Andy Williams, the professional wrestler better known as “The Butcher,” has died at 48 after suffering a medical emergency at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania.
Williams collapsed at the end of his match during an Enjoy Wrestling event at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, near Pittsburgh, on Saturday, Sept. 5.
He was treated by medical staff at the venue, received CPR and was taken to a hospital by ambulance. The remainder of the wrestling event was canceled.
TMZ reported Sunday that the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Williams had died following the health crisis.
The circumstances surrounding his death and an official cause have not been publicly detailed.
Andy Williams Collapsed at the End of His Match
Williams was wrestling alongside his longtime tag-team partner The Blade at the Enjoy Wrestling event when the medical emergency occurred.
According to the promotion, Williams collapsed toward the end of the match.
Enjoy Wrestling said its doctors immediately treated him and administered CPR while waiting for an ambulance.
The promotion then sent spectators home and stopped the event.
Earlier reports from wrestling outlets said paramedics also used a defibrillator while treating Williams before he was transported to the hospital.
The incident happened during Enjoy Wrestling’s Five-Year Anniversary event at Mr. Smalls Theatre.
The Butcher Was One Half of a Well-Known AEW Tag Team
Williams became widely known to wrestling fans as The Butcher, one half of The Butcher and The Blade.
The team, alongside The Blade and Bunny, became part of the early AEW roster after making their debut on the promotion’s first episode of Dynamite in 2019.
Williams and The Blade became regular figures in AEW’s tag-team division during the promotion’s early years.
The team eventually received a televised opportunity at the AEW World Tag Team Championship, challenging the Lucha Bros in 2021.
Williams continued wrestling with The Blade as the pair’s careers moved between AEW, independent wrestling and, later, Ring of Honor.
Reports said the duo’s AEW contracts expired in June 2026, after which they continued working together on the independent scene.
His Career Wasn’t Limited to Wrestling
What made Williams unusual in professional wrestling was that he had already established himself in another demanding entertainment career.
Before becoming widely known as The Butcher, Williams was a guitarist for the metalcore band Every Time I Die.
He was a founding member of the Buffalo, New York-based group and played rhythm guitar throughout much of its run.
Every Time I Die announced its breakup in 2022.
That gave Williams a rare career spanning both professional wrestling and heavy music.
He ultimately became recognizable to two separate audiences — wrestling fans who knew him as The Butcher and music fans who knew him as a member of Every Time I Die.
Williams Took a Different Route Into Wrestling
Williams’ path to professional wrestling was not straightforward.
He originally had ambitions in wrestling but suffered a knee injury that delayed his early training.
During his recovery, he became involved in music and eventually helped form Every Time I Die.
Years later, he returned to wrestling and trained under veteran wrestler Josh Barnett before establishing himself on the independent circuit.
He made his professional wrestling debut in 2016 and later formed The Butcher and The Blade with Jesse Guilmette, better known as The Blade.
The team eventually caught the attention of AEW and moved onto national television.
A Sudden End to the Wrestling Show
The seriousness of Saturday’s incident became clear almost immediately.
Williams had just completed the end of his match when he collapsed.
Enjoy Wrestling’s medical personnel rushed to him and began emergency treatment before an ambulance arrived.
The promotion then made the decision to end the event rather than continue the show.
The wrestling community began sharing reports of the emergency overnight before news of Williams’ death emerged Sunday.
The incident has since prompted an outpouring of condolences from wrestling and music fans.
Williams Was Only 48
Williams was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1977.
His professional life crossed two very different worlds: heavy music and professional wrestling.
As a musician, he spent years touring with Every Time I Die.
As a wrestler, he became one of AEW’s recognizable tag-team performers during the company’s formative years.
That combination made his career unusual even within professional wrestling.
What Is Known About His Death
What is established is that Williams suffered a medical emergency at the Enjoy Wrestling event in Millvale, was treated with CPR by medical personnel and was transported to a hospital.
TMZ subsequently reported that the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his death at 48.
An official cause of death has not been established publicly in the reports reviewed for this article.
That distinction is important because early reports about the incident circulated while Williams was still receiving medical treatment. Enjoy Wrestling’s initial statement only confirmed the collapse, emergency treatment and hospital transfer.
Williams’ death brings an abrupt end to a career that connected two very different fan communities.
To wrestling fans, he was The Butcher.
To metal fans, he was a guitarist who helped build Every Time I Die.
He was 48.
