Andy ‘The Butcher’ Williams Dies at 48 After Medical Emergency During Pennsylvania Wrestling Match
Andy “The Butcher” Williams, 48, was participating in a tag team match with partner Jesse “The Blade” Guilmette at Mr. Small’s Theatre in Millvale, Pa. on Friday when the call for the injury came through.Getty Images
Professional wrestler and musician Andy “The Butcher” Williams died at 48 after suffering a medical emergency during a wrestling event in Pennsylvania, with newly released 911 dispatch audio providing additional details about what emergency responders were initially told.
Williams was competing in a tag-team match at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale on Saturday, Sept. 5, when he collapsed near the end of the bout. Medical personnel immediately rushed to his aid and performed CPR before he was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
An official cause of death has not yet been publicly announced.
911 dispatch audio mentions a blow to the head
Officials confirmed that Williams, who also played rhythm guitar for a metalcore band, died in the hospital following a medical crisis, but no cause of death was stated. Amy Harris/Invision/AP
The newly obtained emergency dispatch audio offers a glimpse into the response unfolding outside the ring.
In one transmission, a dispatcher reports that a male wrestler had been injured during a match and had “hit his head” on a ring post. A second transmission requested emergency lifting assistance at the venue and noted that police and EMS personnel were already there.
The audio does not establish that the reported contact with the ring post caused Williams’ death. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his death following the medical emergency, but an official cause had not been released as of Sunday.
A co-owner of Enjoy Wrestling separately told CBS Pittsburgh that Williams displayed symptoms that appeared consistent with a cardiac event. That observation has not been established as an official cause of death.
Medical personnel rushed into action
Williams had been wrestling alongside his longtime tag-team partner Jesse “The Blade” Guilmette during Enjoy Wrestling’s fifth-anniversary event.
The pair, known to wrestling fans as The Butcher and The Blade, were facing TME when Williams experienced the medical emergency near the conclusion of their championship match.
Doctors and medical personnel at the venue immediately began treating Williams, including administering CPR, while waiting for an ambulance.
He was then transported to a hospital. The remainder of the wrestling event was canceled following the emergency.
Enjoy Wrestling later paid tribute with a simple message: “Butcher Forever.”
AEW remembers ‘The Butcher’
Williams had become a familiar figure to wrestling audiences through his distinctive persona, The Butcher.
After years on the independent circuit, he and Guilmette gained widespread recognition as The Butcher and The Blade. Williams joined All Elite Wrestling in 2019 and remained associated with the promotion for several years.
Following news of his death, AEW described Williams as a trailblazing musician who had successfully transitioned into professional wrestling and earned considerable respect from his peers both inside and outside the ring.
Tributes also poured in from other members of the wrestling community as news of the 48-year-old’s death spread.
Williams also built an influential career in music
Long before many wrestling fans knew him as The Butcher, Williams had established himself in the heavy music world.
He was a founding guitarist of Buffalo metalcore band Every Time I Die, which formed in 1998. Williams appeared on all nine of the group’s studio albums before the band disbanded in 2022.
His move into wrestling did not bring his musical career to an end.
Williams later became involved with Atomic Rule, continuing to perform and record music while pursuing professional wrestling. Remarkably, only hours before his death, he had appeared in a video promoting new music, touring plans and the band’s future.
His dual career made him an unusual and recognizable presence across two very different communities.
Cause of death remains undetermined publicly
The release of the dispatch recording has drawn particular attention because of its reference to Williams hitting his head during the match.
However, the information available so far does not establish a direct connection between that incident and his subsequent death.
What has been confirmed is that Williams experienced a medical crisis during the event, received immediate treatment including CPR and was transported to a hospital before his death was confirmed.
Until the medical examiner releases further findings, the precise cause of Williams’ death remains undetermined publicly.
For fans who followed him from the stages of Every Time I Die to wrestling rings around the country, Williams leaves behind a rare legacy spanning both metal music and professional wrestling.