Following The death of AEW star Pac — real name Benjamin Satterly — WWE star and TKO board member Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to social media to pay tribute to the former Neville. In him Instagram videoIn addition to expressing his condolences to Satterlee’s family and friends, Johnson also praised AEW and its president, Tony Khan, calling the promotion “a phenomenal wrestling company.”
In the days following The Rock’s tribute, it was reported that many within WWE were “surprised” by it, and according to a new report from Dave Meltzer; The latest newsletter from the Wrestling Observer“Not a week goes by” without someone in WWE bringing up Johnson’s video of Satterlee’s death and his eulogy for Khan, whom he called a “good friend.”
Meltzer said that while no one is questioning the tribute to Satterlee, for some people in the company, “the sting still hasn’t gone away” about The Rock’s comments regarding Khan and AEW. Meltzer also noted that while The Rock was originally touted briefly for the recent WWE tryouts in Hawaii, a special location for the star after spending time there growing up, he never showed up. The Rock wasn’t featured in the audition promo until some time into the event.
Meltzer added that he doesn’t believe Johnson meant anything other than expressing his condolences to the AEW locker room and Khan, as the wrestling industry is a big part of his life. Johnson didn’t address the situation further, and AEW didn’t bring it up during their comments during the episode honoring the late Satterlee.AEW Dynamite: Tribute to Pac!“.
