Report reveals new details about PAC's medical history
Benjamin Satterley, known professionally as PAC, was found dead in Des Plaines, Illinois, near Chicago O’Hare International Airport on September 27 after wrestling at AEW All Out the previous night.
Satterley began his professional wrestling career in 2004 and was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He gained international recognition for his athletic ability, technical skill and innovative offense and was nicknamed “The Man That Gravity Forgot.” He joined WWE in 2012 as Adrian Neville, won the NXT Championship and the NXT Tag Team Championship, left WWE in 2018, worked the independent circuit and signed with AEW in 2019 as PAC. In AEW he became the first-ever AEW International Champion and a two-time AEW World Trios Champion.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that PAC died from bronchial asthma and officially ruled his death to be from natural causes; that confirmation was reported on October 16 following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his passing.
According to reports, PAC was found unresponsive inside a rental car in Des Plaines on September 27; emergency responders attempted life-saving measures and he was pronounced dead at the scene. He had wrestled Andrade El Ídolo at AEW All Out the previous night and was preparing to travel home. The report stated that inhalers were found at the scene, although it remains unclear whether he was able to use one during the medical emergency.
Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer said the former WWE star had a medical history and lung issues as he spoke on Wrestling Observer Radio, saying: "We don’t know if he had an inhaler in his car. He did have lung issues. This isn’t something that came out of nowhere that nobody knew. I don’t know how well it was known, but one of his friends had told me that … he had the blood clot issues in 2023, and said that he had some lung issues. And so the lung issues are consistent with what happened unfortunately. Usually, you’d have the inhaler with you and I don’t know, it may have happened so quick. There was stuff in his rental car, but it may have happened so quick that he wasn’t able to get it. It’s a horrible situation the more you learn about it. It doesn’t get better, it gets worse,"
Tributes to PAC came from across the professional wrestling world, including a message from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. PAC’s wife Natalie and family issued thanks for the "overwhelming support" from the professional wrestling fraternity while grieving. "My Guys" – PAC's wife posted a video on IG of him and their dog ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/2gIFzffVpG
These details offer further insight into PAC’s health history but do not establish precisely what happened in his final moments; his final match was against Andrade El Ídolo at AEW All Out 2026 PPV.