By AEW president Tony Khan has opened up about the emotional toll of PAC’s death on the locker room, revealing that some talent were simply not in any condition to wrestle at the Ring of Honor taping that followed. Speaking on WPRK 91.5 FM, Khan said he made the taping voluntary and rebuilt the card around those who couldn’t go.
Tony Khan (Credits: Ringside News)
Khan Made the Taping Optional
Rather than forcing business as usual after Benjamin Satterley’s death, Khan told talent they could stay home. “Well, it was voluntary and there were some people that definitely were not feeling well and understandably could not wrestle that day,” he said. “I changed my plans around… but it was a hard show to put on.”
Khan admitted he had an outline for the card and “had to make a lot of changes” because a handful of wrestlers couldn’t make it — something he completely understood, given how suddenly the loss came.
Bandido’s Emotional Tribute
Not everyone stayed home. A number of wrestlers chose to perform, and the night produced one of AEW’s most emotional moments in years: after defending the ROH World Championship against AR Fox in Jacksonville, Bandido placed a PAC armband on the title belt.
Khan called it “a great tribute in the main event” and noted the situation was made even harder by the fact that AEW had also been dealing with the loss of Andy Williams. “With Andy Williams and now with Ben, it’s been very hard. And I had a lot of respect for both of them. And with Ben, it happened so suddenly, so close to the taping.”
It was not a normal day at work — but those who did wrestle made sure PAC’s memory was honored the way wrestlers know best.
Also Read: Tony Khan Claims AEW’s Biggest Pay-Per-View Numbers Ever Have Come in 2026
Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
