PAC RIP

[DCW]

Jesus, I'm only really getting a chance to sit down and process this now. Just so bloody sad and as has been said, no age to pass away at. Neville was one of the few highlights in my fading fandom of WWE in the mid 2010's and he always looked and sounded hard as nails whenever I saw him in AEW. Rest in peace, gone far too young.

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

One thing I loved was his Geordie accent that shone through his promos and the language/names he used which were so British which almost made you want to cheer him, even as a heel. 

 

Why is it all the good ones go young a la Butcher, Brodie, Pac, etc? 

[The King Of Swing]

There is nothing I can really say about PAC, that hasn't already been said.

Absolutely horrible news.

Rest in peace to an amazing performer and from all accounts a wonderful person. 

[mim731]

1 hour ago, tiger_rick said:

I don't think we should read anything into this. They clearly have certain things lined up and have processes to put something new out. I think it's come a long way since it was just one bloke with the password, as socials were in the early days.

When Ludek Miklosko sadly passed away recently, I had a click to see what QPR had posted and there was nothing on about him but there was a post about their fans birthdays or something. They then posted later in the day about Ludek. The first post was obviously scheduled and it had taken them some time to sort out what they were going to put out about Miklosko.

I think if WWE don't acknowledge it at all, that's fair game but they should be given a fair chance to get something together. 

Yeah this is bang on for me. There's plenty of sticks to beat them with (rightly too), and if they don't acknowledge it at all, then it's warranted but let's not jump to conclusions just yet. 

[I Bent My Wookie]

I probably saw this news shortly after it was announced and hoping it was one of those hoax accounts posting came here to hope it wasn't true and sadly it was.

I've bawled my eyes out more times today than I previously thought possible for genuinely someone I don't think I was ever in the same city as at any one point in my life but for near 20 years has been a pivotal, important part of my love of wrestling and my love of an underdog. Because in essence I think he's maybe one of the best underdogs the UK ever produced if not the world wrestling wise.

He was a guy who at a time when British wrestling wasn't exactly booming, when he wasn't the biggest or toughest looking and probably could have found it hard to translate to fans who expected to see British versions of The Rock or Stone Cold, not a teenage kid from Newcastle. But his ability and talent, even from the get go seemed to put him in people's atmospheres and open opportunities for him that many probably never thought possible. Going to Dragon Gate and working the indies wherever he could and just putting on blinding matches, with audiences that appreciated the ability and art as much as the pomp and circumstance meant he became a known name on forums, in magazines, where the rise of Internet media allowed him audiences who never thought they'd see some of the stuff he did.

He took risks. I realise saying that going to WWE as a risk sounds crazy but at that time there wasn't much of a ceiling for him to break through from because he seemed an outside noise to the big guys that were getting the TV time. But again, that he could do I 8 minutes things that left fans as breathless as watching a 25 minute main event, where clips could be shared and how his style never felt like a spot monkey in any sense, in a reality he was a King of the Cruiserweights because he was Mr 205 Live, he was the one getting main show opportunities before it came along and standing out against people like Rollins, he was spell binding.

I used to love when he'd show up every 4 months or so at AEW, have some stellar matches and then vanish again. Like he was doing it because it interested him who they were putting him with, less the money or the TV time. Wrestle who and how he wanted to and then have a break.

He was the best part of the Death Riders for me, because while Mox flicks between face and heel, goofy or mental, Claudios so cool and cocky and The Cramp Twins are comedy fodder, he was a bastard. He fought like a bastard, could be the scariest member if even the smallest in a lot of comparisons but he was how that group should be represented, just wanting to fight, to be better, no thrills just fists. And when he did pull the thrills out it was because he knew he did it in ways that would hurt them even more than anyone else doing it. When a brick wall lands a corkscrew on you, it's gonna hurt more than someone who looks like they've watched him on YouTube so let's give it a go.

He's the reason I will repeatedly and probably eventually to my own injury regularly proclaim "he is...A BASTARD" about any situation I'm not fond of and probably because I don't think anyone's probably ever loved being called a Bastard more than him, because you could tell from the way he worked, the stories being told around the world today and by just how everyone is remembering him that he loved wrestling and what it did for his life.

I'm gonna miss how a small kid from the UK made it to be a star in an industry that probably never expected him at the beginning to be as "big" as he became. How he didn't give a fuck about the stigma of mental health in sports and spoke openly about his own anxieties and issues and was a beacon for those of us who had the same goings on.

It takes a moment like this for it really to set in, but alongside a lot of others who have spoke here today I think he potentially could have been one of my favourite wrestlers I've ever watched perform. And I think that because knowing I'll never have that chance again, at least going forward and not watching back old clips, the fact I won't get to see what he could have done next makes me so very sad.

What a wonderful human he was. 

[Kamran]

This is a total shocker.

I saw the In Memoriam image this morning while scrolling through Facebook and at first, assumed it was part of some sarcastic article about his career or him losing at All Out. Then I logged on here and found out the truth.

I can still remember finding out about Pillman and Eddie, and it brings back that same surreal feeling. They just felt so alive the last time we saw them, which makes news like this so difficult to process.

