"He Was The Perfect Pro Wrestler": Matt Cardona Mourns PAC’s Death At 40 With Emotional WWE Throwback
PAC has died at 40, with AEW announcing his passing on September 27. Matt Cardona shared a WWE throwback and called him “the perfect pro wrestler,” while William Regal praised PAC as one of England’s finest wrestlers since the 1980s. in his tribute
PAC has died at 40, with AEW announcing his passing on September 27 and tributes following from people who worked with him. Matt Cardona shared a backstage WWE photo of the two and remembered PAC for his wrestling ability, physical style and smooth work. “RIP PAC. So talented, so smooth, so jacked. He was the perfect pro wrestler,” Cardona wrote on Instagram. William Regal also posted a message, calling PAC one of his favourite people in wrestling and naming him the best wrestler to come out of England since the 1980s, while praising the aggression he brought to his matches.
Matt Cardona remembers PAC from their WWE days
Cardona's tribute came with an old WWE backstage photo featuring both wrestlers. His message was short, but he picked out three things he remembered about PAC: his talent, smoothness and physical presence. Cardona then described him as “the perfect pro wrestler.”
The two had worked together during PAC's WWE run. PAC signed with WWE in 2012 and became a two-time Cruiserweight Champion, as well as winning the NXT Championship and NXT Tag Team Championships.
PAC left WWE in 2018. He signed with AEW the following year, later becoming part of the Death Riders in 2024 after turning heel. The group was led by Jon Moxley and also included Claudio Castagnoli and Marina Shafir.
William Regal recalls PAC as an aggressive and credible wrestler
Regal formed the Blackpool Combat Club in AEW, a faction later reintroduced as the Death Riders. The group included Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Marina Shafir, with PAC joining in 2024 after turning heel. That gave Regal another link to PAC's AEW run.
Regal's message focused more on PAC's wrestling style and what he meant to the British wrestling scene. Regal was travelling home from Mexico when he wrote the tribute. He said PAC was “1 of my favorite people in the Wrestling” and called him “the best Wrestler to come out of England since the 80's.”
Regal also named Rollerball Rocco, Marty Jones and Fit Finlay while making the comparison. He added that his view came from a wrestling era where “being credible was part of the job,” while making clear he was not dismissing the UK talent working today.
One part of Regal's tribute was especially personal. He wrote that PAC was the only wrestler he watched and thought could beat him up, then praised how “much more aggressive and credible” PAC's wrestling was.
PAC's WWE career included three championship titles, with the Cruiserweight title being won twice. He departed WWE in 2018 before joining AEW in 2019, and AEW later placed him in the group in 2024 after his heel turn during his AEW run.