News of Andy Williams' passing has hit the wrestling world, with many superstars across the business paying homage to "The Butcher." CM Punk and many AEW alumni reached out to pay their respects to the musician and wrestler, who passed away following an indie wrestling event.
The Butcher and his tag-team partner "The Blade" were competing in an Enjoy Wrestling event on Saturday when TMZ reported that the former suffered a medical emergency. The 48-year-old collapsed after his match and was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. CM Punk kicked off the tributes with a post on his Instagram Stories, sharing a humorous photo of them
The Butcher and The Blade were regularly touted as one of AEW's best tag teams, with the former being included in feuds with MJF and other notables. Dustin Rhodes also paid tribute on X, responding with a post that mentioned a tag-team title match he had against him in 2020:
I remember this very well. After the match, Andy was crying to me with happy tears, and that started my water works as well. Andy is one of the kindest people I have ever met, with a pure heart and soul. I will miss you my friend. Prayers to ur family and loved ones. 🙏🏼❤️ #Butcher
Even Danhausen, who is known for sticking to his off-the-wall persona more often than not online, softened his bizarre personality just a bit to give a heartwarming send-off to his former coworker in AEW:
Rest in peace sweet man.
Malakai Black, who has been in and out of AEW over the years, dropped a big message about Andy Williams. He talked about what he was feeling in the moment and how painful it was to say goodbye to a friend:
One of my best friends of AEW passes away, Andy Williams, I couldn't keep it together back stage. There's nothing that can make my heart feel less, instead of cheering for me, please cheer for Andy one final time.
Matt Hardy, who had legendary runs in every pro wrestling organization he's competed in, also talked about The Butcher's death. He paid respects to the former tag-team competitor as a colleague who respected his work both in and out of the wrestling ring:
Saddened & shocked to hear about the passing of Andy Williams. Andy was a joy to work with - He was a kind, funny & deep individual who was an extremely talented musician & wrestler. My thoughts & prayers go out to all of Andy’s family, friends & fans. RIP brother.
Andy Williams was a case of someone who was previously famous for something else, making a transition into professional wrestling. Before he joined the pro wrestling world, he was known as the rhythm guitarist for the metalcore band Every Time I Die. He was featured on every album release for the band up until they broke up in 2022.
CinemaBlend offers condolences to the family and friends of Andy Williams and wishes them well during this difficult time. Here's hoping more wrestlers speak out with tributes, and we see some fun in-ring tributes when AEW airs next.
