Jim Ross has offered an emotional remembrance of the late Andy “The Butcher” Williams, reflecting on the positivity, professionalism and distinctive presence Williams brought with him during his run in All Elite Wrestling.
Williams, known to wrestling fans as one half of The Butcher and The Blade alongside The Blade, died earlier this month at the age of 48. He suffered a medical emergency toward the end of a tag team match for Enjoy Wrestling. The loss has prompted tributes from across wrestling, including from people who worked with Williams during AEW’s formative years.
Speaking on Grilling JR, Ross described Williams as someone whose demeanor immediately made a strong impression. Ross did not present Williams simply as a useful performer on an AEW card, but as a person whose attitude made those around him want to support him.
“What a beautiful human being, just positive,” Ross said. “By his body language, his attitude, his dialogue, he made you a motivated one to want to help him. He just was absolutely amazing. Sweetheart of a guy.”
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The comments speak to the human side of a performer remembered for an intimidating presentation in the ring. As The Butcher, Williams brought a rugged, old-school visual to AEW television, with the team’s look and presence separating them from much of the rapidly developing tag team landscape around them. Outside the ring, Ross remembered a notably kind and enjoyable colleague.
Williams made his AEW debut in 2019 with The Blade. The duo arrived during the company’s earliest stretch and soon became regular antagonists within the tag team division. Their presentation helped establish them as an act that could fit against a wide range of opponents, while their style gave AEW another physical pairing for its growing roster of teams.
Ross recalled those early appearances fondly, noting that The Butcher and The Blade were a dependable act for the company even if they were not necessarily positioned as a top pay-per-view headliner. To Ross, that did not lessen their value to a promotion or to a locker room.
“I enjoyed those early days at AEW when Butcher and The Blade were in there,” Ross said. “He was Butcher and the other gentleman was Blade. Good team, solid team. You’re going to headline them on a pay-per-view? Probably not. But would you like to have him in your dressing room and on your cards? You’re damn right. He’s a sweetheart of a guy.”
That distinction is an important part of Ross’ tribute. A wrestling company is built by more than its biggest names and highest-profile championship programs. It also depends on performers who can contribute consistently, help make divisions feel deeper and more varied, and provide opponents for an array of stories and matchups. Ross’ comments placed Williams firmly in that category: a reliable performer whose value extended beyond any one match or position on a card.
Williams and The Blade went on to work with several of AEW’s established tag teams. Among the teams they feuded with were The Lucha Bros and The Hardy Boyz. Those rivalries placed The Butcher and The Blade opposite acts with very different identities, underscoring the flexibility of the pairing within the division.
The Lucha Bros brought a fast-paced and high-flying approach, while The Hardy Boyz carried a long-established legacy and a style familiar to generations of fans. The Butcher and The Blade offered a contrasting presence in both cases. Their work gave AEW another team capable of playing an adversarial role against popular opponents, with Williams’ appearance and physicality central to that role.
For Ross, the team also added an element that went beyond the practical task of filling out a division. He remembered them as an act that brought added character to AEW programming at a time when the promotion was still creating its identity.
“I really enjoyed working with him. Really nice guy,” Ross continued. “I thought they added some color and some pageantry, shall we say, some sizzle to the early days of AEW and the matches that they were involved in.”
That “color” and “pageantry” were key parts of what made The Butcher and The Blade recognizable. Wrestling tag teams often rely on a clear visual and emotional contrast with their opposition, and the duo’s act gave AEW a particular kind of menace. Williams’ portrayal of The Butcher was far removed from Ross’ description of the man himself, making the commentator’s tribute especially revealing. The character projected danger; the person, Ross said, projected warmth and positivity.
Williams and The Blade exited AEW earlier in 2026 after their contracts expired. Their departure ended a run that began with the company’s 2019 launch-period roster and continued through years of changing divisions, new arrivals and different programs. Although their AEW tenure had concluded before Williams’ death, his contributions to the promotion remain part of its early history.
The wrestling community’s response has also included a tribute from Williams’ hometown area. Fellow Buffalo native Daniel Garcia won a battle royal in Williams’ honor on last weekend’s episode of AEW Collision. Garcia’s victory provided a direct on-screen acknowledgment of Williams, while also connecting two wrestlers with roots in Buffalo.
For a company such as AEW, which has evolved significantly since 2019, the memories shared by figures such as Ross offer a reminder of the people who helped establish its earliest atmosphere. Some performers become synonymous with championships or major main events. Others leave an imprint through their dependability, their unique presentation and the impression they make on co-workers. Ross’ words made clear that Williams belonged in the latter group, while also carrying the personal qualities that make a loss resonate far beyond a wrestler’s win-loss record.
Ross’ remembrance repeatedly returned to the same theme: Williams was a good person to have around. He described him as motivating, positive and kind, and spoke appreciatively of the time they spent working together. Those observations are particularly meaningful coming from someone who has been around wrestling locker rooms and television productions for decades. Ross’ tribute was not centered on exaggerating Williams’ position or reshaping his career into something it was not. Instead, it focused on the qualities Ross believed truly mattered: the performer’s contribution, the team’s value and Williams’ character.
Williams’ death at 48 has left a painful absence for those who knew him as a wrestler, musician and person. In Ross’ account, he will be remembered as someone who supplied “sizzle” to AEW’s early presentation, gave the company a solid tag team presence with The Blade and treated people with a positivity that stayed with them.
As tributes continue, the reflections from Ross and the in-ring honor involving Garcia show the breadth of Williams’ impact. The Butcher was a memorable character in AEW, but Ross’ comments make clear that Andy Williams himself left the more lasting impression on those fortunate enough to work alongside him.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.