PAC RIP

[RedTwoster]

35 minutes ago, JLM said:

Obviously this is exactly how the thread should be, but it’s certainly not the default on the internet and I don’t take it for granted. 

I think it's the default for this place, which is a really positive thing. Looking elsewhere, the absolute drive to link it to the Covid vaccine is disheartening, completely ignoring the fact that the number of wrestlers dying young has - thankfully - decreased notably over the last few decades. 

The one thing that I've found particularly notable about PAC's death is the number of people who have actual stories about his acts of kindness, and the things he did to support or help them - generally things that can't have benefitted him in any way, he clearly just did it because he was a good person. When a wrestler dies you often get people talking about how much they loved them and how great they were, but I honestly can't remember a wrestler death in which there has been so many concrete examples shared of the good that person had done. Perhaps it's because PAC is British, so I'm more likely to be exposed to the good he did, but I don't think it's just that. Clearly his good qualities extended far beyond the ring. 

[BrodyGraham]

I know we joke about Tony lurking on here but if he is I've one request.

Please do a video montage to Local Hero it would be perfect for someone who represents the North East in ways that it so often isn't.

Also, please don't do a video montage to Local Hero as I amongst others would almost certainly collapse in a puddle of tears and snot.

I'm 45 and this is now the second death in Wrestling that's wiped me out for a day. There's only Hana Kimura's death that has hit me so hard in terms of people I didn't actually know passing on. Kevin Keegan passed on a couple of months ago and I was still functional that day and he was a foundational pillar of my identity, one of my first memories.

I'm doing my best to not think of the circumstances and trying to focus on his incredible body of work and impact that he's had professionally and as a guy. I knew that a few of the regulars on here knew Ben and not just Pac so obviously my heart goes out to you lads/ lasses and I can't/ won't speculate on your loss but it's both sad and lovely to hear about how sound a lad he was.

What I can comment on is what he left us as fans. I spent most of last night and indeed a good third of this morning going back and watching Pac matches and tributes. There's an Excalibur line on I think it's Pac Vs Ospreay from All Out a couple of years ago where he describes Ospreay and Pac as the second and third great British High flyers, Pac taking the mantle from Jody Fleisch and passing it to Ospreay. All I could think about was how much of a quantum leap Pac was from Jody and how much of a sideways step Ospreay was from Pac. When THE Ospreay Vs Ricochet match dropped and everyone lost their minds I remember talking to a friend who's also occasionally on here and discussing how as good as it was we'd basically already seen matches with those beats between Ricochet and Pac or Pac and Samuray del Sol years earlier. I don't say that to piss on anyone else's talent or fandom but I think we took Pac for granted a bit because he'd been so good and so innovative for so long.

Sorry if that was rambling or ranty folks but I've just finished work on about 2 hours sleep last night and this felt like the right place to exorcise some stuff.

 

 

[DavidB6937]

One thing I think we can all agree on - grief takes different forms for everyone. Cry. Don't cry. Rant. Don't rant. Watch matches. Listen to music. Anything. Absolutely none of it needs an apology. It's not too little. It's not too much. Just do what feels right to you.

[I Bent My Wookie]

Echoing the worry for guys like Danny Garcia and hoping they're being supported. Especially for everything he's had in his life so far. The one thing that always seems right is that AEW protects each other and looks after each other and yeah I really hope they've got everything to check in on him, for someone so young to have had so much loss in such a recent time you just wish him the best. 

[King Mal the Glorious]

Not a lot I can say that hasn't already been said, but this is definitely the wrestling death that has hit me hardest. Even left work early yesterday because I couldn't think about anything else and a few tears needed to be shed.

As a Brit and Geordie, Pac has been a favourite since way back in the Dragongate days. Seeing him get signed to WWE and his runs in NXT and the main roster was like rooting for a mate. Then AEW where he was even better, I thought he was a lock for a world title reign at some point but sadly it'll never be. I've always insisted to people that he's the only Geordie I've seen on TV that talks with his normal accent and not a softened or exaggerated version, that coupled with the bits of slang always popped me.

He's the main reason I started going to wrestling live, first time being a WWE house show in Newcastle where he of course came out with an NUFC shirt on. Biggest pop I've ever experienced live was at a Defiant show at the Academy in 2019 shortly after he left WWE, everyone (including me) lost their minds when he appeared.

I'm in Scotland at the moment but will be back in Toon tomorrow. There's been a little memorial set up at Grey's Monument in the centre of town, hopefully it's still there so I can pay my own respects.

 

[WyattSheepMask]

I got about half way through Eddie Kingston’s post on Instagram before I had to turn it off, it was absolutely heartbreaking to see him like that again so soon after doing the same thing for Butcher. I hope he and everyone else are getting whatever support is available to them 

[Mr. Levity 84]

Haven't posted here in years as I'm a "lapsed fan" who watched WWE from 1995-2019, but the death of Benjamin (PAC) hit me hard. I saw him live at a FutureShock Wrestling show in Stockport (vs Soner Dursun) years ago, and I've followed his career since. Everything he did looked super violent, but was safe. He was a true professional. I had the honour of seeing him face Kyle Fletcher at the Co-op live arena in Manchester last year at a AEW show, and it was the definite match of the night. Even my Wife, who hates Wrestling (but went with me because it was a Birthday present for me) took photos during the match and thought it was awesome.

Also saw PAC during his younger years in Dragon Gate, winning the Open the Dream Gate Championship. They loved him there!

 

RIP you glorious BASTARD!

[DavidB6937]

Nice to see the Rock taking the time to do a tribute too. Didnt have to. Even mentioned AEW which I thought was pretty classy considering how fucking weird some of these people can be in WWE land about that shit. Good for him.

[AshC]

5 hours ago, BrodyGraham said:

Please do a video montage to Local Hero it would be perfect for someone who represents the North East in ways that it so often isn't.

 

 

Love this idea. 

[tiger_rick]

3 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

Nice to see the Rock taking the time to do a tribute too. Didnt have to. Even mentioned AEW which I thought was pretty classy considering how fucking weird some of these people can be in WWE land about that shit. Good for him.

Twitter link, so will spoiler, but really classy from The Rock.

Spoiler

https://x.com/WrestlePurists/status/2105011081152475240

 

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

3 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

Nice to see the Rock taking the time to do a tribute too. Didnt have to. Even mentioned AEW which I thought was pretty classy considering how fucking weird some of these people can be in WWE land about that shit. Good for him.

The fact WWE talent had to tiptoe with their tributes on-line and The Rock, member of the TKO board said Pac, AEW and referred to his friend Tony Khan shows in his mind tribalism is silly. Really nice tribute.

I first saw Pac in 2006. A friend was doing camera work for IPW and showed me a DVD of a show he filmed. I’d never seen anyone like him. Instant fan. Seeing him make it to WWE was great and enjoyed his run there. But I loved his run in AEW where it felt like he got a new lease of life. Loved his work with Death Triangle, but he was even better in the Death Riders for my money. I loved watching him win the trios titles at Wembley (and they even cut to me in the crowd after he wins). I’ve never seen a bad match he was in.

Me and some friends rewatched some of his matches we chose to rewatch. Him vs OC at Revolution 2020 is so good. And we ended with Fairway to Hell. His death has affected me more than any in recent memory. Just devastated for his friends and family. He will be missed.