PAC's match against Andrade at AEW All Out in September was one of the highlights of the show. Approximately 24 hours later, he was gone.
Benjamin Satterley, also known as PAC and Neville, was found dead in his car outside of a restaurant in Chicago before he was scheduled to fly out of town following the pay-per-view. His death rocked the pro wrestling world, leading AEW to dedicate its entire edition of AEW Dynamite that week to his passing.
This weekend's WrestleDream show in Orlando (a city Satterley was quite embedded in during his time in WWE NXT) will be the company's first major show without him. For veterans like Samoa Joe, who is in the main event of the evening in the inaugural Clockwork Carnage match, Satterley's passing is still incredibly fresh.
"Ben was a guy that came up with a lot of us in that who we watched just have this meteoric rise internationally, probably from one of the most improbable places at the time when you think about the scene where there was actually people were getting exposure. But he was that good," he said.
Joe explained to The Takedown on SI that Satterley was beloved across the AEW locker room, and his loss has left a void in the company.
"He was that good where, going from his work to Japan, even back in the States, everybody knew he was something special," Joe said. "And then you get the pleasure of meeting a guy like him and being his friend and kind of understanding the wonderful human being that he is."
"If anything for us it's just it's it's just a big empty hole. We really miss having him around. We miss having an excuse to see him every week is kind of what we say. It's tough going back to work and not seeing him there."
AEW carries PAC into WrestleDream
As noted, Joe will take part in the first-ever Clockwork Carnage match, pitting him against seven others in an attempt to win the AEW World Championship for the third time in his career.
While AEW is often widely praised for its pay-per-view efforts, Joe noted that he and the rest of the roster will carry a heavy heart into Orlando on Saturday, but also, savor the opportunity to get to even perform for a living in the first place.
"I think it just makes us more thankful for the opportunity to do so," he said. "I think that's what it really is. [When] you begin any endeavor with that type of thankfulness in your heart, you usually do a pretty good job. So that's how it works out."
If you use any quotes from this piece, please H/T The Takedown on SI.
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