Pro wrestler ‘The Butcher’ dies after collapsing following match near Pittsburgh
MILLVALE, Pa. —
Pro wrestler Andy Williams, known to fans as “The Butcher,” died Saturday night after collapsing following a tag team event at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, leaving fans mourning his legacy in wrestling and heavy metal music.
The Allegheny County medical examiner is working to determine Williams’ cause of death.
“I guess his legs buckled and he collapsed, and they were helping him up and carrying them to the back. And you just expect that’s part of the show because they do that sometimes. Then they got further back to take him out into the back room, and he collapsed again,” said Dylan Meerhoff, who attended the match. “You could tell something was wrong. It wasn’t part of the show.”
The wrestling event company Enjoy Wrestling, which hosted the match, said doctors on staff immediately tended to Williams and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
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“The Butcher” Andy Williams is introduced for his wrestling match at Mr. Smalls
Destiny Burtlow, who was working security at Mr. Smalls, said the room fell silent when Williams collapsed and remained quiet while the audience evacuated.
“They ended up canceling everything, and we quickly evacuated the building so my team, EMS, Enjoy Wrestling team was able to do their work,” Burtlow said.
Williams died shortly after at the hospital.
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A fan of “The Butcher” Andy Williams placed flowers outside Mr. Smalls Theatre
“Rest in peace, Andy Williams. Our lives will never be the same,” said fan Dan Rosa.
Williams had built a strong connection with his fans long before his wrestling career, as the guitarist for the band Every Time I Die.
“I started listening to Every Time I Die in early 2000. I loved his guitar playing. Just insane riffs. The way he brought a southern-style hardcore into the scene,” Rosa said. “It’s a really hard day. I just lost a hero. And I know there are people that knew him a lot better than me. Family, friends, band members, band members here in Pittsburgh of Atomic Rule that are part of our hardcore community as well. My heart goes out to them and to Andy’s family.”
Williams continued his music career with the band Atomic Rule, which he started in 2023.
Corey Graves, a Pittsburgh native and professional wrestler, remembered Williams as a friend.
“His passion for music and wrestling was unlike anyone else’s. A truly good guy that no one could say a bad word about. He had an awesome presence and brought laughter to every room he was in,” Graves said.
All Elite Wrestling, where Williams performed, released a statement honoring him: “A trailblazing musician with Every Time I Die 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.”
Rosa described his hero as a gentle giant.
“Having seen them play time after time after time through the last couple of decades, someone that seemed so formidable in actuality was one of the tenderest, gentlest, nicest human beings that has ever lived,” Rosa said.