly around one another as a tribute video celebrating Ben’s life played across the jumbotron. The final lingering shot of Dynamite focused on Pac’s empty chair, which traditionally sat at ringside to mark the beginning of the Death Riders’ entrance, while chants of "He’s our Bastard" echoed passionately through the arena.
The profound efforts of everyone involved in orchestrating the tribute broadcast earned universal admiration, with particular praise directed toward Jon Moxley. Despite suffering the immense personal loss of a close friend, Moxley not only stepped into the ring to compete but also served as the emotional through-line for the entire broadcast. While AEW boasts a stellar roster of legendary talents—from Executive Vice Presidents The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega to world champion Will Ospreay—Moxley remains the undisputed ace of the promotion, the reliable figure the company turns to when navigating the most difficult tides.
Throughout the night, poignant video tributes poured in from colleagues such as Cash Wheeler, Jay White, Adam Page, Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, referee Bryce Remsburg, and numerous others who simply wanted the world to know what a wonderful human being their friend was. AEW has consistently demonstrated an unmatched ability to handle sensitive tribute shows with profound grace and emotional resonance. While these broadcasts are always executed with immense love and care, the universal sentiment among the locker room and fanbase remains a collective hope that they will never have to produce one again.
For those who knew him strictly as Pac rather than Benjamin Satterly, the emotional outpouring from everyone within AEW made it abundantly clear that he was far more than an exceptionally gifted professional wrestler. By all accounts, he may have very well been a near-perfect human being as well. To borrow the fitting words of the man himself: "Don’t you dare forget about The Bastard."