The Rock’s emotional tribute to PAC didn’t simply hit wrestling followers onerous — it additionally caught folks inside WWE off guard. Dave Meltzer says some inside WWE had been “very shocked” by Dwayne Johnson brazenly praising AEW and Tony Khan whereas honoring the late Benjamin Satterley.
Talking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Garrett Gonzales introduced up Rock’s September 29 tribute and particularly requested how his phrases landed with Nick Khan and different TKO executives. The query carried some further weight as a result of Johnson sits on the TKO Board of Administrators whereas AEW stays WWE’s largest American competitor. Meltzer mentioned Rock and Nick Khan are nonetheless shut, however revealed that folks inside WWE positively observed the wording.
“Rock and Nick Khan are shut. I don’t imagine that that has modified. Have been there folks in WWE who had been very shocked at his wording and what he mentioned, particularly with them being on the TKO board of administrators? Sure. Okay. They had been very shocked.”
The shock wasn’t about Rock paying tribute to PAC. Meltzer made it clear that no one was taking problem with Johnson honoring a wrestler who had simply died at 40 years previous. What stood out was Rock going out of his strategy to reward AEW, name Tony Khan his buddy and body the corporate as a optimistic drive in wrestling.
“Not that he did the video or something like that, however the wording within the video, you realize, the place, you realize, he praised them and, you realize, primarily gave the stamp of, yeah, you guys are good for enterprise and work onerous and also you’re serving to make wrestling. Not the message that I feel that the corporate desires out, you realize, not, you realize, the concept of him doing the video. I don’t, you realize, nobody’s gonna be mad at that. However, yeah, the wording. Folks introduced it as much as me. Yeah, yeah.”
As for Nick Khan personally, Meltzer was cautious to not declare he had any problem with Rock’s feedback. He mentioned he doesn’t know what Nick thought and even instructed Rock might have spoken with him earlier than posting the video.
“However so far as Nick Khan, I couldn’t let you know. I imply, Nick Khan and him, you realize, he could have referred to as Nick and informed him, and Nick’s similar to. It’s not like, what’s Nick gonna say? Oh, you realize, you are able to do the video, however. However you’ll be able to’t reward Tony Khan.”
“I imply, he. He doesn’t have that energy over Dwayne. He can’t say that. You understand what I imply? Nobody can say it to Dwayne, I feel.”
That response traces again to Rock’s Instagram tribute on September 29, 2026, after AEW introduced PAC’s dying at 40 years previous. Satterley had wrestled Andrade at AEW All Out on September 26, 2026 earlier than later showing throughout the Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay most important occasion. Rock opened his video by sending love on to Satterley’s household whereas explaining PAC’s profession to anybody outdoors the wrestling world who may not have identified him.
“Man, it hurts my coronary heart to do that. I wish to ship out into the universe and to the Satterley household, my love and my condolences, my assist, my mild, my mana as you might be enduring the lack of your beloved, Benjamin Satterley. For many who are watching this, who don’t know who Benjamin Satterley is, he was an expert wrestler identified within the WWE as Neville. Had met him a couple of instances, shook his hand and most just lately generally known as PAC in AEW, All Elite Wrestling. And he handed away sadly younger, too younger, I imagine he was 40, and simply so sorry to listen to this information.”
Rock then crossed the corporate traces that followers spend a lot time preventing over. He talked about WWE, AEW and wrestlers all over the world as one group tied collectively by the identical enterprise.
“As world as skilled wrestling is, as world as WWE is, as a lot as AEW is rising into this phenomenal wrestling firm, and wherever you’re wrestling at, all over the world, Asia, Latin America, Europe, it doesn’t matter. As world as skilled wrestling is, we’re nonetheless a really tight-knit unit and a tight-knit group as a result of all of us share the identical DNA. And that’s our love and our ardour for the squared circle and to carry out for audiences all over the world.”
That “phenomenal wrestling firm” line was one of many feedback that made Rock’s message stand out. Johnson wasn’t merely acknowledging AEW existed — he was brazenly praising the promotion whereas serving as a TKO board member. Rock then obtained brutally direct about PAC’s dying.
“And we’re slightly loopy and that’s okay, however after we lose one in all our personal, it hurts. And after they’re younger and so insanely proficient, it actually, it actually fucking hurts. And particularly when a life is robbed and also you don’t get that chance to dwell a full life.”
Then got here the Tony Khan portion. Rock referred to as Khan his buddy and despatched condolences straight to the AEW locker room earlier than additionally acknowledging the folks in WWE who knew PAC.
“So to my buddy, Tony Khan, I’m so sorry in your loss, my buddy. QT and your complete locker, all of the locker rooms, the women and men of AEW, I’m so sorry in your loss. And to these, in fact, my colleagues in WWE who knew him properly, I’m so sorry. So sorry throughout.”
That was the half that apparently had folks inside WWE paying consideration. Rock wasn’t treating PAC’s dying like an organization problem, and he wasn’t pretending AEW was some forbidden identify. He praised the corporate, praised the folks inside it and spoke to Tony Khan like precisely what he mentioned he was — a buddy.
Meltzer and Gonzales additionally mentioned why Rock could view issues otherwise from folks obsessive about the WWE-AEW rivalry. Gonzales identified that Johnson nonetheless appears to see himself before everything as an expert wrestler, and Meltzer agreed. Meltzer argued that Rock, together with Steve Austin, performed a serious function in making wrestling worthwhile sufficient to tv networks that the present panorama might exist within the first place.
“Tony Khan created that and towards all odds too, you realize, actually. However I imply, like, if you wish to say he and Steve Austin had been the blokes who obtained wrestling robust sufficient to the place it might command rights charges, and people rights charges allowed AEW and WWE to outlive at a a lot greater stage than it had ever been, and AEW to outlive the place it couldn’t have with out this. And he sees himself as one of many keys to that. He’s not incorrect.”
Satterley had competed lower than 24 hours earlier than his dying, shedding to Andrade in a Nationwide Championship match at All Out earlier than resurfacing later within the present. He was discovered unresponsive inside a rental automobile in Des Plaines, Illinois, the next day and was later pronounced lifeless. His reason behind dying has not been formally introduced, with further testing nonetheless pending. Rock by no means speculated about what occurred. As a substitute, he closed his tribute by telling folks to make use of losses like PAC’s as a reminder that life can flip with out warning. He then gave PAC one closing goodbye from one wrestler to a different.
“Let this heartbreaking loss, could it inform us all, as all losses do after we lose folks we love and care about, younger, not younger, relations, and many others. Let it information and inform us on how we must always dwell every single day, in each second, attempt to be as current as we presumably can in every thing we do. Since you simply by no means know what’s ready across the nook.”
“God bless you, Benjamin, and thanks for the reminiscences and thanks for entertaining the plenty. And as I wish to say, thanks for transferring the gang and as we are saying in wrestling, thanks for the home. Satterley robust.”
The Rock clearly wasn’t serious about WWE versus AEW when he recorded that video, however folks inside WWE nonetheless observed precisely what he mentioned. Praising AEW as a “phenomenal wrestling firm” and publicly calling Tony Khan his buddy just isn’t the type of message wrestling followers normally hear from somebody sitting on TKO’s board, and that’s precisely why the tribute turned extra than simply one other superstar condolence publish.
What do you make of individuals inside WWE being shocked by The Rock’s reward for AEW and Tony Khan, and do you assume his feedback present how completely different the rivalry appears to be like from contained in the wrestling enterprise? Tell us your ideas and suggestions within the feedback.
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