Chairshot Wrestling News Report (9/7/2026): Andy Williams Passes Away, Orton Cheats Cody & Bronson Reed Returns

Andy Williams dies at 48, Randy Orton cheats Cody Rhodes and Bronson Reed returns to attack Oba Femi at Sunday Night’s Main Event.

Sunday became a difficult day for professional wrestling before WWE ever went on the air in Atlanta.

Andy Williams, known to wrestling audiences as The Butcher, died at 48 following the medical emergency he suffered Saturday night at an Enjoy Wrestling event. Later Sunday, WWE presented Sunday Night’s Main Event, where Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes, Bronson Reed returned to attack Oba Femi and Trick Williams regained the United States Championship.

It’s the Chairshot Wrestling News Report for September 7, 2026.

Andy Williams, The Butcher, Dies at 48

Andy Williams, the professional wrestler known as The Butcher and longtime guitarist for Every Time I Die, died Sunday at the age of 48. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his death after Williams collapsed Saturday during an Enjoy Wrestling event in Pennsylvania. Medical personnel administered CPR and used an AED before he was transported to the hospital. No cause of death had been announced as of Sunday night.

Williams entered wrestling relatively late after already building an international career in music. He began wrestling regularly in the middle of the last decade before forming The Butcher & The Blade with Jesse Guilmette and eventually joining AEW in 2019.

The team became part of AEW’s earliest tag division and worked regularly with The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, Eddie Kingston and others during the company’s formative years. Williams remained active on the independent scene after his AEW contract expired earlier this year.

Tributes poured in Sunday from across wrestling, including The Young Bucks, Will Ospreay, Swerve Strickland, Taz, Matt Hardy and many others who emphasized Williams’ kindness as much as his wrestling and musical careers.

His path was unusual even by wrestling standards. Williams managed to reach national wrestling television after already spending decades performing around the world as a musician, and he became instantly recognizable without ever needing to abandon who he was before entering the business.

Randy Orton Cheats Cody Rhodes

Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes in the Sunday Night’s Main Event main event after a chaotic match that saw both men repeatedly collide with officials. Rhodes appeared ready to use Orton’s Punt against him late in the match, but Orton pleaded with Rhodes before delivering a low blow and an RKO. The original referee recovered in time to count the pinfall.

That finish gives Orton something much more valuable than another straightforward victory.

Cody had Orton beaten emotionally before he ever finished the match. Orton was reduced to begging him not to cross a line, only to exploit that hesitation the moment Rhodes showed mercy.

The result reinforces exactly what separates them. Cody still wants to believe there are boundaries. Orton survives by recognizing when those boundaries can be used against somebody.

This rivalry clearly has more left.

Bronson Reed Returns and Destroys Oba Femi

Oba Femi defeated Bron Breakker by disqualification after the returning Bronson Reed attacked Femi with a chair. Reed then delivered multiple Tsunamis while Breakker repeatedly speared Femi, leaving The Ruler laid out alongside Paul Heyman’s increasingly dangerous group.

The match itself accomplished what WWE needed before the interference. Breakker and Femi looked physically comparable without WWE having to decide yet which man should decisively defeat the other.

Reed’s return changes the situation entirely…the Vision suddenly has another enormous weapon, and attaching Reed to Breakker creates a group capable of overwhelming almost anybody through numbers and physicality.

Femi also now has a legitimate reason to continue pursuing Breakker instead of treating the disqualification victory as enough.

Trick Williams Regains the United States Championship

Lil Yachty survived five minutes against Baron Corbin in their No Disqualification Match, triggering an immediate United States Championship opportunity for Trick Williams. Williams then defeated Corbin with the Trick Shot after Yachty prevented Corbin from using the championship belt, making Trick United States Champion again.

The celebrity involvement ultimately mattered because WWE connected it directly to an actual championship result.

Yachty did not defeat Corbin in a conventional wrestling match. He survived the stipulated five minutes and created the opportunity Trick needed.

The bigger development is Trick returning to championship status. His move away from NXT has increasingly positioned him as someone WWE expects to occupy meaningful television space rather than simply becoming another call-up waiting for direction. Getting the United States Championship back immediately gives him that direction.

Jade Cargill Pins Charlotte Flair

Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab defeated Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley after Cargill pinned Flair with Jaded. Flair and Cargill had already been circling each other throughout the rivalry surrounding the six women. Having Jade pin Charlotte is the result that matters.

Multi-person matches are frequently used to protect the central stars while advancing secondary stories, but WWE chose to make the biggest possible statement here by having Cargill directly beat Flair.

That gives Jade legitimate leverage if this moves into a singles program. Charlotte cannot dismiss her as someone who has never proven anything against her because Cargill now has the pinfall sitting there whenever the argument starts.

Dominik Mysterio Spoils Joe Hendry’s Night

Dominik Mysterio defeated Joe Hendry during the Sunday Night’s Main Event pre-show after interference from Judgment Day helped create the opening for a 619 and Frog Splash. Liv Morgan afterward promised to defeat Stephanie Vaquer on Raw.

Hendry continues occupying an unusual position where losing does not necessarily damage what WWE is doing with him.

His popularity allows him to move through different programs without every appearance requiring a major victory. Dominik, meanwhile, benefits much more from maintaining momentum inside Judgment Day.

The post-match focus also served another purpose by immediately moving attention toward Monday’s Women’s World Championship match.

Raw Heads to Birmingham

Monday Night Raw airs tonight from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan is scheduled to defend against Stephanie Vaquer, while WWE also begins the qualification process for October’s Money in the Bank ladder matches.

• Women’s World Championship – Liv Morgan (c) vs. Stephanie Vaquer
• Money in the Bank qualifying matches begin

Sunday Night’s Main Event also gives Raw several immediate stories to address.

Bronson Reed has returned to align himself with Bron Breakker, Oba Femi has another reason to pursue The Vision and Liv Morgan left Atlanta promising that what Dominik Mysterio did to Joe Hendry is exactly what she intends to do to Vaquer.

Raw is also one week away from Mexico City, where Roman Reigns defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Penta. That gives Monday an obvious job: move the current stories forward without exhausting the matches already reserved for next week.

Sunday Night’s Main Event Results — September 6, 2026

WWE’s Atlanta special produced one championship change, two major returns or developments and another escalation in the Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton rivalry.

• Dominik Mysterio defeated Joe Hendry
• Lil Yachty defeated Baron Corbin by surviving five minutes
• United States Championship – Trick Williams defeated Baron Corbin (c)
• Oba Femi defeated Bron Breakker by disqualification
• Jade Cargill, Michin & B-Fab defeated Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss & Tatum Paxley
• Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes

Williams reached national wrestling television through a path almost nobody else could replicate, moving from a successful music career into professional wrestling and earning the respect of another industry along the way. The reaction from people who worked with him has made clear that his impact extended well beyond the character audiences saw on television.

WWE’s stories will continue Monday. Rhodes and Orton still have unfinished business, Bronson Reed has changed the balance around Bron Breakker and Trick Williams is a champion again.

The loss of Andy Williams is the story that will remain with wrestling much longer than anything that happened inside the ring this weekend.

This report includes information from: POSTWrestling.com, WrestlingInc.com, WWE.com, and independent wrestling reporting.