Andy Williams (guitarist)

Andrew J. Williams (born December 12, 1977)[1] is an American musician and professional wrestler, best known as the former rhythm guitarist of the metalcore band Every Time I Die. As a professional wrestler, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name the Butcher, where he is one-half of a tag team with the Blade.

"The Butcher (wrestler)" redirects here. For the wrestler billed as the Butcher in WCW, see Brutus Beefcake. For the Canadian professional wrestler, see Abdullah the Butcher.

Andy Williams
Williams playing at With Full Force 2013
Williams playing at With Full Force 2013
Background information
Birth nameAndrew J. Williams
Born (1977-12-12) December 12, 1977
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
OriginNorth Tonawanda, New York, U.S.[1]
GenresMetalcore, hardcore punk, Southern rock
Occupation(s)Musician, professional wrestler
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1998 (1998)–present
Labels
Ring name(s)Andy Williams
Billy Goat Williams[2]
Ballsy Malone[2]
The Butcher
Billed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Billed weight273 lb (124 kg)
Billed fromBuffalo, New York
Trained byJosh Barnett
Mikey Everynite[3]
Brandon Thurston[4]
Pepper Parks
DebutMarch 20, 2016

Musical career

Williams had aspired to be a professional wrestler and trained at Renegade Wrestling Association in Ontario, Canada for six months, until he sustained a knee injury. During the layoff, he learned to play the guitar, and formed Every Time I Die alongside lead guitarist Jordan Buckley and drummer Michael Novak. He has appeared on every release that the band has done, and had not missed a live show, until January 2020, when he wrestled Diamond Dallas Page and Dustin Rhodes at Bash at the Beach.[5] From January to March, Every Time I Die had written and recorded their ninth album, and had been expected to tour the album in June, supporting Parkway Drive and Hatebreed, but this would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Since he could not tour with the band,[7] he was able to continue working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), as they are based in Jacksonville, and Florida deemed wrestling as essential business critical to the state's economy. On January 17, 2022, Williams and Buckley announced on social media that Every Time I Die broke up.[8][9]

Williams had previously been with the other members of Every Time I Die (except Keith Buckley) attempting to form a new band and expressed interest in collaborating with AEW music producer Mikey Rukus on Twitter.[10] However, during AEW's talk show Hey! (EW), Williams hinted that he no longer had an interest in recording music, by saying: "In the 25 years that I was a professional musician", when RJ City asked a question about his musical career.[11] On December 7, 2022, it appeared that Williams had changed his mind as he posted a video on Twitter of him jamming with Novak.[12]

Professional wrestling career
Williams (left) wrestling Tarik at a Smash Wrestling event

In the mid-2010s, Williams resumed his training with Josh Barnett, initially as a workout session.[13] He continued working with Barnett, but only sporadically, since he does not live in California.[13] He began attending Grapplers Anonymous, based in Lackawanna, and received further training from long-time friend and professional wrestler Jesse Guilmette.[1] During the summer of 2015, he started working on the independent circuit, and made run-ins at Smash Wrestling where he chokeslammed Tarik,[14] and at Progress Wrestling, where he powerbombed Jimmy Havoc through a table.[15] His first tag match was on an Interspecies Wrestling Halloween show, partnering Wes in a dark match, and defeating Los Dumbfucks.[16] In February 2016, he returned to Smash Wrestling, and had another confrontation with Tarik, who laid him out in the ring.[17] His first singles match was confirmed the following month after the show, but at Any Given Sunday 4, he was defeated by Tarik.[18] During the match, he tore his meniscus, which he had surgery for, before going on tour with Every Time I Die ten days later.[13]

In March 2017, Williams appeared at Joey Janela's Spring Break, successfully teaming with Penelope Ford in an intergender tag team match against Guilmette (under his Braxton Sutter ring name) and his wife Allie.[19] Janela had suggested that Williams should wrestle either Nikolai Volkoff or Glacier at the event, but he declined, preferring the intergender matchup instead.[20] September saw the beginning of Williams and Guilmette regularly teaming with each other, and in their first match at a Pro Wrestling Rampage event, they won the PWR Tag Team Championship, defeating the Upper Echelon (Colby Redd and P. B. Smooth).[21] However, this reign was short-lived, lasting 63 days. In their first defence of the title, Williams was absent and was replaced by JJ Rumham (as he was playing in Newcastle during the Low Teens tour);[22] the pairing of Guilmette and Rumham were defeated by the Homewreckers (Anthony Gaines and Jet Rebel).[23] Known as the Butcher and the Blade, Williams and Guilmette predominately wrestled in promotions across the Northeast, as well as in Ottawa, where Capital City Championship Combat (C4) is based.

