When Tony Schiavone was commentating Pac’s AEW National Championship match against Andrade El Idolo at AEW All Out 2026little did he or anyone know that would be the last time Pac would ever step foot in a wrestling ring.
Pac, real name Benjamin Satterly, died less than 24 hours after All Out aged just 40, and tributes have been pouring in from around the world since his death. Schiavone paid tribute to Puck on the latest episode of “”.What happened when?“And admitted that he was the polar opposite of his TV persona behind the scenes.
“Ben was definitely the most genuine, nicest guy behind the scenes,” Schiavone said. “He was the complete opposite of what you saw on TV, he was a great person. He talked a lot about his mother, and Lois[Schiavone’s wife]had a knee replacement and her mother had a replacement, and she would always ask me, We would talk and talk too … just about life and he was a great guy. It’s funny, like we’d all laugh because his nickname was ‘The B******’, but he’s anything but.”
Schiavone revealed that he was on a Zoom call with some neighborhood friends when one of AEW’s lawyers asked him to call because it was urgent. He was given the news and will spend Sunday and all of Monday talking about Pac with friends, family and AEW colleagues. Schiavone went on to talk about Pac’s finishing move, the Black Arrow, which he thinks should be removed not just out of respect, but because it’s hard to imagine anyone actually being able to pull it off.
“It’s probably time to retire the Black Arrow, that move he made. But to be honest with you, I don’t think anyone else could do that because it was the best finishing move for me.
Pac was a major part of the AEW family
It’s sometimes a cliché for people to describe someone who just died as someone who never had a bad word to say about them, but according to Schiavone, Pac was truly one of those people. He explained that while he doesn’t always agree with some booking decisions and angles, he’s never done anything to warrant anything bad being said about him, and that he’s never made a fuss or been difficult with anyone.
The September 30th episode of AEW Dynamite will be a full tribute show to Pac, something Schiavone doesn’t know how anyone is going to get through in one piece. However, with everyone in AEW being close, he knows they will all put on a fantastic show.
“We are all this family, and in the family you have differences. You fight, you don’t always get along, but when it’s 8:00 on a Wednesday or a Saturday, or it’s pay TV, when we’re on the air, you drop it all and put on a great show, and that’s what we’ve done (in the past, when any of our family members leave). in general, it tears us apart and tears the void in us.”
Schiavone believes that “Dynamite” should open with everyone in the ring to honor his memory with a ten ring salute, but understands that AEW President Tony Khan will have his own ideas. With that said, he has full faith in everyone involved to put on the best show possible. Khan noted at a recent ROH taping that everyone involved in the upcoming show will be there voluntarily, and that if people find it too difficult to attend, they don’t have to be there.
Please title “What Happened When?” H/T to Wrestling Inc. when using quotes from this article and for transcription.