WWE star Cody Rhodes has paid tribute to the late professional wrestler Andy Williams, known in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as The Butcher. Williams died over the weekend at the age of 48 after collapsing following a match at Enjoy Wrestling in Pennsylvania.

Rhodes recalled Williams' AEW debut, an event where The Butcher, alongside The Blade and Bunny, emerged from under the ring to attack Rhodes after a match. In an interview with OutKick Dropkick, Rhodes shared that he and others recruited Williams for this segment.

"He came up under the ring and they beat me up, and I definitely didn't get to spend near enough time with him as a person," Rhodes said. "But all the things you're hearing about him in terms of how warm and charismatic and interesting — not a guy that needed the gig, he had another gig, and super cultured and intelligent."

Rhodes described Williams as someone whose appearance as The Butcher – characterized by a mustache, tattoos, and muscles – might not reveal the full depth of his personality. "Maybe if you had judged that book by its cover, you wouldn't know how truly special, intelligent, artistic, and beautiful of a person that he was," Rhodes commented.

Williams was also known for his musical career as a member of the band Every Time I Die. He began his wrestling training in the early 2010s and made his in-ring debut in 2015. Williams and fellow wrestler Guilmette formed a tag team known as The Butcher and The Blade in 2017, competing in promotions such as AEW, Ring of Honor (ROH), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Rhodes expressed his regret at not spending more time with Williams personally but stated he was glad to have been part of introducing him to that wrestling moment. "I wish everyone around him thinking about them, and wish them the best. And they're very much in my heart today," Rhodes said. "Beautiful person, and he leaves behind multiple locker rooms of people that he touched, that all of them 100% have a good memory and a good story about him."

The professional wrestling community widely mourned Williams' passing on Sunday.