All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)

On the November 27, 2019, episode of Dynamite, Williams (now known under the ring name the Butcher) made his debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in a post-match attack on Cody, alongside the Blade and the Bunny, establishing themselves as heels.[24] It was later revealed that the Butcher and the Blade had been hired by MJF, furthering his ongoing feud with Cody.[25] On the December 11 episode of Dynamite, the Butcher won his first tag match in AEW when he and the Blade defeated Cody and Q. T. Marshall, who was handpicked by MJF.[26] The following week on the December 18 episode of Dynamite, the Butcher and the Blade were defeated by Cody and his new partner, Darby Allin.[27]

On January 15, 2020, Williams missed a live show in Paris for the first time in twenty-two years, to appear at Bash at the Beach.[28] Teaming with MJF, the Butcher and the Blade defeated Marshall, Diamond Dallas Page and Dustin Rhodes in a six-man tag team match, where he took a Diamond Cutter from DDP.[29] In March 2020, the Butcher and the Blade had a brief feud with the Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt), which would lead to the Butcher and the Blade ending their alliance with MJF. On the March 11 episode of Dynamite, the Butcher and the Blade teamed with MJF for the second and final time, in a defeat of the Jurassic Express.[30] On the March 18 episode of Dynamite, they were defeated by Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus, following interference by MJF who called for the finisher, allowing Jungle Boy to send the Butcher to the outside and then he and Luchasaurus hit their finisher on the Blade.[31] During the summer, the Butcher and the Blade began working with the Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo) and later, formed a group, led by Eddie Kingston.[32] However, the group disbanded on the November 18 episode of Dynamite, after the Butcher and the Blade sided with Kingston, while the Lucha Brothers reunited their Death Triangle stable with Pac, who had returned the previous week.[33] They would feud with Death Triangle for the next couple of weeks.[34][35][36]

Following Revolution, the Butcher and the Blade ended their alliance with Kingston, after he turned face and began teaming with Jon Moxley, as they instead allied themselves with Matt Hardy, along with Private Party, forming a stable known as the Hardy Family Office.[37][38] At the House Always Wins, the Butcher won a battle royal to become the #1 contender for the AEW TNT Championship, but later in the night, he was defeated by then-champion Allin.[39] He spent a number of months away from the ring due to a thumb injury,[40] and returned at All Out.[41] The Butcher and the Blade quickly became #1 contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, but on the September 17 episode of Rampage (taped September 15), they were defeated by the Lucha Brothers, with the Butcher taking the pin.[42][43] Every Time I Die went on tour in November and December to promote their ninth album Radical,[44] so Williams' appearances as the Butcher became far less prominent, although he did wrestle on the November 17 episode of Dynamite, in a defeat to Chaos (Orange Cassidy and Tomohiro Ishii).[45] During this match, Williams tore his bicep after taking a superplex from Ishii,[46] and while he felt he could continue wrestling injured, Tony Khan gave him some time off to recover.[47] Weeks later, Every Time I Die broke up, giving Williams the impetus to pursue professional wrestling full-time.

When the Butcher returned in January 2022, the stable was in the midst of a storyline involving Andrade El Idolo,[48] who would become the new leader, after Hardy was kicked out.[49] Beginning in March, the tag team were involved in a month-long feud with Allin and the Hardys, once Jeff Hardy joined the promotion.[50][51][52][53] On May 29, at Double or Nothing, the Butcher and the Blade's alliance with Andrade came to an end, when he disbanded it in favor of bringing La Facción Ingobernable to AEW.[54] Discussing his time in the stable, Williams said, "...we were all just along for the ride ... and it just kept splintering into different things and then Andrade became involved and luckily, it all ended and now everyone's kind of on a clear path. It was like no clear path at that point."[47] On the September 23 episode of Rampage (taped September 21), the Butcher participated in a battle royal for a future AEW World Championship match. He eliminated Matt Hardy and Evil Uno (who had previously eliminated him in a battle royal earlier in the year),[55] before being eliminated by eventual winner "Hangman" Adam Page.[56] Towards the end of the year, the Butcher and the Blade allied themselves with Kip Sabian, and started a recurring feud with Best Friends (Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy).[57][58]

On the February 20, 2023 episode of Dark: Elevation (taped February 15), the Butcher and the Blade, alongside members of the Firm, were defeated by Best Friends and the Dark Order (Alex Reynolds and John Silver).[59] On the February 22 episode of Dynamite, the Butcher put in a strong performance in the Revolution Tag Team Battle Royal, by eliminating six wrestlers (including Reynolds and Silver), before being eliminated by Rey Fenix.[60] On the March 1 episode of Dynamite, the Butcher and the Blade ended up being the last wrestlers to be eliminated in the Casino Tag Team Battle Royal, by Best Friends associate Danhausen.[61] After a defeat on the House Rules Tour,[62] they resumed their feud with Allin who had teamed with Cassidy that night,[63] and on the March 22 episode of Dynamite, they and Sabian were defeated by Allin, Cassidy and Sting.[64] Nevertheless, the Butcher challenged Cassidy for the AEW International Championship,[65] but on the next week's Dynamite, he was defeated by Cassidy, despite interference from the Blade, as well as from Beretta and Taylor.[66] On the May 3 episode of Dynamite, the Butcher and Blade were involved in the Tres de Mayo Trios Battle Royal.[67] The Butcher eliminated Max Caster, before being eliminated by Billy Gunn,[68] which led to a six-man match on the May 13 episode of Rampage (taped May 10), where they and Sabian were defeated by Gunn and the Acclaimed.[69] On May 28, at Double or Nothing, the Butcher participated in a Blackjack Battle Royal for the International Championship, but was eliminated by the Lucha Brothers.[70]

Personal life

On Renee Paquette's podcast The Sessions, Williams revealed he has dyslexia.[71]

Championships and accomplishments

References
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  3. Doyle, Kip (December 11, 2017). "Interview: Every Time I Die's Andy Williams". The Daily Public. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  4. Monday, Zach (June 10, 2019). "Beyond Wrestling "Secret Show: Boston"". The Indy Corner. Retrieved December 30, 2020. Thurston is the Head Trainer at Grappler's Anonymous in Buffalo, NY.
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