On-Topic RIP

[BarryOVega]

Enjoyed his work when I watched AEW, tragic at a young age

[I Bent My Wookie]

TMZ being the scourge of the earth it is has audio of the 911 call. 

It looks like Andy hit his head on the ring post during or towards the end of the match and that's what's caused his collapse and potential arrest. 

Just horrific and another reason to just take every day at its full level and embrace every moment. 

Still honestly so cut up about this. It's hard to put into words sometimes what someone you've never actually met means, but when I think of music, of wrestling and overall of humans and the stories I've read today, Andy was one of those who really deserved the world for what he gave. 

[Thunderplex]

The Butcher always reminded me of a pulp action heavy.  Would not have looked out of place in an Indiana Jones movie, in a Pat Roach type role.  The Lunges added so much to the character and came across as a complete bastard, which showed the quality of his performance taking into account the truly beautiful tributes that have been made for him.  My favourite of the early AEW characters and a true lay sad loss.

[Jazzy G]

I was so confused when I saw people saying RIP Andy Williams because I thought he'd died ages ago, but seeing it was also the name of the Butcher. He and Blade were, as already mentioned countless times, almost staples on those early episodes of Dynamite. Great heel team who were more than capable of looking strong in defeat. I won't even pretend to know what his music sounded like, but may give it a listen after some of the stuff said about it in here. 48 is no age, and it sounds like a pretty nasty way to go. 

I remember seeing Bill Dundee on the old Memphis shows on the Wrestling Channel. He was the perfect foil to Lawler however the heel/face dynamic was between them, but it never felt contrived when he'd also turn up as a partner to help his good friend Jerry out. The turns weren't quite Sting/Luger naive because of how good a talker he and Lawler were. 

Both sad losses. 

[BomberPat]

really sad about Andy Williams. He always seemed like a great guy, and I was invested in his wrestling career from pretty much day one, partly because of Every Time I Die, but mostly because nobody has ever looked more like a wrestler. He had the best look in the business, and knew how to work it. The stories I've seen about him, from musicians and wrestlers alike, all tell much the same story - he was a lovely bloke who had none of the ego he could have justifiably had, treated people he had just met as if they were close friends, and looked out for, vouched for, and supported people even if there was nothing in it for him. I hope he knew how loved he was.

Bill Dundee...I knew he had been suffering with dementia for a few years now, and the recent photos of him meeting up with Lawler and Jimmy Hart were tough to see. He's a guy I always felt should have had a better showing in one of the bigger companies; he could have done more in WCW than being Regal's largely silent manager, and it would have been fun to see him and Lawler do something together in the WWF. Hell, stick him in ECW in the late '90s as an extension of Lawler's time there, I bet he could have worked magic. Even despite never having those runs, he was one of the great overachievers - a little guy even by today's standards, with the weirdest accent in the world, with a really mad route into American wrestling, yet became absolutely undeniable and synonymous with a whole era, territory, and style of wrestling.

[jimufctna24]

The Lawler vs Dundee bouts from the mid 1980s are some of my favourite wrestling matches ever.

I'm a sucker for Memphis style wrestling.

 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

The Butcher was one of my favourite parts of AEW when I started watching. Dude juts looked the absolute business with everything he did.

[HandsomeButchIII]

Bill Dundee is one of the greatest of all time. In ring, and as a booker. I will still die on the hill that he was a better wrestler in his late 60s working saturday nights vs Lawler than most wrestlers going today. 

 

I always brag it up, but this match is fucking spectacular and one of my favourite bouts of the 2010s, and it involves two non wrestlers.

 

 

 

 

Dr McCarver needs signing.

Edited September 7 by HandsomeButchIII

[tiger_rick]

Truly devastating news that The Butcher has passed away so young and in truly horrific circumstances. Hearing a 48 year old man in the prime of life has died is horrible anyway but as a life long wrestling fan, to discover it came as a result of being in the ring just made me so, so sad. The outpouring of love for him from pretty much anyone who'd worked with him showed just how much he was loved and I hope that it's of some comfort to his family and friends and most of all, that he knew just how loved and respected he was.

The Butcher and The Blade had one of the more infamous debuts in AEW history and that feeling of "Who the fuck are these guys?" as Excalibur yelled like Sting and Lex Luger had just debuted will never leave me. I really grew to love them though, particularly the big man who had such a brilliant look and worked like the big, meaty bastard he was. For various reasons and multiple injuries, they would disappear off TV but I always liked them showing up and they're synonomous with my favourite era of AEW and probably my favourite era of wrestling since early this century.

RIP Big Man. 

Bill Dundee is obviously at the other end of the scale. He lived an incredible life and had been living with a horrendous disease so his loss is probably a little bit of a relief. What a brilliant pro-wrestler, manager and booker he was. I'm someone who, until I was well into my 20s only knew him as "Sir William" from watching old Regal matches and skits. He's another guy who you see in his heyday and it's remarkable. He's someone who is a reminder of the pre-National Expansion Era and just how great wrestling was in those "smoke filled halls" and someone who would probably be thought of even greater if he wasn't somewhat in the shadow of one of the greatest wrestlers, and worst humans, of all-time. 

I'm sorry for the loss of one of the remaining greats and grateful that, in an industry where it's rare, he lived a full and incredible life. 

[Chili]

I think this 28 minute compilation of one episode of Memphis Wrestling encompasses everything great about Bill Dundee as a TV performer. Beginning the show as a face and somehow being the biggest heel in the territory by the end of the episode purely out of ego and over eagerness. In this whole thing, he's a babyface, he's annoying, then a mouthy little cheap shot artist, then a grandstander, then an arrogant big shot, then a chicken shit, in one episode all whilst being really funny. All of that with his sublimely mad Scottish meets Australian with Tennessean twang accent.

 

Edited September 8 by Chili

[Kfogg1991]

I'm genuinely shocked about this, I heard about a wrestler the butcher passing after collapsing at a indy show but hadn't heard that name, then yesterday I discovered it was Andy from everytime I die.

Im so lucky I got to see them live years ago at Manchester academy and they were unbelievable, there a band in my world that have a huge cult like following and fan base its so unfortunate and sad.

 

This year is up there for such a large number of passings so far.