Andy Williams, the wrestler and musician known to fans as The Butcher, has died at 48 after collapsing during a tag team match in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the death to TMZ Sports on Sunday, ending several hours of conflicting reports about his condition. No cause of death has been released.
Williams went down at the end of his match at Enjoy Wrestling’s Five Years anniversary show at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, just outside Pittsburgh. He was teaming with his longtime partner The Blade in a challenge for the promotion’s tag team titles against TME.
Fans in attendance told Fightful the match had been going normally when Williams’ legs buckled and he dropped to the floor. The Blade signaled for help and tried to get him back to his feet before Williams collapsed a second time and lost consciousness.
Enjoy Wrestling said on X that its doctors on staff began CPR immediately and continued until an ambulance arrived, and attendees described paramedics using a defibrillator in the ring. The promotion cancelled the rest of the card and sent the crowd home. SEScoops reported on the collapse Saturday night.
Hours Of Conflicting Reports Before Confirmation
Wrestling podcaster Famous Davis first reported late Saturday that Williams had died at Allegheny General Hospital, later adding that next of kin had been notified before he posted and that an autopsy would take place after the Labor Day holiday.
Enjoy Wrestling then disputed that report, replying to a user who asked whether the death had been confirmed by stating flatly that it wasn’t true. The promotion deleted the post a short time later. The medical examiner’s confirmation settled it on Sunday morning.
A Career Split Between The Ring And The Stage
Williams and The Blade debuted in AEW on the November 27, 2019 episode of Dynamite, emerging from under the ring to attack Cody Rhodes. Managed by The Bunny, they became a fixture of the promotion’s early tag division and worked programs with the Young Bucks, Lucha Brothers and FTR, though they never won the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
Despite early reports describing him as a current AEW wrestler, Williams was not under contract at the time of his death. Fightful Select reported in June that his and The Blade’s deals had expired without renewal, making both men free agents. His last AEW match was a February 2025 Collision loss to Gabe Kidd, and the pair had reunited on the independent circuit after The Blade returned from spinal fusion surgery in December 2025.
Away from wrestling, Williams was a founding member and rhythm guitarist of Every Time I Die, playing across the Buffalo metalcore band’s entire run until its split in early 2022. He spent recent years with Atomic Rule alongside bassist Travis Bennington and drummer Kevin Boutot, releasing the demo EP With Skull Crushing Force in September 2025.
Hours before the show, Williams posted a video to the band’s social media saying they had just finished writing and tracking demos for new material, with more announcements coming in the weeks ahead.
