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New Details on the Tragic Death of PAC
Image Credit: AEW
This past weekend was one of the most anticipated wrestling weekends in recent memory. The Chicagoland area hosted AEW All Out & WWE/AAA/NXT Worlds Collide on the same night; both events drew huge crowds and got positive reviews from those watching. As much as fans of the companies wanted to argue about the circumstances, it seemed difficult for me to think that the weekend would be anything but positive for the wrestling business. Of course, there are things far more important than the business of pro wrestling, and we were reminded of that on Sunday night when news broke that the man known as PAC had passed away less than a day after his match at All Out.
The cause of death isn’t known, what we do know is that PAC was found alone in his car outside of a restaurant around 4 PM on Sunday near the O’Hare International Airport. There was no indication of trauma or foul play, and the death isn’t being considered as suspicious. Many of the AEW wrestlers were at a memorial service for Andy “The Butcher” Williams in Buffalo when they learned the news, others were working an independent wrestling event in Chicago. Tributes have been pouring in from wrestlers across the world, and AEW’s episode of Dynamite on Wednesday will be a tribute show for PAC.
Whenever something like this happens, which has been way too often lately, it occurs to me that most of us (myself included) don’t do a good enough job of expressing our appreciation for people when they’re still with us. I hope that PAC knew how much his co-workers loved and appreciated him, as the tributes I spent yesterday reading indicated, he touched a lot of lives during his two-plus decades in professional wrestling. Whether it was his early career in Dragon Gate, his time in WWE as Neville or his years in AEW as a Bastard, PAC provided many great in-ring memories for fans across the world. His co-workers were provided with many great memories outside the ring. PAC only got forty years to provide those memories, but it seems like he did the best he could with them.
WRESTLING HEADLINES 👊
•More Details on Whether WWE-Bleacher Report Content Deal Will Affect AEW
Image Credit: WWE
WWE making content deals isn’t exactly news in itself these days, they’ve got some type of deal going with every major media conglomerate out there. This one raised some eyebrows because of the WBDness of it all. From what we’re being told, WWE having a content deal with Bleacher Report won’t affect AEW’s status with WBD, Paramount Skydance or whoever’s running the company that has part ownership of AEW in a few months. WWE’s deal apparently doesn’t include any type of clause that would prevent Bleacher Report from covering AEW or featuring them on their platforms. Some are even saying that the increased attention for pro wrestling on Bleacher Report is probably a net positive for AEW.
Is all of that going to stop us from speculating in a positive or negative manner? Of course not. Once we start seeing how WWE interacts with Bleacher Report we might have a better idea. Or maybe we won’t. The one thing I feel safe in saying is that all of these media companies merging together can’t be a positive thing for many aspects of society, and pro wrestling probably doesn’t crack the top 1000 areas where it will cause problems. Put it this way, I’m far less concerned about WWE & Bleacher Report than other deals WBD/Paramount/Skydance have made lately.
Image Credit: WWE
Many of us grew up fans of professional wrestling. We had some form of that wrestling bug and wanted to get involved somehow. Not all of us were blessed with the athletic ability or the mental toughness it takes to become a wrestler. Getting inside the business in some form wasn’t always an option either for whatever reason. Some of us ended up living out our fandom in different ways. For me, it’s been writing columns & reviews on 411MANIA (and other sites occasionally) for the better part of two decades. I wouldn’t dare compare it to actually being part of the wrestling business, but it lets me get more involved with one of my obsessions than I would be otherwise.
For Rick Achberger, it was attending an insane amount of shows and using his creativity to make signs that got people’s attention. He wasn’t a wrestler and he wasn’t in the wrestling business, but in a way, he got to be part of the show. Wrestlers definitely took note of his creativity and many went out of their way to embrace him and show their appreciation of his appreciation. There was a time when it seemed like he was in the front row at every TV show WWE ran, and he made his way to AEW & TNA shows as well. I’ve always been curious as to how he afforded to attend all those events, but when one has the wrestling bug they do whatever they need to do.
It’s easy to forget sometimes, but without people like Rick Achberger showing their support there isn’t a wrestling business. The Sign Guy passed away on Sunday, we send our thoughts and prayers to his family and those who knew and loved him.
MORE MUST-READ LINKS FROM 411MANIA
→Remembering Pac: Gravity Forgot Him, But We Won't
→Ask 411 Wrestling: When Did Undertaker's Streak Become a WrestleMania Selling Point?
→Leighty's Retro Review: WCW Starrcade '94: Triple Threat
Thanks for reading,
– Steve Cook