Chairshot Wrestling News Report (9/28/2026): PAC Passes Away at 40, Tsuji Retains & Raw Heads to Milwaukee

AEW announces the death of PAC at age 40, Yota Tsuji retains in Kobe, Steven Borden gets encouraging news and WWE Raw heads to Milwaukee.

Professional wrestling received devastating news Sunday night when AEW announced that Benjamin Satterley, known throughout the wrestling world as PAC, had passed away at 40 years old.

PAC had competed for AEW at All Out just one night earlier, challenging Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship. No cause of death had been announced as of Sunday night, and anything beyond AEW’s confirmation would be speculation.

Sunday also brought a major New Japan show from Kobe, where Yota Tsuji retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Hirooki Goto, Shun Skywalker ended Konosuke Takeshita’s NJPW World Television Championship reign and Gabe Kidd retained the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship before immediately finding his next challenger.

It’s the Chairshot Wrestling News Report for September 28, 2026!

PAC Passes Away at 40

AEW announced Sunday night that Benjamin Satterley, better known as PAC, had died at the age of 40. The company remembered the Newcastle native as one of AEW’s original stars, noting his arrival in 2019 and his multiple championship reigns during more than seven years with the promotion.

PAC wrestled Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship Saturday at All Out in Chicago. Andrade retained the championship in what became PAC’s final match.

There was no publicly confirmed cause of death when AEW announced his passing Sunday night. That is where the reporting should remain until PAC’s family or another appropriate source provides additional information.

PAC’s career extended well beyond AEW. He became internationally known through Dragon Gate and the independent wrestling scene before joining WWE, where he competed as Neville and became both NXT Champion and a two-time Cruiserweight Champion. His post-WWE return to Dragon Gate eventually led to AEW, where he became the inaugural All-Atlantic Champion, later renamed the International Championship, and held the World Trios Championship with the Lucha Brothers as Death Triangle.

The championships only tell part of the story. PAC could convincingly work almost anywhere on a wrestling card because his style never depended entirely on being the biggest wrestler in the match. He could wrestle as an explosive babyface, become one of the nastiest heels on the show or simply walk into a match against another elite wrestler and make the wrestling itself the story.

Forty years old is far too young, and there is nothing useful to add by trying to turn news like this into a storyline discussion. The wrestling world lost an exceptional performer Sunday.

Tony Khan Gives Encouraging Steven Borden Update

Tony Khan provided encouraging news on Steven Borden following the frightening injury that stopped Borden’s match at All Out. Khan said during the post-show media scrum that Borden underwent a CT scan and that the tests had come back with good results.

Khan said Borden was awake and responsive at the hospital and expressed hope that he would be able to fly home with his family Sunday. Borden was injured during his match alongside Darby Allin against Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight when Borden and Knight collided in midair and Borden landed hard on the canvas.

That is a material improvement over the information available while All Out was happening. AEW had already announced during the pay-per-view that Borden was conscious and communicating with doctors, but clean test results and the possibility of traveling home represent the most encouraging update yet.

There is still no reason to speculate about when Borden might wrestle again. The important part for now is that the medical news following a frightening situation has remained positive.

NJPW Destruction in Kobe Results — September 27, 2026

New Japan Pro-Wrestling presented Destruction in Kobe Sunday from Kobe World Hall, with Yota Tsuji making his first successful defense of his current IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign against Hirooki Goto.

The event also produced a championship change when Shun Skywalker defeated Konosuke Takeshita for the NJPW World Television Championship, while Gabe Kidd retained the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Drilla Moloney.

• Shota Umino, Boltin Oleg, El Desperado, Místico & Toru Yano defeated Ren Narita, SANADA, DOUKI, SHO & Dick Togo
• YOH, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Robbie X, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
• Yuto-Ice, OSKAR & Daiki Nagai defeated HENARE, Great-O-Khan & Zane Jay
• Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Aaron Wolf & Taichi
• Callum Newman defeated Jeff Cobb
• NJPW World Television Championship – Shun Skywalker defeated Konosuke Takeshita to win the championship
• Shingo Takagi defeated Claudio Castagnoli
• IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship – Gabe Kidd defeated Drilla Moloney
• IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Yota Tsuji defeated Hirooki Goto

The final three matches did most of the work setting New Japan’s immediate direction. Shingo defeated Claudio in a first-time singles meeting, Kidd survived Moloney and Tsuji turned away another accomplished challenger to remain world champion.

With King of Pro-Wrestling coming October 12 at Ryogoku, New Japan left Kobe with several major programs already moving toward their next stage.

Yota Tsuji Retains, Ryohei Oiwa Is Waiting

Yota Tsuji defeated Hirooki Goto after approximately 24 minutes to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Goto survived deep into the match and countered several of Tsuji’s biggest attacks before the champion finally connected with consecutive Fire Blasters to secure the victory.

