The first place I saw Benjamin Satterley (which as we all learned or were reminded of this week was the Man That Gravity Forgot’s real name) wrestle, it was on a Dragon Gate USA PPV in 2012. He was PAC then, as he had been over the past seven years in AEW.
In between those eras, we got to know him as Adrian Neville in WWE for a while. But after being a part of the crew that made NXT WWE’s hottest brand in the 2010s and doing what he could to establish a viable cruiserweight division on the main roster,
Satterley decided he was tired of trying to make what he could do in a wrestling ring fit into the WWE mold. After sitting on the sidelines for most of a year, the first place Satterley went when he was finally free of his contract?
To Dragon Gate in Japan.
Whether it was loyalty to Dragon Gate or something else that delayed his AEW start, the promotion was a huge part of Satterley’s career, and clearly very special to him. That’s why aside from AEW, no other company has done as much to honor PAC after his death this past Sunday at the age of 40.
That included a tribute show, done a little more than 24 hours after AEW’s widely praised one. Dragon Gate featured a lot of involvement from PAC’s former mentor, tag partner, and occasional rival Dragon Kid. That was who carried a portrait of The Bastard to the ring for a ten bell salute…
According to Tokyo Sports, Dragon Kid said this about the man he first met in Germany almost 20 years ago:
“It happened so suddenly that I still can’t believe it, but PAC was an irreplaceable wrestler for Dragon Gate. He left us with so many memories and wonderful matches. In his personal life, he was a sincere, funny, and kind gentleman.
“I hope PAC was able to meet Hayabusa, who he loved so much, on the other side… I’ve loved him ever since we met 19 years ago, and he’ll always be a very important Dragon Gate comrade. Thank you, PAC. See you again, PAC.”
Dragon Kid would later wrestle an eight-man tag with Naruki Doi, Susumu Yokosuka, and Luis Mante, entering to PAC’s old Dragon Gate theme…
… and later dedicated their win to the late British stand-out…
Here’s hoping Ben Satterley knows how much he was loved and respected, all over the world.
