AEW

8:40 AM PT -- AEW has released a statement saying ... "All Elite Wrestling is saddened to learn of the passing of Andy Williams, aka The Butcher. A trailblazing musician with ETID and Atomic Rule, Williams made a successful transition into the world of professional wrestling and was incredibly respected by his peers both in and out of the ring. Our condolences go out to Williams’ family, friends and fans."

8:31 AM PT -- TMZ has obtained dispatch audio from Andy 'The Butcher' Williams' mid-match collapse.

Andy Williams -- a former AEW wrestler known as "The Butcher," died Saturday after experiencing a medical emergency during a tag team match in Pennsylvania, according to authorities.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office tells TMZ ... Williams passed away Saturday night following his health crisis at Mr. Small's Theater in Millvale, PA. The Butcher and his partner, The Blade, were battling TME during the Enjoy Wrestling event, leading to its prompt cancellation.  

A rep for Enjoy Wrestling posted a statement on X, saying that Andy collapsed at the end of his match, and doctors rushed to his aid, giving him CPR before an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital. The rep also said everyone was sent home, while thanking all the people who gave assistance to Andy. 

Dispatch audio from an incident involving Andy Williams, the pro wrestler known as The Butcher, reveals a male wrestler "hit his head" during a match ... listen to the frantic response.

In one dispatch call, obtained by TMZ, an emergency operator reports a wrestler was injured during a match at Mr. Smalls Funhouse Theatre in Millvale and had hit his head on a ring post.

A second call to the same venue requested “emergent lifting assistance,” with the dispatcher noting police and EMS were already on scene.

The New Level -- Kofi and Austin Creed -- made their debut Sunday night at AEW All In, and the team is already high on their new boss ... Tony Khan.

Kofi -- formerly known as Kofi Kingston -- and Austin Creed -- formerly known as Xavier Woods -- joined the TMZ “Inside the Ring” podcast to discuss their new home ... after spending more than a decade in WWE.

The 12-time tag team champions made their shocking debut at Wembley Stadium alongside Swerve Strickland ... and the trio immediately captured the AEW World Trios Championships.

“There’s a lot of things in there that are very wrestler-friendly ... in terms of being able to go out and do what it is that you want to do, there’s not really a lot of restrictions,” the duo told us.

AEW star Ricochet is facing a ton of backlash this week ... after he told a woman he's "glad" she's battling multiple sclerosis ... leading the wrestler to share his regret over the statement.

The exchange went down on March 16 ... when the woman appeared to be criticizing the former WWE talent's acting abilities.

Ricochet then apparently went to her page and read her bio -- which shared a motivational line about her experience with the chronic autoimmune disease -- because his response made a reference to it.

Ronda Rousey is just full of surprises these days -- weeks after announcing her return to MMA after nearly a decade away -- she made a shocking appearance in the ring with All Elite Wrestling.

It all went down in Los Angeles on Sunday during AEW Revolution. Following the match between "Timeless" Toni Storm and Marina Shafir ... the 39-year-old emerged from the crowd and stepped into the squared circle, and called Storm down to the middle of the ring.

Rousey -- wearing a "Rowdy" Roddy Piper jacket -- and Storm were separated before they could come to blows. She then exited the arena with Shafir, one of her best friends, flipping off the crowd as they did.

A bunch of AEW fans in Las Vegas made it crystal clear Wednesday night that they aren't happy with immigration enforcement operations going on around the country … letting out a very loud "F*** ICE" chant moments before the show's main.

It all went down at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Sin City, where Brody King took on AEW World Champion MJF for a chance to earn a title opportunity against the champ next week in Australia.

But before things got underway, fans let out a chant that was hard to mistake — with MJF looking around the arena as it happened.

AEW Star MJF made his surprise return to the ring Wednesday night across the pond in England ... and not only did it shake up the championship scene -- but it also sent the internet ablaze when he compared a wrestler to Diddy.

The former AEW World Champion looked like he hadn't lost a step in the three months he was away from the company ... and unfortunately for Swerve Strickland, he found himself right in his crosshairs.

"You really remind me a lot of this famous musician," MJF said. "You guys have a lot in common. You both call yourself moguls, you both rock chains, you both rock way too much baby oil and you're both dogsh*t rappers."

It was at that moment that the crowd realized where he was going.

Big Boom A.J. is set to bring the -- well, you know by now -- this Saturday when he steps between the ropes at AEW Full Gear, and the TikTok sensation is reflecting on what he's learned in his four-match run with the company ... telling TMZ Sports the secret is all about feeling confident!!

