All Out Reshapes AEW—And PAC’s Death Changes Its Aftermath

Will Ospreay is headed toward Kazuchika Okada in Paris, but AEW’s next steps must begin with honoring Benjamin Satterley.

Under normal circumstances, AEW All Out 2026 would have produced a straightforward list of winners, losers and new directions.

Will Ospreay finally defeated Jon Moxley and retained the AEW World Championship. The Young Bucks made history by beginning a record-setting fourth reign as AEW World Tag Team Champions. Thekla earned a championship match against Mercedes Moné at WrestleDream, while Andrade El Idolo successfully defended the AEW National Championship against PAC.

AEW described the September 26 event at the Chicago-area NOW Arena as sold out. Its official results presented a company moving quickly into its next phase.

Then the entire meaning of the weekend changed.

On September 27, All Elite Wrestling announced the death of Benjamin Satterley, known around the world as PAC. AEW did not disclose a cause of death.

All Out can still be examined as a pivotal event for the company, but its aftermath can no longer be discussed like a normal collection of storyline developments. PAC’s death places everything that happened around his final appearance in a far more serious context.

Ospreay Becomes AEW’s Clear Centerpiece

Will Ospreay’s victory over Jon Moxley was the most important competitive result of the night.

The main event was built around a challenge Ospreay had not previously overcome. He entered All Out without a victory over Moxley and left the building having defeated one of AEW’s most protected and influential stars while retaining the company’s top championship.

The match included involvement from the Death Riders, United Empire and the Brawling Birds before Ospreay ultimately put Moxley away with the Hidden Blade. It was chaotic, but the final image was unmistakable: Ospreay survived Moxley and remained world champion.

That result moved Ospreay beyond simply being one of AEW’s elite in-ring performers. He is now being positioned as the central figure around whom the company’s biggest international matches and championship programs can be constructed.

The next step makes that direction even clearer.

During the post-All Out press conference, Ospreay challenged Kazuchika Okada to face him for the AEW World Championship at Grand Slam France on October 6 in Paris. Okada accepted, and Tony Khan made the match official. POST Wrestling reported that Ospreay identified Okada as one of the opponents whose previous victory he wants to avenge.

Ospreay versus Okada is more than another major defense. Their history gives AEW an established rivalry to place at the center of its continued international expansion. It also reinforces the idea that Ospreay’s title reign will be defined by confronting the most important losses and relationships from his career.

The Rest of AEW’s Championship Picture Moves Forward

All Out also established several other directions.

The Young Bucks defeated Cope and Cage and FTR in a ladder match to become four-time AEW World Tag Team Champions, extending their record as the most decorated team in the championship’s history.

Thekla defeated Willow Nightingale to earn a shot at AEW Women’s World Champion Mercedes Moné at WrestleDream. The post-match confrontation gave the women’s world-title division a clear destination for AEW’s next pay-per-view.

Andrade retained the AEW National Championship against PAC in the opening contest, securing his fifth successful defense. PAC later appeared during the Ospreay–Moxley main event as the Death Riders attempted to influence the outcome.

Those developments would ordinarily invite immediate questions about challengers, faction rivalries and unfinished business. In PAC’s case, that conversation must stop.

PAC’s Final Appearance Changes How All Out Will Be Remembered

PAC wrestled Andrade in what became the final match of his career. His later involvement in the main event became his final appearance at an AEW event.

There is no public evidence connecting anything that occurred at All Out to Satterley’s death. AEW has not announced a cause, and responsible coverage should not imply one.

What can be said is that PAC performed until the very end with the intensity, precision and physical commitment that defined his career. The fact that he competed on one of AEW’s biggest stages so shortly before the company announced his death makes the news especially difficult for fans and colleagues to process.

PAC was not a peripheral member of the roster. He had been part of AEW since 2019, held multiple championships and contributed to some of the company’s most acclaimed matches.

As a member of the Death Riders, he also remained connected to major ongoing stories at the time of his death.

Those stories are no longer the priority.

Storyline Answers Can Wait

AEW will eventually have decisions to make concerning the Death Riders, PAC’s unfinished rivalries and any creative plans that involved him. None of those questions require an immediate answer.

Professional wrestling normally encourages audiences to look ahead as soon as an event ends. All Out created plenty of reasons to do that: Ospreay versus Okada, another Young Bucks title reign and Thekla’s opportunity against Moné.

This situation is different. Benjamin Satterley’s family, friends and colleagues have suffered a real loss that exists far beyond television continuity.

The appropriate next step is to allow AEW to address PAC’s death in its own time, honor his life and give those closest to him space to grieve. Until the company provides further information, speculation about how his absence will be written into ongoing stories would be premature and insensitive.

A Transformative Weekend for AEW

From a competitive standpoint, All Out strengthened Ospreay’s position as AEW’s centerpiece. His victory over Moxley and immediate move toward Okada give the world championship a clear direction on an international stage.

The Young Bucks added another historic accomplishment, while Thekla emerged with the biggest opportunity of her AEW career. The sold-out billing and Tony Khan’s claim that pay-per-view performance increased year over year also gave AEW reasons to view the event as a business success, although no specific purchase figures were released.

But All Out will never be remembered only for its results.

It was also the final event of PAC’s remarkable career. The responsible way to discuss what comes next is simple: celebrate the performers whose paths moved forward, remember the man AEW lost and allow the storyline questions to wait.

Grapple News extends its deepest condolences to Benjamin Satterley’s family, friends, colleagues and fans.

Rest in peace, PAC.