Tidd Talk

Bastard. PAC. The Man that Gravity Forgot. Neville. Whatever name you knew him by, he will forever be remembered as one of the greatest professional wrestlers to emerge from the UK and one of the most versatile high-flyers the industry has ever seen. The passing of Benjamin Satterly is a bitter pill to swallow. The number of lives he touched throughout his career is immeasurable. In this special two-part Tidd Talk, we will look back at some of my favorite PAC memories today, before shifting our focus to AEW’s emotional PAC tribute show in Part 2.

The Gold Brand Era & NXT Rise

I grew up in what is widely regarded as one of the stalest eras in WWE programming. As a child of the PG and Reality eras, I look back with fond memories, though many older fans do not. One undeniable bright spot from that time, however, was the creation of NXT. Neville debuted on the gold brand and quickly established himself as a top guy, feuding with Bo Dallas, Sami Zayn, and Tyson Kidd. He defeated Dallas in a spectacular ladder match at NXT ArRIVAL in 2014 to kick off a 287-day reign as NXT Champion, eventually dropping the belt to Zayn.

I was too young to fully grasp the significance of NXT at that point in my fandom, so my real introduction to Neville came on the main roster. He debuted on the Raw following WrestleMania 31, defeating Curtis Axel. While that specific match escapes my memory, my true appreciation for this new highflyer ignited a few months later in August.

Push to the Limit: The August 3rd Classic

At the time, Seth Rollins was the biggest heel in the company. He had just pulled off “the Heist of the Century,” cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase during the WrestleMania 31 main event against Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns to steal the WWE Championship. More importantly, he was locked in a bitter rivalry with my favorite wrestler, Dean Ambrose. Nobody hated Seth Rollins more than I did.

On August 3rd, 2015, amidst a feud with US Champion John Cena, an arrogant Rollins issued an open challenge for the WWE Championship. Neville answered the call, delivering an instant classic. For a few fleeting seconds, he made the WWE Universe believe that Rollins’ reign of terror was actually going to end. Using his fast-paced, high-flying arsenal, Neville pushed the champion to his absolute limit. I will never forget the thunderous pop when Neville hit a hurricanrana followed by his signature Red Arrow. This was his moment; we were going to see a new champion crowned right before SummerSlam. The referee counted—one, two, three—but no, Rollins got his foot on the bottom rope at the very last millisecond. Neville attempted one final Red Arrow, but Rollins rolled away, hitting a Pedigree to retain the title.

That bout remains my favorite Neville match, and one of my favorite matches from that entire era. Notice, however, how I keep saying Neville.

Resurgence on the Independent Scene & Dragongate

The remainder of his WWE tenure felt undeniably underwhelming, as he became trapped in the Cruiserweight division during the launch of 205 Live. He was a victim of being a great wrestler in the wrong company at the wrong time. Frustrated by being pigeonholed, he departed WWE in 2017.

By 2018, PAC returned to Dragongate—the promotion where he first made a name for himself in the late 2000s and early 2010s. He spent the next two years tearing through the independent circuit, putting on clinics against Kip Sabian, Bandido, WALTER, Penta, Kyle Fletcher, and Hangman Adam Page. In 2019, he crossed paths with an up-and-coming Will Ospreay in RevPro, wrestling to a gripping 30-minute time-limit draw that remains an absolute classic.

The AEW Era & Standout Moments

That same year, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) emerged as a legitimate alternative to WWE. Formed by The Elite (Kenny Omega, Nick and Matt Jackson, and Cody Rhodes) alongside Tony Khan, AEW was immediately branded as a wrestler-first company that promised creative freedom. PAC was one of their marquee inaugural signees, stepping right into a feud with Kenny Omega. AEW is where PAC would spend the remainder of his career.

I’ll be honest: I didn’t closely follow AEW during its early years. But I kept tabs on Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose), and I certainly went out of my way to watch the PAC vs. Will Ospreay match from All Out 2024. Words can hardly do justice to how incredible that match was. I highly recommend seeking it out; it is a masterclass of two elite high-flyers operating at their absolute peak.

While my active memory of watching PAC in AEW is relatively recent, a few moments stand out. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Death Riders and their storytelling. PAC rarely needed to speak; his in-ring work said everything. My favorite match that I watched live was his “Fairway to Hell” bout against Darby Allin for the AEW World Title this past May. Brawling across a golf course, it was one of the most uniquely entertaining spectacles I’ve ever seen in wrestling. PAC took incredibly nasty bumps into a sand trap off an Allin dropkick and powerbomb. They battled back and forth, smashing through multiple tables before Allin finally landed a low blow and a Coffin Drop to retain.

The Final Chapter

PAC wrestled his final match against Andrade El Idolo for the National Championship at All Out this past Saturday, just hours before he was tragically found dead. It was a quintessential PAC performance, featuring brutal bumps and a relentless pace. Andrade ultimately retained the title, but PAC made one final appearance later that night. During the main event between Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay, PAC attempted to assist Moxley by neutralizing Ospreay with a briefcase—his last live act in a wrestling ring.

Following All Out, Moxley delivered one of the most hauntingly beautiful promos in professional wrestling history. I’ll link the full video File, but one specific quote demands to be highlighted:

“You’re gonna lose. I don’t care who you are, you’re gonna lose. You gotta know how to lose. You’re gonna lose in wrestling. You’re gonna lose in life. You’re gonna lose people. You’re gonna lose opportunities. You’re not going to get what you deserve. You’re not always going to get what you earned. Things aren’t always going to go your way. But what are you gonna do?”

Losing is an inevitable part of life, but we never know when the truly devastating losses will hit. We can’t control them; we can only control our response. Moxley’s words feel eerily prophetic now, as no one was prepared for the tragic news that broke the very next day. In the final frame of that broadcast, the last man standing on our screens was none other than PAC.