The Rock Responds To WWE Reportedly Being Surprised By AEW Praise In His PAC Tribute

The Rock joined the pro wrestling world in paying tribute to PAC following Benjamin Satterley's sudden passing on Sunday, September 27, as Dwayne Johnson, in an Instagram video, offered his condolences to the Satterley family, Tony Khan, QT Marshall, and wrestlers in both AEW and WWE.

Within the tribute, Johnson noted that "AEW is growing into this phenomenal wrestling company", while he also referred to Tony Khan and QT Marshall as his friends, with reports noting after the tribute that people in WWE were left "very surprised" by The Rock's praise for All Elite Wrestling in the Instagram video.

WWE reportedly being very surprised has been heavily discussed on social media over the weekend, and Dwayne Johnson has addressed the report, replying to an Instagram post with the following comment: "You're right brother, and humanity matters to me. I was born into this business and I’ve seen it all, but when one of our own passes away, I don’t care nor do I see 'our competition', I care about the wrestlers and how it affects them. I’ve been there. To me, humanity matters most."

The Rock is closely linked with WWE through his in-ring career and today he sits on the TKO Board of Directors, having been added to the board in January 2024.

WWE paid tribute to PAC following his passing, while a number of WWE wrestlers also sported black armbands with 'Ben' written on them at Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown. The post-All Out episode of Dynamite from All Elite Wrestling was a tribute episode for PAC.