We caught up with A.J., his son, Big Justice, and his tag team partner for Saturday, Q.T. Marshall -- ahead of the massive Pay-Per-View -- and we asked him what he's learned since returning to the ring.

"Have the confidence to push," he said. "Have the confidence to go beyond, to have the confidence to do more than I think I can do, and to just get out there and let it all go."

Former "Try Guys" star Ned Fulmer says he’s done hiding — opening up on TMZ’s "Inside The Ring" Podcast about the backlash he’s faced since relaunching himself into the spotlight and making his shocking AEW debut as “Nasty Ned.”

Fulmer says he understands why the pilot episode of his new podcast, "Rock Bottom with Ned Fulmer," made some fans uncomfortable — especially since it featured his wife, Ariel, marking their first joint appearance since his cheating scandal. “It’s not a pleasant subject matter,” he admitted. “But one reason why I wanted to do the show was to not shy away from those conversations.”

Ned said while some viral clips looked “cringeworthy,” he and Ariel were proud of the full hour, calling it part of “three years of growth.” Still, the internet wasn’t exactly forgiving — the episode drew immediate backlash from critics who accused the couple of trying to rewrite history, with Ned once again becoming a trending topic.

Darby Allin's showing off his battle wound -- after Jon Moxley shoved a fork into his ear at AEW's Forbidden Door -- giving TMZ Sports a peek at the bloody aftermath, and it's gnarly!

Check out the pic ... the AEW daredevil's ear is drenched in blood -- and it even appears like there's a hole where Moxley jammed the utensil through the flesh.

Despite the stomach-turning scene ... Darby's team was still able to walk out of the lights-out steel cage main event with the win, albeit banged up.

From jumping through panes of glass to landing on multiple steel chairs, AEW star Darby Allin's body has (literally) been through it all ... yet he somehow found a way to take things to a new level Sunday at "Forbidden Door," getting a fork jammed in his ear!

The stomach-turning scene went down during his lights-out steel cage main event across the pond in England. At one point, Allin was placed in a chair and tied up by Gable Kidd ... before the cameras caught Jon Moxley holding a fork.

Consider turning away if you have a weak stomach ... 'cause what happened next was pretty gross.

Athena is looking to make a statement against Toni Storm at AEW Forbidden Door on Sunday ... and she caught up with TMZ Sports to explain why she's walking out with gold around her waist for the first time with the promotion!!

Athena -- FKA as Ember Moon in WWE -- chopped it up with "TMZ Sports" TV show cohost Mojo Muhtadi ahead of her showdown in London ... and she held nothing back when opening up on the current champ.

"Toni is nothing but a hack who tries to just put on this facade of being this 1920s character," she said. "This hasn't happened in a while, that we've seen someone that has this much charisma that has grifted her way to the top."

Adam Sandler had nothing but nice things to say about MJF's performance in "Happy Gilmore 2" ... and the love's certainly mutual, 'cause the AEW star tells TMZ Sports hearing the praise from his on-screen pops "absolutely" gets him excited.

We caught up with MJF -- who plays Sandler's son in the sequel to the 1996 classic -- out in New York City earlier this week ... and he described it as a dream to work alongside the Sandman.

"He's really like a father to me at this point," the wrestler said. "I grew up absolutely looking up to him and idolizing him as a kid."

When Jim Ross announced he was cancer-free last week, he credited Tony Khan for being "amazingly wonderful" throughout the process ... and the love is mutual, 'cause the promotion's president called the wrestling legend "an indispensable part of AEW."

We spoke with Khan ahead of the "AEW: All In Texas" Pay-Per-View next Saturday ... and he said it was important to stand alongside the 73-year-old in his most recent health battle.

"I first heard JR's voice when I was eight years old, and he immediately hooked me with his commentary," Khan said. "He is a great man. He's done so much in wrestling."

AEW is set to air its 300th episode of "Dynamite" on Wednesday ... and the promotion's president, Tony Khan, is sharing the secret to the success over the past six years -- saying the fans play a major role in the decision-making process.

All Elite Wrestling is celebrating the big milestone on TBS in a few hours ... and Khan sat down with us on Tuesday to talk all about what they've been able to accomplish to date, as well as how they operate.

We asked the 42-year-old how much sway the audience has whenever they are putting their product together ... and he told us they absolutely influence what people end up seeing on their TV screens.