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A Tribute to "The Butcher" Andy Williams

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A Tribute to "The Butcher" Andy Williams
Promotional poster featuring Andy Williams
PromotionAll Elite Wrestling
DateSeptember 12, 2026
CitySpringfield, Massachusetts
VenueMassMutual Center
Attendance2,821[1]
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A Tribute to "The Butcher" Andy Williams was a professional wrestling memorial event and television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The event took place on September 12, 2026 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. It aired live on TNT and simulcasted on HBO Max as a special episode of AEW's weekly television program Saturday Night Collision. It paid tribute to "The Butcher" Andy Williams following his death a week prior.

Production

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Background

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The event took place at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Professional wrestler Andy Williams, also known as "The Butcher".

On September 5, 2026, during an independent wrestling event held by Enjoy Wrestling in Millvale, Pennsylvania, "The Butcher" Andy Williams legitimately collapsed ringside after he allegedly struck his head on a ringpost and hit the floor[2][3][4] in a tag team match, which led to the remainder of the show being canceled.[5] In a statement, Enjoy Wrestling's co-founder, Kurt Hackimer, stated Williams' symptoms "were consistent with a cardiac event".[6] After his condition "worsened", two on-site doctors began to administer CPR and applied an automated external defibrillator (AED) until ambulance crews arrived, with the defibrillator being provided by police.[7] Williams stopped breathing before the arrival of the emergency medical services, though they continued to attempt life-saving measures, and he was transported to Allegheny General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.[8] The day after, Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to TMZ that Williams had died aged 48 years old[9][10], with an official cause and manner of death pending, though the Millvale Police Department stated that "no visible signs of trauma and no indications of foul play [were] observed" by their investigating officers.[4]

On September 8, the president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Tony Khan opened the Ring of Honor tapings in Jacksonville, Florida with a 10-bell salute, tribute graphic on-screen, and said some "kind words" to honor Williams, who was an early signee of the promotion and only departed once his contract expired in the summer.[11] When Wednesday Night Dynamite's television special, Rebel Heart, was broadcast live the following day, the show opened with a graphic honoring Williams, and saw all three commentators — play-by-play commentator Excalibur, color commentator Taz, and fellow commentator Tony Schiavone — each pay tribute respectively as they gave their own speeches.[12] While Excalibur was delivering his speech, another graphic was shown confirming the next episode of Collision would be a tribute to Williams.[13][14]

On September 12, hours before the special, Khan went live on social media and revealed three of the matches that would be contested. In the live stream, he noted that "The Butcher" Battle Royale would serve as the main event, with the winner able to donate $100,000 to a charity of their choice, in Williams' name.[15]

Storylines

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The event included professional wrestling matches that resulted from scripted storylines.[16] Results were predetermined by AEW's writers, and the storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs Dynamite and Collision.

Results

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No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[17]
1Jon Moxley (c) defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey by pinfallAEW Continental Championship eliminator match[15]18:09
2The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed, and Dezmond Xavier) defeated Aaron Solo, Griff Garrison, and Nick Comoroto by pinfallTrios match[18]2:00
3Queen Aminata defeated Mina Shirakawa by pinfallSingles match[15]10:18
4Jay White (with Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, and Ace Austin) defeated Adam PriestSingles match[18]5:11
5Pac and The Dogs (David Finlay, Clark Connors, and Gabe Kidd) defeated Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, and Ace Austin) by pinfallEight-man tag team match[18]10:51
6The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O'Reilly) defeated The Lethal Twist (Jay Lethal, Blake Christian, and Lee Johnson) by pinfallTrios match[18]9:54
7Daniel Garcia won by last eliminating Josh Alexander[a]12-man "The Butcher" Battle Royale[15]
The winner, Daniel Garcia, got to donate $100,000 in Williams' name to his own chosen charity, titled MusiCares.[19]		16:22
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Notes

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "AEW Collision #161 - A Tribute To The Butcher Andy Williams". Cagematch. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  2. ↑ Russell, Shania (September 7, 2026). "Andy 'The Butcher' Williams, Every Time I Die guitarist and pro wrestler, dies at 48". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  3. ↑ McBride, Jessica (September 6, 2026). "Andy Williams' Dispatch Audio Sheds Light on Possible Cause of Death". Men's Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Lambert, Jeremy (September 8, 2026). "Millvale Police Department Gives Statement On Passing Of 'The Butcher' Andy Williams". Fightful. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  5. ↑ Pollock, John (September 5, 2026). "Andy Williams a.k.a. 'The Butcher' collapses at Enjoy Wrestling show". POST Wrestling. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ Damp, Patrick; Sayer, Ricky (September 6, 2026). "Professional wrestler Andy "The Butcher" Williams dies after collapsing during show in Pittsburgh". CBS News. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ Currier, Joseph (September 7, 2026). "Indie promotion issues statement on death of 'The Butcher' Andy Williams". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  8. ↑ Pollock, John (September 8, 2026). "Millvale Police Department releases statement regarding passing of Andy Williams". POST Wrestling. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Mike (September 6, 2026). "TMZ.com Reports the Passing of Former AEW Star The Butcher, Andy Williams". PWInsider. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  10. ↑ Ucchino, Rick (September 6, 2026). "Former AEW Star Andy "The Butcher" Williams Dead at 48". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  11. ↑ Currier, Joseph (September 8, 2026). "ROH pays tribute to Andy Williams at taping, police issue statement on death". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ Russell, Skylar (September 9, 2026). "Excalibur, Taz, And Tony Schiavone Pay Tribute To 'The Butcher' Andy Williams On AEW Dynamite Rebel Heart". Fightful. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ Russell, Skylar (September 9, 2026). "'The Butcher' Andy Williams Tribute Set For 9/12 AEW Collision". Fightful. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  14. ↑ Wilen, Jerome (September 9, 2026). "AEW pays tribute to "The Butcher" Andy Williams during Dynamite, Collision to be a tribute show". Wrestleview. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Ishaan, Sharma (September 12, 2026). "The Butcher Battle Royale, AEW Continental Title Eliminator, More Set For 9/12 AEW Collision". Fightful. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  16. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  17. ↑ Murphy, Don (September 12, 2026). "AEW Collision results (9/12): Murphy's review of Andy "The Butcher" Williams tribute show". Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Pulido, Luis (September 12, 2026). "AEW Collision Results (9/12/2026): Tribute to "The Butcher" Andy Williams, More". Fightful. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  19. ↑ Thompson, Andrew (September 13, 2026). "Daniel Garcia Chooses To Give His $100,000 Charity Donation To MusiCares In Honor Of Andy Williams/The Butcher". Fightful. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
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