Kevin Knight commented on Andy Williams’ death and said AEW will head into this Wednesday’s Rebel Heart Dynamite on September 9 with two people in mind: Williams and Rebel.
In an interview with 11Alive, Knight explained that he never met Williams in person, having joined AEW after Williams’ time with the company. Still, he spoke highly of The Butcher’s reputation.
“I never got to meet Andy Williams. He was there before I got to AEW, but from all the stories that I’ve heard, everything that I’ve seen on social media, he was a lovely guy. Nobody had anything ever negative to say about him. Man, he was just such a creative and inspiring person from what I can sense. I really wish I could have met and connected with him, but again, we have two people on our minds going into tomorrow’s show, and it’s gonna make it that much more special.”
Williams died at 48 after suffering a medical emergency during an Enjoy Wrestling event in Pennsylvania on September 5. An official cause of death had not yet been released. AEW publicly mourned his passing, describing Williams as highly respected both in and out of the ring.
The Butcher made his AEW debut in 2019 and was best known for teaming with The Blade. Outside of wrestling, Williams had a long music career as the guitarist for Every Time I Die and later Atomic Rule. His run with AEW ended in the first half of this year.
Rebel Heart Dynamite will take place at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia, airing live on TBS and streaming on HBO Max. The special was originally announced to honor Tanea Brooks, known as Rebel, who was diagnosed with ALS in March of this year.