Williams died at a local hospital in Pennsylvania. Black, meanwhile, was thousands of miles away preparing for a high-profile title match against Cara Noir at England’s PROGRESS Wrestling. It was there that Black also remembered the first knowledge of his friend’s death.
Backstage at the September 6 PROGRESS show, Black heard an interview in which Donovan Diyak offered his condolences to the family of an unnamed wrestler who had just passed away. Naturally, Black, being interested in the identity of the wrestler, approached Diyak, who informed him that it was Williams.
Black initially reacted to the news with confusion. Once Diyak reaffirmed that he was indeed talking about Andy “The Butcher” Williams, the soon-to-be PROGRESS World Champion fell into sadness and disbelief.
“I fell down and he just caught me,” Black said. I just hang in his arms. I go, “Wait, no, no, no!” I kind of claw at him. It’s like, “No, no, wait, what?” I just started sobbing. I almost fell into hysterics. I am 41 years old; getting hysterical is not something I associate with myself, who is a pretty stoic individual for the most part.
“I’m a little cold,” he continued. “I couldn’t calculate it. I struggled with it, like he was purposely telling me something that wasn’t true, like he was lying to me. I try to claw at him and he holds me back. He’s like, “No, I’m sorry.” In his eyes I see that he is saying. “Oh, I shouldn’t say anything, but it’s not his fault.”
After finally regaining his composure, Black apologized to Dijak, stating that the news brought him special attention because of his long-time closeness with Williams. Black then tried to hide it from his wife, Zelina (Fka Zelina Vega), trying not to upset her before her own match against Myla Grace. However, Kelina and PROGRESS co-owner Big Damo were already aware of Williams’ death at the time.
