A woman who called 911 after finding AEW wrestler PAC unresponsive said she had spent about five minutes banging on his car window without getting a response, according to audio published Oct. 7 by TMZ.
The caller described a gray Volkswagen parked beside her own vehicle. Its engine was running, and she said the person inside had his eyes open but was lying still.
When a fire department dispatcher asked whether she could see his chest rising and falling, she said she could not. Emergency responders were directed to the parking lot.
PAC, whose real name was Benjamin Satterley, was pronounced dead at 4:08 p.m. on Sept. 27 outside a CAVA restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. He was 40.
His Phone Was Still Directing Him Toward O’Hare
A Des Plaines Police Department incident report obtained by Us Weekly describes Satterley leaning back in the driver’s seat of an Enterprise rental car. Officers used his wallet to confirm his identity and found his phone in the center console with Google Maps directing him toward O’Hare International Airport.
Two suitcases and a backpack were also in the vehicle. Another officer noticed Satterley’s phone ringing and answered an incoming call from an acquaintance in the United Kingdom.The person said Satterley’s flight had been delayed and that he had told them he planned to eat lunch at CAVA before traveling home.
Des Plaines police told TMZ they found no signs of foul play. The incident report recorded no apparent injuries or suspicious markings. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office completed an autopsy, with the cause and manner of death pending additional testing. Officials told Us Weekly that results could take several weeks.
PAC Had Faced Andrade the Previous Night
At AEW All Out on Sept. 26, PAC challenged Andrade El Ídolo for the AEW National Championship in the pay-per-view’s opening match. Andrade retained the title by reversing PAC’s Brutalizer submission into a pin.
PAC subsequently appeared during the main event between Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley alongside his Death Riders teammates. He also took part in a backstage segment filmed after the show, standing with the group while Moxley addressed his defeat.
AEW Dedicated Dynamite to PAC
AEW dedicated the Sept. 30 episode of Dynamite in Pittsburgh to Satterley, with tributes and a ten-bell salute. A spotlight then illuminated PAC’s empty chair, with a towel draped over it.
Bryan Danielson returned to the ring that night, embracing Moxley before later joining the Death Riders in a ten-man tag-team main event. Marina Shafir won her trios match using PAC’s Brutalizer, while Ospreay finished his bout with the Black Arrow.
After the broadcast, AEW released an extended collection of recorded tributes from colleagues including Danielson, The Young Bucks, Andrade and Chuck Taylor. The online video included memories that had not appeared during the television show.
His Family Remembered His Life Away From Wrestling
Renee Paquette read a statement from Satterley’s wife, Natalie, and his parents, Jillian and Stephen, during the tribute episode. The family said messages from around the world had helped them through their grief. They particularly appreciated tributes that recognized his principles and kindness alongside his wrestling ability.
They recalled his love of Newcastle United, reggae and hip-hop, nights out dancing with his wife and friends, and time with his parents, according to PWMania. He was his parents’ only child.
They also remembered his dachshund, Wolfie, whom they called his “sausage dog son,” and thanked Tony Khan and AEW for supporting both Satterley during his career and the family after his death.
WWE Released Its Own Collection of Memories
On Oct. 7, WWE released a tribute lasting nearly 40 minutes to the performer its audiences knew as Neville.
Kevin Owens, Becky Lynch, Cody Rhodes, Bayley, Sami Zayn, Penta, Rey Fenix, Tyson Kidd, William Regal, Finn Bálor and Corey Graves were among those sharing memories of working and traveling with him.
Owens described Satterley as a favorite wrestler and a close friend. Lynch spoke about his devotion to Natalie, while Bálor recalled their early meeting in a Newcastle church basement and the friendship that followed them through Japan, NXT and WWE.
His Career Spanned WWE, Dragon Gate and AEW
Satterley began wrestling in 2004 and built an international career that included Japan’s Dragon Gate before joining WWE’s developmental system in 2012. As Adrian Neville and later Neville, he became NXT Champion, an NXT Tag Team Champion and a two-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
His Red Arrow finishing move helped establish his reputation as an aerial performer. He later adopted the villainous King of the Cruiserweights persona before leaving WWE in 2018 and returning to Dragon Gate under the PAC name.
He joined AEW in 2019 and became its inaugural All-Atlantic Champion, a title subsequently renamed the International Championship. He also held the World Trios Championship with Penta and Rey Fenix as Death Triangle, then again with Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta.