(Almost) 5-Star Match Reviews: A Collection of PAC Matches

Tragedy struck this past Sunday as Benjamin Satterly, better known as (Adrian) Neville in WWE and PAC everywhere else, passed away suddenly at age forty. PAC leaves behind an incredible legacy of athleticism and pro wrestling skill. He has wrestled all over the world, from stadiums to dimly-lit gymnasiums. He was an exciting high-flyer who made a name for himself on the indies and, later, NXT. His match with Sami Zayn at TakeOver: R Evolution was an instant hit that cemented NXT’s place in the wrestling world and helped alter the course of American wrestling history by giving more attention to technique-heavy workers in an era still largely defined by Vince McMahon’s penchant for bodybuilders and over-the-top characters. Whether he was known as PAC or Neville his memory will remain with his fans forever, so with that let’s look back at his career with these five matches.

PAC vs. Gravity – AEW Dynamite #199, July 26, 2023

The Story: This is basically one big in-joke tied to PAC’s nickname, “The Man That Gravity Forgot”. Normally you only find wrestling meta humor like this on Being The Elite or Botchamania. Anyways, Gravity, true to his gimmick, comes out wearing what looks like a spacesuit yet, unfortunately, doesn’t come out to “Spaceman”, which would’ve completed the presentation.

The Match: PAC dresses Gravity down by comparing their physiques but Gravity answers with a dropkick. Gravity lands some interesting springboards, a rolling elbow, and another dropkick. They play cat and mouse until PAC catches Gravity off-guard but Gravity answers by sending PAC into a barricade and landing a counter powerslam ringside. Gravity follows with a headstand splash from the apron. During the commercial break PAC stiffs Gravity and foot chokes him in different corners. We come back to PAC clotheslining Gravity following a headlock and stiffs him a corner while shouting “FORGET ME…NOT!”. Gravity fights out and hits a crossbody for two. PAC answers with stiff kicks and a top-rope Brainbuster and then applies the Brutalizer for a decisive submission victory.

Winner after 8:26: PAC

You can watch the full match here.

Review: Despite this being a first-time encounter, the result was never in doubt since gravity jobbed to PAC for the better part of his career. It was about as generic a TV match as you can get with Gravity doing next to nothing to distinguish himself from the myriad of other lower-card luchadores that pop in and out of AEW from time to time. The highlight was Gravity attempting to defy himself with his crossbody but I’ve seen significantly better athleticism from PAC so this is the one time I think a outright heel should’ve won with his high-flying finisher. For a match that appeared to have been booked solely to play on a catchphrase this should’ve had a bit more to it than what they showcased.

Final Rating: **1/2

PAC vs. WALTER – OTT homecoming 2019

The Story: Both men were champions, WALTER as OTT’s top champion and PAC as Dragon Gate’s. WALTER had also recently signed with NXT UK and parlayed that news into an added arrogance and elitism when working is remaining indy dates. While PAC was still wrestling as a heel under his “Bastard” gimmick, the local OTT crowd forced him into the babyface role in this situation and he ended up defending OTT’s honor as an unexpected hometown hero.

The Match: PAC strikes first with kicks to the leg which leads to some cat-and-mouse chasing. He follows with diving dropkicks and a second-rope corkscrew kneedrop for two. Then he dislocates a finger but pops it back into place. Badass. WALTER bails to ringside and blindsides him as he gives chase but PAC regains control with a through-the-ropes Dragon Screw leg whip. He reattacks the leg and attempts a suplex but WALTER counters with a sick chop. WALTER works the same arm that had the finger issue and proceeds to stiff the shit out of him. He follows with a back suplex onto the apron and gloats. PAC escapes a chinlock but WALTER catches him out of the air and switches to a release German Suplex. WALTER lands two release butterfly suplexes but PAC fights back by blocking a corner charge. He attempts a quebrada but WALTER counters with a Tombstone Piledriver for two. He starts landing Sheamus-style chest clubs but PAC reverses and hits the same until WALTER pulls the ref in as a distraction to land a back low blow. PAC blocks a diving splash with an enzuigiri and hits a Superplex followed by an out-of-the ring corkscrew dive and a top-rope Moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring a 450 Splash gets PAC a near-fall so he lands a Misawa rolling elbow and a German of his own. He takes too long setting up the Red Arrow so WALTER traps him atop the turnbuckle. PAC answers WALTER’s taunts with a sunset flip into a Ligerbomb for two. He tries that dive again but WALTER strikes first with a Death Valley Driver for a near-fall. The ref stops a belt shot which allows PAC to land a nut shot. WALTER bails and hits the referee forcing the disqualification.

Winner via Disqualification after 16:28: PAC

You can watch the full match here.

Review: That was a good match with a fairly shit finish. They had a great story going with PAC chopping WALTER down to size and using stick-and-weave tactics to get around the Austrian’s dangerous strikes. PAC got mad respect for fighting through an unexpected injury and ingeniously turned that into a story thread for WALTER to exploit and add to his underdog performance. He played FIP tremendously and got to showcase both his high-flying prowess and some surprising techniques not expected of someone usually typecast as a one-trick pony. While the dirty finish made sense and necessitated a rematch I think its execution was poor and could’ve been done better. Still, for a midcard match this was exciting and made me want to see more out of these two.

Final Rating: ***3/4

PAC vs. AJ Styles – 1PW First Anniversary Show, October 14, 2006

The Story: 1PW was a British independent outfit that benefitted from a talent exchange with TNA and ROH. This allowed Styles to wrestle in what was promoted locally as PAC’s proving match. At the time he was only twenty years old but was already making waves as a gravity-defying sensation. Naturally, Styles wanted to see for himself whether that reputation carried any merit.

The Match: They shake hands and showcase some solid chain wrestling until PAC gets a ropebreak. PAC lands some quick takeovers and an O’Connor Roll for two. Styles counter-wrestles out of a few pin attempts into some of his own. Styles wrestles out of another hold and lands a standing dropkick. Styles follows with a forearm for two and gets the same with a snap suplex and a kneedrop. PAC fights free but runs into a huge tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Styles applies a Muta Lock and uses PAC’s hair to add a chinlock to it. Styles gets a two-count off another backbreaker but PAC ducks a discus lariat and falls out of the ring. They struggle on the apron until PAC mule kick Styles and lands a corkscrew quebrada to the floor. Back in the ring PAC gets a one-count off a slam, handsprings out of a corner, and lands an outside crescent kick. A scoop slam/standing corkscrew Moonsault splash gets two. Styles blocks a Superplex so PAC hits a run-up hurricanrana.

They trade various strikes until Styles Pélé kicks PAC off the turnbuckles. Then they trade waistlocks until Styles hits a sick-looking modified Backdrop for two. A Phenomenal DDT gets two but then PAC counters a hangman hold into a victory roll for a near-fall of his own. PAC dodges a kick and lands a bridging Tiger Suplex. PAC attempts a springboard but Styles catches him on his shoulders and lands the Rack Bomb for yet another near-fall. PAC escapes a Styles Clash after a struggle and avoids a top-rope variant as well. PAC lands a second-rope Moonsault and flies off the top rope with the Red Arrow. Two-count. Styles gets up before PAC can land one dive to PAC transitions into a full nelson hold. Styles fights out, lands a barrage of knees, and connects with the Clash. One, two, three! Styles wins!

Winner after 20:05: AJ Styles

Post-match, Styles grabs a mic and agrees with the crowd’s “That was awesome” chants. After letting them share their thoughts, he says his next statement will be corny but states, “If this were a video game, you just leveled up”.

You can watch the full match here.

Review: This was a fun indy-style match with babyface-versus-babyface, veteran-versus-rookie dynamics. Styles had six more years’ worth of experience yet treated PAC as his equal and sold for him generously. Despite being only two years into his professional career, PAC looked confident and comfortable with Styles, never looking out of place or out of step. They told a decent story of PAC showcasing his abilities against a more seasoned veteran and he earned Styles’ respect while never losing the crowd’s support. For a local wrestler you couldn’t possibly get more of a ringing endorsement than this so kudos to Styles for giving PAC such a significant stamp of approval.

Final Rating: ***3/4

Open the Dream Gate Championship Match: PAC [c] vs. Kzy – Dragon Gate Truth Gate 2019 – Day 5

The Story: This is in Dragon Gate Japan, which is where PAC cut spent a long time after finishing up in the British independent scene. He returned there after his WWE contract expired and before he signed with AEW. This time around, however, PAC reinvented himself as “The Bastard” that he’d go one to portray in AEW. Meanwhile, Kzy was an undercarder for many years who worked his way up as a new underdog babyface in Dragon Gate. Also, for what it’s worth, Dave Meltzer rated this ****3/4 out of five.

The Match: Standard chain wrestling to start. They trade armlocks with Kzy escaping one while doing The Worm, so PAC switches from technical countering to more aggressive attacks. Both guys crisscross the ring until PAC lands a back body drop. We get more flips until PAC misses a dropkick and Kzy hits a front flip neckbreaker and a suicide dive. Kzy lands another neckbreaker off the apron but PAC retaliates with a top-rope Superplex. PAC spits water on Kzy and suplexes him on the ringside mats. Kzy barely makes it back into the ring in time so PAC launches him into a corner between kneedrops to the back of the neck. PAC mocks Kzy which fires him up enough to win an extended strike exchange. PAC gets out of the way of a dive so Kzy cuts him off and they battle ringside until Kzy hits a Widowmaker onto the ring apron. Kzy lands another dive and a bridging Northern Lights Suplex for two. Lots of quick counters. Kzy lands a fireman’s carry spinebuster for two. PAC ducks a dive sending Kzy onto his stablemates below and then hits a top-rope corkscrew Moonsault onto same.

A springboard 450 Splash gets him a two-count. Kzy hits some forearms so PAC counters with a Backslide Driver and a Ligerbomb for two. Kzy answers a charge with a pop-up uppercut. PAC dodges a sliding lariat and hits a rebound German Suplex. Kzy hits another uppercut which leads to a LONG elbow exchange. PAC maintains control but Kzy begins cutting him off repeatedly. Kzy lands a top-rope Superplex/diving elbow combo for two. PAC resists a Tiger Drier so Kzy turns it into a Tiger Destroyer and hits another running uppercut for a near-fall. Kzy lands a senton bomb but PAC gets his knees up on a frog splash. PAC lands a Shooting Star Press onto a standing Kzy followed by a lariat for two. He misses the Red Arrow and Kzy turns a kick into a modified cradle for a great near-fall. Kzy removes his elbow pad and hits a barrage of stiff elbows and yet another uppercut. A frog splash yields another two-count. PAC escapes the ring repeatedly to avoid a finishing dive and attempts a springboard but Kzy uppercuts him. PAC blocks another dive and lands a SECOND-ROPE TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER! Did he learn NOTHING from Akira Hokuto?! That allows him to land the Red Arrow and get an easy three-count.

Winner and Still Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate Champion after 25:17: PAC

You can watch the full match here.

Review: As expected of Dragon Gate’s product, this was nonstop fast-paced action with lots of wild dives, high-impact strikes, and escalating danger. PAC worked heel here and did a great job of it, acting all cocky and overconfident as Kzy tapped him with light strikes and struggled to get to his feet. Kzy did a solid job playing babyface but this was clearly PAC’s match as he dictated the action. He brutalized Kzy with some techniques rarely seen elsewhere. If you like acrobatics and crazy, blistering speed then you’ll enjoy this. It wasn’t the most groundbreaking or novel of indy-style spotfests but it featured PAC combining his high-flying style with some solid heel work which made for a refreshing take on the typical notion that high-flyers should always be babyfaces.

Final Rating: ****

PWG World Championship Match: El Generico [c] vs. PAC – PWG All-Star Weekend V

The Story: Pretty much everyone knows of the match these two had in NXT, but it turns out they’ve wrestled each other before that: in IWP:UK, wXw, and twice in PWG. In this case, PAC came to PWG a month or so after his 1PW match with Styles and had rematch with him in PWG. The following night PAC wrestled Generico in what was considered the highlight of the night and was apparently so great the PWG faithful considered a MOTY contender. Wanting to capture lightning in a bottle a second time, PWG booked this rematch for the world title.

The Match: They shake hands and open with exchanging holds. They grapple on the mat until Generico forces a ropebreak with a Cross Armbreaker attempt. More chain grappling. PAC cleverly slips out of a waistlock and rolls into a chinlock. Generico works an arm until PAC escapes with a headscissor and lands an armdrag. PAC pulls a Jun Akiyama and rolls through to reverse the pressure on a knuckle lock but Generico powers him into a corner, only for PAC to answer with another headscissor. After some stalling Generico twists the arm and fights PAC onto the apron but PAC hits a springboard headscissor and dropkicks Generico to the floor. Despite PAC getting the best of him, Generico remains sportsmanlike. Generico sends PAC into a corner but PAC opts to corkscrew as he does the standard flip-over escape. PAC continues flying and headscissoring until Generico lands a counter title-a-whirl backbreaker. Generico lands a leg lariat for two, PAC escapes a Tombstone, and Generico wrestles into a resthold.

PAC lands a sudden counter Frankensteiner for two but misses a standing Moonsault senton. Generico follows with a lariat for two and a rib breaker but PAC cuts him off with a run-up Frankensteiner. They trade forearms until PAC counters with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Second-rope Phoenix Splash. Two-count. They trade suplex attempts. Generico counters a handspring into a gutbuster attempt. PAC attempt a Satellite DDT. Generico counters with his cradle Orange Crush Bomb for two. PAC dodges a Helluva Kick and hits a Poisoned Rana, but Generico manages to drop him with a boot. A missed boot sends Generico to the floor and PAC lands a Space Flying Tiger Drop. PAC follows with a short-range Shooting Star Press to a standing Generico for another near-fall. Generico cuts him off in a corner but PAC fights back and hits a DRAGONRANA! One, two, Generico kicks out. Pac charges but runs into a corner Exploder followed by a Helluva Kick and a Half-and-Half Suplex for two. Generico attempts the Turnbuckle Turnbuckle Brainbuster. PAC counters in what looks like Manami Toyota’s Victory Star Drop! Then he hits the Red Arrow but only gets two. PAC misses a 720 Splash and lands badly on his head. Generico covers but only gets two. PAC blocks an over-the-rope suplex but Generico manages to land the Half-and-Half on the apron…for two again. PAC shows a bit more fight but the Generico hits another Helluva Kick. Turnbuckle Brainbuster connects. One, two, three! Generico retains.

Winner and STILL PWG World Champion after 25:45: El Generico

You can watch the full match here.

Review: That started off a bit slow but became explosive and wild during the second half. PAC was the star here as he out-wrestled, out-dove, and out-bombed Generico for most of the match with his level of risk escalating with each passing kick-out. He showcased crazy moves that he didn’t even use in NXT and hit them with pinpoint precision. Things were going incredibly well until he missed that dive and landed badly. Whether that was a genuine botch or intentional it’s hard to say but he powered though it like a champion. While it did have some of the typical pitfalls associated with indy wrestling and PWG specifically – inconsequential matwork, lack of follow-through on limb targeting, sudden no-selling out of nowhere in a misapplication of Fighting Spirit, and a wildness that requires considerable suspension of disbelief – they compensated for that with athleticism and genuine surprise. This is a great match and one of the best of PAC’s career outside of WWE and AEW.

Final Rating: ****1/4

As always, thanks for reading.