AEW commentator Tony Schiavone has paid an emotional tribute to Pac following the death of the wrestler, whose real name was Benjamin Satterley, at the age of 40.
Pac’s final match came at AEW All Out 2026, where he defended the AEW National Championship against Andrade El Idolo. Schiavone was on commentary for that bout, not knowing at the time that it would be Pac’s last appearance in a wrestling ring. Pac died less than 24 hours after the event, prompting an outpouring of remembrance from colleagues and fans throughout professional wrestling.
Speaking on What Happened When?, Schiavone described the profound contrast between Pac’s intimidating on-screen presentation and the person he knew behind the scenes. Known during much of his career as “The Bastard,” Pac built a reputation as one of wrestling’s most intense, uncompromising competitors. Schiavone said that description could not have been further from Satterley’s demeanor away from the spotlight.
“Ben was without a doubt the most genuine, nicest guy backstage,” Schiavone said. “He was the complete opposite of what you saw on TV, he was a wonderful human being.”
For more background on this topic, read The Elite Reunite as AEW Dynamite: Tribute to PAC Card Takes Shape.
Schiavone recalled the personal conversations the two shared over the years, including frequent discussions about their families. He said Pac often asked after Schiavone’s wife, Lois, after learning that both Lois and Pac’s mother had undergone knee replacement procedures. Those exchanges, Schiavone explained, reflected the kind of person Pac was in an environment where wrestlers, announcers, producers, and crew members spend countless hours together.
For Schiavone, those moments stand as an important part of Pac’s legacy. The high-flying star was renowned globally for his speed, physicality, technical ability, and fierce presence. Yet among those working with him in AEW, Schiavone said the lasting memory is of somebody considerate, sincere, and easy to be around.
“We would talk and we would also talk about ... just about life, and he was a wonderful guy,” Schiavone said. “It’s funny, it was kind of like we all would kind of laugh because his nickname was ‘The B******’ but he was anything but.”
The commentator also spoke about learning of Pac’s death. Schiavone said he was on a Zoom call with friends from his neighborhood when an AEW attorney contacted him and urged him to call because the matter was urgent. After receiving the devastating news, Schiavone said he spent the remainder of Sunday and all of Monday speaking with friends, relatives, and fellow AEW personnel about Pac.
The immediate shock has been especially difficult because Pac remained an active and prominent member of the AEW roster. His All Out championship match against Andrade was not framed as a farewell or a final chapter. It was another major contest in the career of a performer who had consistently delivered at the highest level, whether working in singles competition, tag team bouts, title programs, or high-profile pay-per-view matches.
The Black Arrow’s Singular Place in Pac’s Career
Among the many elements of Pac’s ring legacy, Schiavone singled out the Black Arrow as a move that should be permanently tied to its creator and most celebrated practitioner. The Black Arrow, Pac’s spectacular twisting shooting star press, became one of the most remarkable finishing maneuvers in modern wrestling. It demanded extraordinary aerial awareness, athleticism, timing, and courage, making it a fitting exclamation point for a wrestler whose performances routinely pushed the boundaries of what appeared possible.
Schiavone believes the move should be retired as a mark of respect to Pac. He also questioned whether another wrestler could truly reproduce it at the same level.
“It’s probably time to retire the Black Arrow, that move he had,” Schiavone said. “But to be honest with you, I don’t think anybody else could ever do something like that because to me, it was maybe the greatest finishing move we had.”
That opinion speaks to the distinctiveness of Pac’s work. Wrestling has always included signature holds and aerial moves that become inseparable from the performers who made them famous. The Black Arrow was more than a visually spectacular flourish. Pac deployed it with a precision that made it feel decisive, dangerous, and rare. It was not simply a difficult move performed for applause; it was a finishing strike fans recognized as the conclusion of a Pac match.
Retiring the Black Arrow would ensure that it remains connected to Satterley’s extraordinary body of work. His influence was built not only on a remarkable move set, but on the complete identity he created in the ring: the scowl, the intensity, the sudden explosions of speed, and the conviction that every match mattered.
AEW Faces an Emotional Night on Dynamite
AEW’s September 30 edition of Dynamite is set to be a tribute show dedicated to Pac. Schiavone acknowledged the challenge facing everyone involved in the production, saying he did not know how the company would get through the night emotionally. Still, he expressed confidence that AEW’s performers and staff would come together to honor their colleague appropriately.
He characterized AEW as a family, one that experiences the ordinary tensions and disagreements that come with any large group of people working closely together. But Schiavone emphasized that, when the company goes live for Dynamite, Collision, or a pay-per-view, people set aside those differences to deliver the best possible event for the audience.
“We’re all this family, and in a family you have disagreements,” Schiavone said. “You fight, you don’t always get along, but when the 8:00 hits on a Wednesday or on a Saturday, or there’s a pay-per-view telecast, when we take the air, you put all that behind you and you put out a great telecast.”
That shared commitment will now be tested under heartbreaking circumstances. Schiavone described the death of an important member of that family as something that “rips us” and leaves a void. The language reflects the scale of the loss, not only for Pac’s closest friends but for a company in which he had been a significant part of the roster and locker room.
Schiavone said he felt Dynamite should begin with the entire roster gathered in the ring for a ten-bell salute. He made clear, however, that AEW President Tony Khan will determine the final presentation and has his own ideas about how to honor Pac. Regardless of the format, Schiavone said he has faith in the people involved to make the broadcast meaningful.
Khan has already addressed the human side of preparing for the tribute program. During a recent ROH taping, he said that participation in the upcoming show will be voluntary. Those who feel they cannot attend because the loss is too painful will not be required to do so. The decision recognizes that grief does not affect every person in the same way, particularly in a profession where coworkers form close bonds while traveling, training, and performing together.
A Legacy That Extends Beyond the Ring
Schiavone said Pac was the kind of person for whom praise after a loss does not feel like an empty convention. He noted that Pac may not have agreed with every creative decision, angle, or booking direction, but he never became difficult to work with and never created the kind of problems that lead to lasting resentment. In Schiavone’s view, there was simply no legitimate bad word to say about him.
That speaks to a professional reputation that matched the respect Pac commanded as a performer. He was capable of delivering elite-level matches against a broad range of opponents and adapting to varied roles, from a relentless singles fighter to a crucial part of the Death Triangle unit. Yet the tributes emerging after his death have centered just as strongly on the person behind the character.
Pac leaves behind a career defined by originality, fearlessness, and an unmistakable connection with audiences who understood that every movement in his matches carried urgency. For Schiavone and many within AEW, Benjamin Satterley will be remembered with equal force for the kindness and humanity he showed when the cameras were off.
The September 30 Dynamite will offer AEW an opportunity to celebrate both sides of that legacy: Pac, the singular athlete whose Black Arrow became an enduring image in modern wrestling, and Ben, the beloved colleague remembered as one of the kindest people in the locker room.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.