The first time I saw Neville was when he arrived on WWE's main roster and he impressed me straight away. I was always a fan of the cruiserweights and always felt they deserved so much better than they were given. Watching him go from "The Man That Gravity Forgot" into "The King of the Cruiserweights" was brilliant. By that point, it felt like he'd outgrown the division and deserved better. Hearing about him sitting out his contract and betting on himself rather than just taking an easy payday only added to my admiration for him. 

It was a total joy watching him in AEW. After everything that happened towards the end of his WWE run, it must have been so satisfying to get the opportunity to mix it up with so many great wrestlers and show just how good he was. He was one of those wrestlers who you knew could pull out a phenomenal match on any given night, whether it was on TV or PPV.

Dynamite this week is going to be such a tough watch.

Edited 5 hours ago by Kamran

[RedTwoster]

4 minutes ago, Kamran said:

Dynamite this week is going to be such a tough watch.

I nearly posted that earlier, but they’ve kind of got the balance right with their tribute shows in that they feel celebratory as opposed to mournful. The Brodie Lee tribute show was, at times, heartbreaking but at the same time it celebrated who he was and his legacy - his family. Their tribute shows have been touching rather than upsetting, and I suspect this will be the same. 

[Statto]

Given he was the ultimate inspiration behind the name, I hope they do something annually to memorialise Pac at Full Gear.

Kick off the Continental Classic there and change the prize to a trophy in his name.

[JLM]

Wrestling photogrpaher/videographer Beyond Gorilla has been posting some heart-wrenching but also sincerely lovely tributes and stories throughout the day. He credits Pac with his career in wrestling and they worked together on all of Pac's vignettes.

Would really recommend following and looking at the stories he's been posting today: https://www.instagram.com/beyondgorilla/?hl=en

Some of his comments for people who aren't social media heads/don't want to go on twitter:

Quote

He was an incredible creative. Fought for every second of TV time. Always trusted my vision. Every vignette has Easter eggs. Forever committed to the bit. Going full gear at 1am in 0 degrees just so you could see how cold it was.. 4am hike to get a 3 second shot of a tree.

He loved making his vignettes incredibly British. From his word choice to the locations. He always wanted to pop the brits and confuse the Americans. loved showing off Newcastle. Was livid when he found out someone had cut down the tree.

Every success I had with AEW is because of him. He got me work during Covid. Meeting  Tony Khanat a revpro show. my first PPV. The vignettes. He helped me pay my rent when I couldn’t. I have so many stories to tell and he’d hate if I told any. He was my friend. I’m heartbroken.

 

[2Xtreme_lives]

Whatever they do Wednesday I hope they do something where they dont refer to themselves as the death riders anymore and or disband. It feels so sad to go on without them having a key component in Pac 

Im genuinely all day felt awful about this news more so than any other wrestling death

[JLM]

Double post but New Japan World have made Pac vs Jushin Liger from 2012 free to watch. Really fun ten minutes as crafty veteran Liger tries to ground Pac and survive his overwhelming athleticism and explosiveness.

Quote

Particularly loved the crowd and commentators going utterly bananas for the Red Arrow:, and Pac getting the hug and hand raise from the legend after the match. Also Pac clearly losing his balance on the springboard dropkick but landing the thing anyway; the man's body control was immense. 

https://watch.njpwworld.com/player/42704/series?assetType=series&playlist_id=226

Edited 4 hours ago by JLM

[AshC]

I spilled onto the streets today after hearing this awful news and the first song I heard was 'Learning to Fly' by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Stayed put until the end, found it quite moving. 

He was an incredible athlete. My old man has not taken much interest in wrestling since Rick Martel retired. I remember him popping in as I was watching Pac and Mark Haskins vs CIMA and Dragon Kid (I think that was the match) from a Dragon Gate UK show and even he was wowed by it. High praise indeed. 

Did a few shows with him over the years and he was so quiet and soft spoken, so very different from his television character, which goes to show how good he was at that character. 

Bumped into a wrestler today who recalled asking a promoter where Pac was... having just met and shaken hands with "Ben" minutes earlier. Like a real life 'Clark Kent to Superman'. 

I noted tonight someone had put a framed photo in Newcastle city centre out of tribute today and I hope he's remembered up there as the great son of Newcastle he was. 

What can you say? Just terrible news. 

[Supremo]

I re-watched Pac vs. Orange Cassidy. It still rules. Something I’d forgotten about is how even Jim Ross is laughing his arse off at certain points. This was at the start of AEW, when Jim was at his sulkiest over the things he didn’t think were befitting of mainstream TV, and even he couldn’t stop himself from enjoying the bollocks.

A masterpiece.

[Tennessee Moltisanti]

Echoing the thoughts of everyone in here, what an incredible wrestler and such a loss to the industry.

I rewatched PAC Vs Ospreay from All Our 2024 earlier, and it is absolutely phenomenal stuff. Had me standing me up and watching in awe. 

[FUM]

I’ve been to loads of wrestling events. I have one video from those and it’s Pac doing his finishing move. It was so damn impressive.

No age and not much I can say that others haven’t about him being a pioneer.

RIP.