Wrestler Malakai Black had just won the PROGRESS Wrestling Men's World Championship ... but he quickly made the moment about his late friend Andy "The Butcher" Williams.
Black got emotional in the ring Sunday in Manchester, England ... telling fans he'd learned about Williams' death shortly before the match.
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He said Andy was one of his best friends and admitted he was "hysterical backstage" for several minutes ... before somehow pulling himself together and competing.
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.
Superstar Bill Dundee, one of the most influential figures in wrestling, has died at 82.
Dundee’s son, Jamie Dundee, announced the heartbreaking news Sunday, saying his father died at approximately 3:30 AM. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Dundee became a major star in in the sport having famously teamed with -- and feuded with -- Jerry “The King” Lawler. The two were longtime rivals whose matches became a defining part of wrestling history.
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.
Tessa Blanchard is making a major move ... the former TNA wrestler and world champion is officially joining Major League Wrestling.
Tessa announced the news during an exclusive appearance on TMZ’s “Inside the Ring” podcast ... telling us she’s “super, super excited” about beginning this new chapter.
BeforeLeBron Jameswins a ring, he could be in one in Philadelphia ... 'cause King James just got a special invite from TNA star Nic Nemeth, as the wrestling promotion pulls up to the City of Brotherly Love!
TNA is formally asking the new Philadelphia 76ers superstar to be the Official Title Holder for Thursday night's World Championship match between Nemeth and Jeff Hardyon the Temple University campus.
Jey Uso’s wife, Takecia Fatu, filed for divorce from the WWE star following 12 years of marriage ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Takecia listed the date of marriage as February 13, 2014 and said the marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
She says they share one minor son, named Jeyce, who was born in 2012 and a son who is over 18. Takecia asked the court to award her primary physical custody of their kid, but was open to joint legal custody.
In her filing, Takecia also requested exclusive use of their Georgia home, child and spousal support, and attorney fees.
Wrestling star Joe Doering has died at just 44 years old, it was announced Friday.
Doering -- who competed for several promotions, including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling -- battled brain cancer for more than a decade.
He was first diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 and underwent surgery to have the mass removed. Unfortunately, the cancer returned in 2022 ... and he had another procedure.
Belal Muhammad was just as shocked as everyone else when he heard Ben Askrenwas returning to the mats ... and now the UFC star is walking TMZ Sportsthrough how the deal went down!
"[Real American Freestyle] hit me up, and they asked me if I was down again. It's close to Chicago in Milwaukee, and then they brought up his name, and I was like, 'Bro, is he healthy enough?' I care about him. I've seen his story," the 37-year-old MMA fighter told us.
"When they said, 'Yeah [he's healthy],' I said, 'Bro, it'd be an honor.' He's a legend. His story is legendary. To be a part of that, and to be his homecoming match, or even his end match, his last one, it's gonna be cool. I've trained with him. I've talked to him. He's a good guy, cool guy."
Hulk Hogan was taking life-threatening amounts of fentanyl to manage his physical pain during his time with the TNA following his divorce from his wife, Linda Hogan.
The wrestling pioneer detailed his reliance on the drug in the new Netflix docuseries "Hulk Hogan: Real American," which served as his final interview before his sudden death in July 2025 from a heart attack.
Hulk said he signed up for the TNA (Total Nonstop Wrestling, the second-largest wrestling group behind WWE) after he gave "everything" to Linda during their 2009 divorce... and needed the cash. But, it wasn't long before he and TNA realized he was in no shape to compete at the level he'd been contracted to, so he turned to the opioid to help his severe pain.
WrestleMania 42 didn’t just deliver inside the ring -- it shattered records, making it one of the biggest events in WWE history!
WWE says the two-night spectacle at Allegiant Stadium was a hit across the board ... in ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandise, and even VIP experiences.
Mania drew 106,072 fans from all 50 states and nearly 70 countries, making Las Vegas the center of the wrestling world for the weekend, attracting a ton of big celebrities, who showed up for the action.
The action matched the hype, too. Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk in Sunday night’s main event to win the World Heavyweight Championship, while Cody Rhodes retained his Undisputed WWE title against Randy Orton on Saturday -- despite early interference from Pat McAfee.
Safe to say CM Punk is no happy camper this morning ... after going down in flames to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42, the WWE star got into an altercation with a fan, delivering a major smackdown to the man's phone!
Punk was captured on video just after midnight Monday, getting into it with the fan, who was filming Punk's WWE friend, Bayley, as she was hugging his wife in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on the Vegas Strip.
Check out the footage ... Punk steps right up into the face of the fan before slapping down his phone. Security promptly jumps in between Punk and the other dude to prevent things from really going awry. Punk then coldly stares at the man, who is so terrified that he runs off while apologizing profusely.
WrestleMania 42 Night Two has opened with a huge shock, as it appears Brock Lesnar has retired from the WWE!
Lesnar opened night two of the event facing off against the “The Ruler” Oba Femi in a highly anticipated match, with both powerhouses creating a build that not many other matches on this weekend's card could compete with.
Femi dominated Lesnar quickly, ending the match in less than 5 minutes after throwing Lesnar around as if he wasn’t 6’3” and 286 pounds. But it’s what happened after the match ended that shocked fans inside of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
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Lesnar sat in the center of the ring, clearly emotional, and slowly removed his gloves and boots, leaving them in the center of the mat, a gesture used by many wrestlers to symbolize their last match. Lesnar then hugged his longtime Manager Paul Heyman, both breaking down in tears, creating an emotional WrestleMania moment.
Joe Jonas kicked off WrestleMania Night Two in Las Vegas by showing off his solo vocals, performing the National Anthem for the 50,000 plus in attendance inside of Allegiant Stadium... but that wasn't the only thing he showed off in the last 24 hours...
Joined by his bandmates from DNCE, Jonas sang ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ before the start of the WWE event and he was decked out head to toe in the stars and the stripes.
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When WWE announced Jonas would open Night Two of the event he said, “Ummm as a certified lifelong WWE super fan both me and the younger version of me are freaking out.”
Think you can identify the stars of WrestleMania 42 just by their physiques? These WWE superstars are in peak condition -- now it’s your turn to match each face to the body and see if you’ve got what it takes to go head-to-head!
Keep an eye out for Finn Bálor, Jade Cargill, and more shredded stars ...
WrestleMania 42 is set to explode this weekend with WWE’s fiercest talent … and TMZ is hyping things up with a head-to-head “Who’d You Rather?” showdown.
Key players like Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, and The Bella Twins aren't backing down ... are you?!