Tsuji’s celebration did not last long before Ryohei Oiwa confronted him ahead of their championship match at King of Pro-Wrestling. Oiwa earned that opportunity through his G1 Climax victory, giving Tsuji another major challenger immediately after surviving Goto.

That is an important distinction for Tsuji’s reign. Defeating Goto gives him a successful defense against one of New Japan’s most decorated veterans, while Oiwa represents something entirely different: a younger wrestler arriving with enough momentum to plausibly threaten the champion’s position.

New Japan does not need to manufacture much more between them. The IWGP champion against the G1 winner is already one of the cleanest championship setups the company can produce.

Shun Skywalker Takes the Television Title From Konosuke Takeshita

Shun Skywalker defeated Konosuke Takeshita to capture the NJPW World Television Championship after House of Torture became involved in the match. Takeshita fought through the interference before Skywalker escaped Raging Fire and connected with two Skyfalls to win the championship.

House of Torture continued attacking Takeshita after the match until Toru Yano made the save. Skywalker then used his post-match comments to emphasize that an outsider had taken a championship carrying New Japan’s name.

The result is notable beyond the title change because Takeshita has spent much of 2026 operating near the top of several wrestling ecosystems. Taking the championship from him immediately gives Skywalker credibility, even if House of Torture’s involvement means the match did not produce a completely clean transition.

It also gives New Japan another championship story built around an outsider holding company gold, which should create plenty of available challengers without requiring an elaborate explanation.

Gabe Kidd Retains Before Shota Umino Comes Calling

Gabe Kidd successfully defended the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Drilla Moloney in a physical match that spilled around ringside and included Kidd driving Moloney through a table. Kidd eventually finished Moloney with a piledriver to retain the championship.

Shota Umino interrupted Kidd’s celebration and the confrontation quickly became physical after Kidd mocked Umino’s recent injury. Umino eventually got the better of the exchange and left Kidd down, making the next direction for the Global Championship difficult to miss.

That is a useful program for both men. Kidd has established the championship around his confrontational personality, while Umino continues trying to find the version of himself capable of breaking through New Japan’s crowded younger generation.

A championship rivalry gives that issue stakes beyond another personality clash.

AEW Announces Holiday Bash for Chicago

AEW announced Sunday that Holiday Bash will return on December 23 from Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The announcement came one day after All Out was held in the Chicago area, continuing the company’s long relationship with one of its most important markets.

The December date gives AEW another branded television event during the final weeks of the year rather than adding another pay-per-view. With WrestleDream still ahead in October, AEW has plenty of time before Holiday Bash becomes an immediate television priority.

The announcement itself is straightforward, but Chicago remaining central to AEW’s schedule is hardly surprising. Few markets have been more closely associated with the promotion throughout its history.

WWE Raw Preview — September 28, 2026

Raw heads to Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee tonight with Money in the Bank less than two weeks away and several major segments already announced.

Lola Vice will face Roxanne Perez in singles competition after both women qualified for Money in the Bank, while Big Cass is scheduled to face Dragon Lee. The Bloodline will also address last week’s abduction of Solo Sikoa by Royce Keys, Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, which removed Solo from his scheduled Money in the Bank qualifier and opened the door for Penta to enter and advance.

• Big Cass vs. Dragon Lee
• Lola Vice vs. Roxanne Perez
• The Bloodline addresses Solo Sikoa’s abduction
• LA Knight addresses Roman Reigns
• Oba Femi has a message for The Vision
• Stephanie Vaquer addresses her championship situation

Oba’s appearance becomes more interesting after his weekend confrontation with Omos at Worlds Collide, although WWE has specifically advertised his Raw segment around The Vision. Oba returned last Monday after the group had taken him out two weeks earlier and immediately helped Je’Von Evans fight them off.

Stephanie Vaquer also has unfinished business with both Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch after offering championship opportunities to both women last week. WWE can move toward either singles match or allow the disagreement to develop into something involving all three.

The most immediate Money in the Bank story remains LA Knight and Roman Reigns. Knight is already scheduled to challenge Roman for the World Heavyweight Championship in New Orleans, giving tonight’s appearance importance beyond simply filling another segment before the premium live event.

PAC spent years building a reputation as one of the most consistently intense performers of his generation, whether the setting was WWE, Dragon Gate, AEW or somewhere else entirely. Wrestling will move forward because it always does, but September 27, 2026 will be remembered first for the loss of Benjamin Satterley.

This report includes information from: All Elite Wrestling, Fightful.com, PWTorch.com, NJPW Destruction in Kobe reporting, MonthlyPuroresu.com, WWE-related reporting, and AEW event announcements.