Andy Williams, a popular professional wrestler known as “The Butcher,” died after collapsing during an independent show in the Pittsburgh area on Saturday night. He was 48 years old. Williams collapsed at ringside after his tag-team match and hit his head on the floor at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale, according to Kurt Hackimer, the co-owner of Enjoy Wrestling, the independent wrestling promotion that put on Saturday’s event. Two staff doctors then attended to Williams. “I called for an ambulance. At this time, he was conscious but unresponsive. His condition worsened quickly and his pulse faded,” Hackimer said in a statement to KDKA-TV on Sunday night. Doctors administered CPR and used an automated external defibrillator until the ambulance arrived, Hackimer said. Williams was taken to a local hospital, where he died on Saturday night. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death, but Hackimer said on-site medics indicated Williams’ symptoms were “consistent with a cardiac event.” An attendee told KDKA-TV on Sunday that Williams appeared winded toward the end of his match, but people assumed it was part of the show. It was only when he collapsed minutes after leaving the ring that they knew he was hurt. Enjoy Wrestling sent everyone home after Williams collapsed and ended the show. According to its social media accounts, Saturday night’s show was part of the company’s final run of shows. “Butcher Forever,” Enjoy Wrestling said on X on Sunday. The 48-year-old Williams was known to wrestling fans as “The Butcher” in All Elite Wrestling. Before that, he was a guitarist in the metal band Every Time I Die. In a statement on X, AEW said Williams was a “trailblazing musician.” “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’s statement said. “Our condolences go out to Williams’ family, friends and fans.” Williams was a guitarist in the band from 1998 until 2022, when the group separated. Millvale is about six kilometres north of Pittsburgh.
