Enjoy Wrestling co-owner Kurt Hackimer later told CBS Pittsburgh that Williams was initially conscious but unresponsive. His condition then deteriorated rapidly and he lost his pulse. Doctors working at the event performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator while waiting for emergency crews.
The promotion cancelled the rest of the show and sent spectators home. After Williams’s death was confirmed, it posted a brief tribute: “Butcher Forever.”
Did a head injury cause Andy Williams’s death?
No official finding has established that Williams died because he hit his head.
Emergency dispatch audio obtained by TMZ included an operator saying that he had “hit his head,” while another call requested urgent lifting assistance. Reports differed over whether he struck the floor or a ring post.
Hackimer said Williams fell and hit his head on the floor after collapsing. He added that medics at the venue believed the symptoms were “consistent with a cardiac event.” That remains an assessment from the scene, not an official cause of death.
The distinction matters. A head impact can happen during a collapse without being the reason for it. Dramatic dispatch audio is useful evidence of the emergency, but it is not a medical examiner’s report, however convenient that would be for a headline.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Williams died following a medical emergency. Its investigation had not yet produced an official cause or manner of death.
How Williams crossed from metalcore into wrestling
Williams built an unusual career across two physically demanding industries. He co-founded the Buffalo metalcore band Every Time I Die in 1998 and played guitar on all nine of its studio albums. He remained with the group until its breakup in 2022, ending a 24-year run that helped make the band influential within heavy music.
He later formed Atomic Rule, continuing his music career while also becoming a nationally televised professional wrestler.
As The Butcher, Williams became best known for teaming with The Blade in All Elite Wrestling. His imposing appearance made the name fairly self-explanatory, saving everyone several paragraphs of character development.
Fightful reported that his AEW contract expired in 2026 and that he had not wrestled for the company since February 2025. He continued appearing elsewhere, including the Enjoy Wrestling event where he suffered the fatal medical emergency.
AEW remembered Williams as a “trailblazing musician” who was “incredibly respected by his peers.” Better Lovers, a band featuring former Every Time I Die members, described him as “a true 1 of 1 human being.”
Wrestling and music figures pay tribute
Matt Hardy, who worked with Williams in AEW, said he was “saddened and shocked” by the death.
“Andy was a joy to work with,” Hardy wrote. “He was a kind, funny and deep individual who was an extremely talented musician and wrestler.”
AEW wrestler Josh Alexander remembered Williams as “one of the best people I ever met,” adding that every conversation with him left Alexander feeling better. Athena, who performs for AEW and Ring of Honor, recalled exchanging food recipes with him and offered condolences to his family and friends.
AEW referee Bryce Remsburg said Williams regularly stood out even in rooms filled with interesting people.
“He made you feel cool and interesting just by talking to you,” Remsburg wrote. “His smile could light up a stadium.”
WWE commentator Corey Graves shared a photograph of himself with Williams alongside a broken-heart emoji.
Williams’s agent, Steve Kaye, said he would miss their marathon phone calls and promised not to let Williams’s ideas “fall by the wayside.” His tributes from both wrestling and music reflected the rare reach of a career that never stayed confined to one stage, ring or audience.
