Less than 24 hours after his appearance at AEW All Out in Chicago, the wrestling world learned that Benjamin Satterley, also known as All Elite Wrestling star Pac, had unexpectedly died at the age of 40. For AEW wrestler and broadcaster Jeff Jarrett, the news hit especially hard given that he and the former World Trios Champion had just shared a pleasant conversation while backstage at the September 26 pay-per-view.On the latest episode of the"My World" podcast, Jarrett recalled his immediate, shocked reaction after being informed of Pac's passing by his co-host Conrad Thompson."Landed from Chicago [Sunday] morning. Got home, did a few things, and then I went and spoke to a men's group," Jarrett said. "It was called 'Carnivore Night.' I was going to have some fun on the show about that. Beef brisket, tri-tip, all kinds of beef, but it was Carnivore Night at Center Point Church and they had it out at Bagsby Ranch, which is a local place here. They asked me to be the guest speaker. So I took [Kody] with me. I had just finished that, saying my goodbyes, and as I was rounding the corner to walk out the back door, I looked at my phone. Conrad will attest to this. We do a lot of texts, but certainly we'll jump on and talk business, but when I saw your text, Conrad, I don't know, disbelief. I think I'm just like, 'What?' I couldn't wrap my head around it."Pac's cause of death is still pending, though as of a week ago, a spokesperson for the Cook County medical examiner's office indicated that it didn't appear suspicious. The AEW star was found passed out in a vehicle located in the parking lot of a restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois on Sunday, September 27. He was later pronounced dead when authorities arrived at the scene shortly after 4 PM local time.The day before, Pac had challenged Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship at All Out. He also appeared in the PPV's main event in an attempt to help his Death Riders stablemate Jon Moxley dethrone AEW World Champion Will Ospreay.
Backstage, Jarrett remembered him and Pac also having a fun conversation about sports, one that left "The Last Outlaw" laughing when they eventually parted ways."Me and Pac ended up right by the coffee and we met," Jarrett said. "We just started chatting. I got a buddy who's connected with rugby in the UK, so we started down a rugby conversation. Our bumping into each other at the coffee cooler area went from about a two or three minute chat to 10, 15 minute chat. He's more of a soccer guy. Just a good-hearted chat, nothing about wrestling. Then when you have those kind of conversations, to me, then all of a sudden, life. Then you get into the real person, it's not business. That conversation, just about the most simplistic deal in the world. Of course, he had his match to go on, too, and I was going back to get dressed. But that is the last memory I have."Following his chat with Pac, Jarrett prepared himself to co-host the All Out pre-show alongside Renee Paquette, RJ City, and Mick Foley. This portion included three bouts: Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata, the Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart and Skye Blue) vs. Mina Shirakawa and Queen Aminata, and an Eight-man Tornado Tailgate Brawl, the latter of which ended just moments before Andrade and Pac kicked off the main show with their AEW National Title Match.When Jarrett departed the broadcast booth during the opening moments of Pac vs. Andrade, he recalled thinking that two would set a high bar for the rest of All Out. Andrade went on to defeat "The B***ard" after countering the Brutalizer submission into a roll-up.
One week later, tributes and stories about Pac, similar to Jarrett's, continue to flood social media and wrestling programming. Many of his friends and colleagues have described him as a kind-hearted, humble individual and a quiet perfectionist. As Jarrett and others have also attested, Pac was a passionate student of the wrestling business, too."Pac, yes he's talented in the ring, and we can talk about that for days, but the human being. I know this is going to be said a lot, but Pac loved this business I want to say the right way," Jarrett said. "Full transparency, I've loved this business, I believe, the right way and the wrong way. But Pac loved it, gave to it, a student of it. You could tell he's all business, not only the wrestling business, but the world. Back-to-back, way too soon. Godspeed, my man.Last Wednesday, the AEW team gathered to celebrate Pac with a special "AEW Dynamite" tribute show, headlined by a 10-man tag match pitting The Death Riders and a returning Bryan Danielson against The Don Callis Family. Will Ospreay and Ricochet, two of his biggest rivals, faced off as well, with Ospreay notably delivering the Black Arrow to honor him.If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "My World" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
