Who Was Former AEW Wrestler ‘The Butcher’ Andy Williams?

Former AEW wrestler and guitarist, ‘The Butcher’ Andy Williams, recently passed away at 48 during a pro-wrestling event. Williams collapsed after his match at the Enjoy Wrestling event near Pittsburgh on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Shortly after, Fightful reported that paramedics used a defibrillator and performed chest compressions on him before he was taken away to a hospital in an ambulance. Soon after Williams’ departure, the rest of the Enjoy Wrestling show was canceled.

On Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, TMZ announced and confirmed Williams’ death. “Andy Williams – a professional AEW wrestler known as ‘The Butcher,’ died Saturday after experiencing a medical emergency during a tag team match in Pennsylvania, according to authorities,” TMZ wrote.

Williams passed away following his health crisis at Mr. Small’s Theater in Millvale, PA. “The Butcher” and his partner, “The Blade,” were battling TME during the Enjoy Wrestling event. Enjoy Wrestling later shared that Williams collapsed at the end of his match, and doctors rushed to his aid and gave him CPR. While Williams was extremely well-loved and respected in the industry, who was he actually?

Who was AEW wrestler ‘The Butcher’ Andy Williams?

Born in 1977, Williams was a popular professional wrestler and a guitarist. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist of the metalcore band Every Time I Die. Williams served as the band’s guitarist from their formation in 1998 to their breakup in 2022. During his tenure in Every Time I Die, Williams played on all nine of the band’s studio albums, ending with 2021’s Radical.

During his time with Every Time I Die, Williams began training and performing as a wrestler in the 2010s. He first worked the independent circuits before rising to the level of the mainstream professional wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling, where he made his debut as “The Butcher” in 2019.

Shortly after the news became public, AEW also released an official statement regarding his death. “All Elite Wrestling is saddened to learn of the passing of Andy Williams, aka The Butcher. A trailblazing musician with ETID and Atomic Rule, Williams made a successful transition into the world of professional wrestling and was incredibly respected by his peers both in and out of the ring,” AEW wrote. “Our condolences go out to Williams’ family, friends and fans.” Alongside AEW, several other pro-wrestlers and wrestling promotions also paid their tribute to the veteran.

Williams, who often teamed up with Jesse “The Blade” Guilmette (his partner in his final match), was with AEW and its sister promotion, Ring of Honor, for seven years, starting from 2019 to 2026. In Jun. 2026, it was reported that the Blade and the Butcher’s AEW contracts had expired, it finished their nearly seven-year tenure with Tony Khan’s promotion.

Previously, during his appearance on Renee Paquette’s podcast The Sessions, Williams revealed he had dyslexia. Before the Enjoy Wrestling event, their most recent match was the Commonwealth Cup First Round, in which The Butcher And The Blade (comprising The Blade and The Butcher) competed and were defeated. With over a decade’s experience, Williams was equally active as a singles and tag-team wrestler.

In addition to his successful pro-wrestling career, Williams also enjoyed a celebrated musical career. After Every Time I Die broke up, Williams became involved with Atomic Rule, a project he pursued apart from wrestling. Just hours before his death, Williams had announced on his social media that Atomic Rule was working hard on their new music.