The Heartwarming Origin of Pac’s Unusual Ring Name

The wrestling world is still reeling from the shocking death of professional Ben Satterley, who passed away on September 27 at the age of 40, just one day after competing at AEW‘s All Out pay-per-view. Known as Neville in WWE and Pac in All Elite Wrestling, Satterley was honored with an emotional tribute episode of Dynamite last week along with a near 40-minute video put out today by WWE. In a world where most competitors don’t go by their real name, Satterley’s Pac ring name was quite different from others. But what does it mean, and how do you even pronounce it properly?

Ben Satterley Went by Pac Before Signing With AEW

• Satterley went by Adrian Neville in NXT and simply Neville on the WWE main roster.
• Pac was one of AEW’s first signings.
• He went by Pac early in his career with Pro Wrestling Guerrila and Dragon Gate.

Casual wrestling fans never heard of Ben Satterley until he signed with WWE in 2012. There, he was given the moniker of Adrian Neville. In NXT, Neville was one of the black and gold’s best superstars, first winning two NXT Tag Team Titles, including being part of the inaugural champions, before becoming the face of the show as the NXT Champion. Alas, on the main roster, Vince McMahon shortened his name to Neville and turned him into a Mighty Mouse type character, complete with a cape for a time. Over the next few years, he won two WWE Cruiserweight Championships and that was it.

In 2019, Satterley joined the new AEW as one of their first signings, now going by the name of Pac. This wasn’t a new name though. Hardcore fans knew exactly who Pac was. It’s what Satterley had gone by for years prior to his WWE stint in companies like Pro Wrestling Guerrila and Dragon Gate. Over six years in AEW, Pac was one of Tony Khan’s most talented performers, winning tag team gold twice and being the first ever AEW All-Atlantic Champion.

Pac’s Name Was Given to Him by His Father Because of His Well-Defined Abs

• Pac was a shorter wrestler at just 5’8″.
• He made up for his small stature with big muscles and a ripped physique.
• Many fans have pronounced Pac wrong for years.

Pac was only 5’8″. His short stature is probably what held him back from ever becoming a world champion in places like WWE, where Vince McMahon liked giants. What McMahon and other promoters have also liked, though, are wrestlers who look like Greek gods. Ben Satterley definitely had that. He made up for his lack of height with huge, ripped muscles, as if he was carved out of granite. Those muscles also are where his ring name came from.

During an interview on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Pac explained the origins of his character’s name, telling the host that he got his “silly nickname” from his dad, who gave it to him as a child when he’d play fight with his son and tell him to flex his abs. Pac added:

“It was only meant to be kind of a temporary thing, but then it kind of — it’s one of those names that kind of, it just stuck.” (h/t NBC News)

After Satterley’s passing, fellow professional wrestler Chris Hero paid tribute to him on Twitter/X, where he too let fans know where the Pac name came from and how to pronounce it.

Just an FYI: PAC is pronounced PACK, not pock. It’s from a nickname his Dad gave him when he was just a boy. Six Pack Ben Satterley I get it- 2Pac, X-Pac. People have been saying it that way for years. That’s fine. Some will continue to say ‘Pock’ & that’s fine too!

Ben Satterley, when he was out of character, didn’t draw attention to himself. Not only was he usually shy and quiet, but he wore glasses and had big ears, making him look more like a long-haired nerd. However, when the shirt came off and people saw his ripped physique, he transformed, becoming Pac, an in-ring pro wrestling genius. He was known as the man gravity forgot, but it was obvious that the weight room never did either. May he rest in peace.