Hearts were heavy to start All Elite Wrestling’s “Dynamite” on Wednesday as the company and the pro wrestlers on the roster paid tribute to Pac, who died over the weekend at 40.
Pac, whose real name is Benjamin Satterley, died Sunday hours after AEW’s All Out pay-per-view. Wrestlers in the company gathered on the stage as they listened to broadcaster Tony Schiavone give touching words about Pac.
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Schiavone then called on fans and viewers at home to a poignant promo Jon Moxley cut after he lost an AEW World Championship match to Will Ospreay in the main event of the pay-per-view. Moxley was surrounded by his Death Riders stablemates, including Marina Shafir, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta and Pac. Schiavone noted it was the final time Pac was on AEW cameras.
“I gave everything I had. I took every shot I had to the best of my ability. I have no regrets. Will Ospreay is indomitable. It’s just part of the game, though, man. You’re gonna lose. I don’t care who you are, you’re gonna lose. You gotta know how to lose. You’re gonna lose in wrestling. You’re gonna lose in life. You’re gonna lose people. You’re gonna lose opportunities. You’re not going to get what you deserve. You’re not always going to get what you earned. Things aren’t always going to go your way. But what are you gonna do?
“You gotta smile, get up tomorrow and do it again and just give it your best every single day because every single day is a gift. Do you know what it’s like to walk out in front of a sold out crowd? Chicago? New York? Tokyo? Sold-out crowd like tonight? Surrounded by your friends, teammates, these great people that pay that money they work hard all week for to see you do? The opportunity to be out there in the ring? Out there in the ring, doing this job, the best job in the world? There is nothing better than that.
“Every day is a gift. Look, I’m serious, Will. You won tonight. You were the better man tonight. You are the best in the ring. Congratulations. All you have earned is more hard work. There’s two kinds of eulogies at funerals. One of them is, ‘This is what this guy did.’ The other one is, ‘This is who this guy was.’ When I’m dead, burned up and I’m ashes and I’m in the wind, I know which eulogy I want to have. I know what I want people to say about me at my funeral. I know what I expect from you, Will. After a couple years, I still don’t think anybody sees it, man.
“They don’t see what we have. What this place can be. What we’ve been gifted. What’s at stake. The future of professional wrestling, our craft, what we grew up dreaming of doing, what kids around the world – just like us, nobodies from nowhere – what they’re growing up dreaming of doing right now. We have the future in pro wrestling in the palm of our hands. Whatever pro wrestling is gonna be, it’s going to be what we make it (pointing to his Death Riders teammates), Will Ospreay, anybody else, who has the guts to do what it takes to be great, to really be great, to really grab life by the ba—s, to take this opportunity, to take this gift and do something with it. Do something with it.”
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Moxley walked off when he was finished. Shafir, Wheeler and Garcia followed him. On the left hand side of the corner, Pac was brooding with his long hair flowing down his face and his arms crossed.
Pac turned and followed the rest of the group.
Later, Moxley started the night defending the AEW Continental Championship against Orange Cassidy. As he walked out from the side of the arena, a chair was left out in honor of Pac.
Moxley defeated Cassidy to retain the title. As Moxley gathered himself in the ring, AEW legend Bryan Danielson’s music hit. Danielson was clearly emotional given the circumstances of the night. He and Moxley have had long and storied wars in the ring since both of them joined AEW.
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Danielson and Moxley hugged in the ring, putting their differences aside for one moment in honor of Pac.
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