Marina Shafir paid an emotional tribute to British wrestling star Pac, real name Benjamin Satterley, just hours after his death at the age of 40. Breaking down as she addressed fans, she said: "I was just holding this man yesterday... He was the best."
Tribute in the Ring
After grappling at an independent wrestling event on Sunday, Marina climbed up to the turnbuckle to open up to the crowd about Pac's passing. His death on Sunday morning came just hours after he competed at AEW's All Out Pay-Per-View in Chicago, where Marina was in his corner as he faced Andrade El Idolo in the opening match of the night.
After her match on Sunday, Marina told the audience: "Wrestling will drive you f****** places in your mind. He was the best! He was the f****** best. You know why? Because he knew himself."
Final Moments Shared
She continued: "He was just so modest about how fascinating he was. I don't know how to be... I don't know what to do... He was the light of us. Please tell the people you love in your life that you love them. I was just very happy that I got to tell him that I loved him yesterday."
"And we hugged and we spoke about wiener dogs and f****** basketball courts and.... everything. He brought the inner b****** in me. I wouldn't be here today if I didn't share time and space with this man, alongside a lot of other folks."
Moment of Silence
Marina then raised a glass of beer in the middle of the ring in memory of the Newcastle-born wrestling star and told fans: "Let's just take this moment of silence and appreciate each other even if you hate each other. Appreciate the fact you even f****** hate this person."
She was joined in the ring and embraced by Lance Archer, who also wrestled on the show and spoke to the crowd about Pac's death. Before his match at the Warrior Wrestling event, he told the crowd: "This is for Pac."
Career and Legacy
Marina and Pac became close friends during their time together as part of the Death Riders faction, a major heel stable led by Jon Moxley which featured heavily on AEW programming for the last two years.
Pac, who wrestled in the WWE as Adrian Neville, was renowned for his high-flying ability and innovative ring style. He signed with AEW in 2019 and held multiple championships in the company. He also worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico.
Fellow Brit wrestler Will Ospreay said in tribute that he was "the greatest export from our country. Also the greatest human being." No cause of death has been provided.
