“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 and 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.”
Shortly after he fell short against Will Ospreay last Saturday at “All Out,” Jon Moxley urged the champion to live life in a manner with which he can be proud. He talked about what happens when men die, and the legacies they leave behind.
“Anybody else who has the guts to do what it takes to be great… to really be great.”
After #AEWAllOut, @JonMoxley reflects with raw honesty, hard-earned perspective, and a reminder that greatness comes with a cost.
Watch #AEWDynamite A Tribute to PAC on TBS & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/PW9VafMFFa
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) October 1, 2026
It was, perhaps, the defining promo of The Death Riders. Their manifesto. All the while, Benjamin Satterley stood by his general’s side.
Satterley, better known to the world as PAC, died hours later, on Sept. 27.
On Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling conjured the wherewithal to honor their fallen brother.
A wave of grief washed over Pittsburgh.
In professional wrestling, catharsis can be found on the canvas; however, it isn’t derived from the results of wins and losses. It comes from the power of story.
As a viewer, though, it would be disingenuous to say that AEW’s efforts last night can be judged based on the merit of conventional thought. Let alone as a pundit.
In reality, it can only be judged based on the tangible effect it had on Satterley’s family, peers, and the performers themselves. Did they find any measure of peace? When love and grief intersect with art, can healing begin?
Still, I’d be remiss if I didn’t applaud AEW. And, when I say AEW, I mean everyone involved in the making of last night’s episode of “Dynamite,” from Tony Khan, to the production team and commentators, to the performers themselves.
The show was a triumph. It was a triumph of the human spirit, expressed in the wrestler’s selfless dedication to their craft. It was a triumph in its celebration of Satterley.
It’s hard to write about the death of a professional wrestler, because it’s an art form that demands our investment. Even though our relationships are parasocial, they feel tangible. Some are certainly more pronounced than others. I didn’t know the man, Benjamin Satterley. I knew the athlete. I knew the “Man That Gravity Forgot.” I knew “The Bastard.” I knew PAC. And, the latter half of his career unfolded before my very eyes.
PAC was one of my guys. To borrow a phrase from Mick Foley, he was one of the “Patron Saints of the Sick Sons of Bitches.” This year alone, his matches with Darby Allin and Shota Umino have produced some of my favorite individual spots. PAC’s awesome bomb on Umino over the ropes, in particular, is one of them.
PAC JUST KILLED SHOTA UMINO THROUGH THE TABLE OUTSIDE.
GOOD FUCKING LORD.
pic.twitter.com/D85GQElwpz— Drainmaker (@TheDrainmaker) June 29, 2026
He was a black swan; graceful, yet destructive, but meticulous in his approach. And, his work was instructive for the athletes that followed in his footsteps.
Last night’s show was proof positive of that conceit.
Jon Moxley [c] vs. Orange Cassidy
The show opened with PAC’s comrade, Moxley, defending his Continental Championship against Orange Cassidy.
PAC’s history with Cassidy dates back to the first “Revolution” pay-per-view, when he helped canonize “Freshly Squeezed” as one of AEW’s regulars in 2020.
It was only fitting that Moxley opened the show. In keeping with what I can only imagine would be PAC’s wishes; Moxley refused to let the mask slip. He marched to the ring with the determination of a warrior, shouldering the burden of the wrestling world’s grief.
Unlike Moxley’s previous encounters with Cassidy, this wasn’t a stage for “Freshly Squeezed” to adopt a more serious persona. Instead, Moxley met Cassidy on his level, leading with levity.
After Moxley successfully retained his title, he stood alone in the ring. Before the magnitude of it all could wash over him, Bryan Danielson returned to help him carry that weight.
Their history is well documented. Moxley is the one who slayed the American Dragon. Grief is a powerful thing, though. Here, it forced the curve of their saga to bend towards something more meaningful. Danielson and Moxley embraced. For a moment, the mask slipped.
(And I f*cking cried)
Match Rating: ****
The Elite vs. The Don Callis Family
Afterwards, PAC’s longtime rivals in The Elite reunited to face the Don Callis Family in an eight-man tag match.
The last time “Hangman” Page, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks joined forces was in 2023, at “Blood & Guts,” when the stable faced PAC, Konosuke Takeshita, and the Blackpool Combat Club.
Page has always worn his emotions on his sleeves. Here, he was visibly overcome with emotion, both before and after the match. Seeing Omega and the Bucks hold up their younger brother only made this more meaningful.
RATING: ***¾
Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet
At the top of the hour, Will Ospreay and Ricochet reignited their famous rivalry — incorporating a variety of PAC’s arsenal to pay homage to their comrade. From the outset, Ricochet and The Gates of Agony let the mask slip. Before the bell, both men met in the center of the ring to embrace.
Ricochet’s relationship with PAC dates back to their time in Dragongate, where the two lived together. Meanwhile, Ospreay has been following in his footsteps since the beginning of his pro-wrestling journey.
While my criticisms of Ospreay have become more pronounced over time, this felt succinct in a way that his matches rarely do — while retaining its bombastic style. Ricochet and Ospreay traded haymakers, but the breaks in the game let everything breathe. While Ricochet wasn’t expressly working heel, his offense was designed to antagonize the world champion.
Ospreay’s penultimate blow was a resounding Hidden Blade, which easily could have ended the match. Instead, he punctuated the affair by attempting PAC’s finishing maneuver, the Black Arrow — which is no small feat. And what a finish it was.
The decision was one of the greatest triumphs of Ospreay’s career; who genuinely seemed unsure whether or not he could land the Black Arrow. When he finally did, he succumbed to the sheer emotion of it all — both relieved and elated. That’s the sort of catharsis that pro-wrestling can provide.
(And I f*cking cried again)
RATING: ****¼
Marina Shafir, Thunder Rosa, & Hyan vs. Mercedes Mone, Persephone, & Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.
There’s currency in good triumphing over evil. Here, Marina Shafir joined forces with the faces to even the odds. Their opponents were a veritable dream team: the AEW World Champion, the TBS Champion, and home game Britt Baker.
While Thunder Rosa and Hyan’s contributions were valuable, it was Shafir who overcame the odds through sheer force of will and the tools she borrowed from her comrade. Namely, the Brutalizer, which nearly bent Baker in half.
RATING: ***½
The Death Riders vs. The Don Callis Family
The main event was an impromptu 10-man tag match between The Death Riders and the Don Callis Family.
While Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, and Gabe Kidd stood opposite their opponents, Moxley opted to join the announce team and coach his adjutants. When Excalibur addressed the four-on-five discrepancy, Moxley played coy, and the Death Riders’ fifth member emerged.
Moxley’s greatest sin was forgiven, and the American Dragon was reborn as a Death Rider.
“It doesn’t matter who you are. Death Riders against the world.”
(And I f*ucking cried again)
RATING: ****½
Memories
Interspersed between all of the matches were small moments from PAC’s peers: reminiscing, grieving, paying respect to the man’s ceaseless dedication to his craft, and celebrating their friend.
The show closed with a tribute to the life of Benjamin Satterley and the performer, PAC.
The Death Riders stood hand-in-hand around an empty chair; brothers and sisters bound by the cruel catharsis of combat.
I refuse to accept the notion that professional wrestling is fake. There was nothing artificial about this. This was real.
So was PAC.
Long live “The Bastard.”
RATING: ∞
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