Thank You, Lyle C. Williams
Paying tribute to a legend of the Tri-State Area independent wrestling scene.
Lyle C. Williams is as synonymous with CZW as broken glass, barbed wire and puddles of blood. As a matter of fact, it’s his photos of such carnage that helped grow the New Jersey-based promotion’s cult following throughout the rest of the country. A goodwill ambassador of ultraviolence, Lyle astutely showcased the sacrifices of these wild performers, giving them the recognition they deserved but couldn’t afford.
However, it wasn’t just in CZW where he plied his trade. For over 20 years, Lyle was a fixture of the Tri-State Area, covering countless independent wrestling events throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Just as wrestling magazines used to promote the stars of yesteryear, Lyle’s vivid photography did the same for generations thereafter. After a weekend of action, fans flocked to the Evil Empire website to see what iconic photos Lyle had posted.
His influence on the pro wrestling industry is certainly vast as evidenced by the hundreds of fans, friends, promoters and wrestlers who have been sharing their memories and favorite photos since the news broke on Sunday evening regarding his untimely passing. In April, the 57-year-old Paulsboro native took to Facebook to reveal that he had been diagnosed with cancer two months prior. On April Fools’ Day, he had his right kidney removed, saying that he had been “feeling like a ship wreck since.”
Initially, he had decided that CZW’s “Cage of Death XX” last December would be his final show. Unbearable knee issues had slowed him down to the point that shooting at ringside, even with knee pads, was pure agony. Then when WrestleMania 35 was announced for the North Jersey area, he decided to delay his retirement for another year in the hopes of working for a couple companies during a busy WrestleMania Week. Unfortunately, his hospital stay derailed his plans, forcing him to officially retire.
Of course, as with any wrestling retirement, it wasn’t going to last. Lyle planned on still shooting photos at CZW Dojo Wars because he loved documenting the stars of the future. Although he has been called an “unsung hero” in many tributes after his passing, those stars never forgot the impact that he had on their careers. Kevin Owens, Sami Callihan, Kassius Ohno and many more big names took to social media to honor and thank Lyle for all of his contributions to not only their lives, but the industry as a whole.
Wrestling lost a huge fan today. I hadn’t seen Lyle Williams in many years but I still remember his kindness and enthusiasm for this industry.
He took a lot of pride in capturing moments from every show he could make it to and sharing them with everyone.
He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/9twKjP2plb
— Kevin (@FightOwensFight) June 3, 2019
Beyond sad to hearing about the passing of photographer Lyle C. Williams.
He took some of the first professional photos of me in wrestling, and was an amazing person.
Thank you for everything old friend.
You will be sadly missed. RIP pic.twitter.com/5fhBZ9IrHX
— The DRAW (@TheSamiCallihan) June 3, 2019
Lyle Williams was such an awesome guy! Hard working, loved wrestling & he was an excellent photographer. I always enjoyed seeing him and catching up. Lyle- you were loved by many and you’ll be missed sorely. Rest In Peace, my friend. ❤️ https://t.co/AXetTeYNQy
— KASSIUS (KASH-US) (@KassiusOhno) June 2, 2019
“In a business that is generally filled with egos and looking out for themselves, Lyle was a genuine person who absolutely loved shooting professional wrestling shows,” AJ Pan wrote on Facebook. “It was always a pleasure seeing him and getting to chat with him. He’d always say, “I’m getting too old for this” but you’d see him back the next week or month. It’s sometimes tough for us to get photos from shows we do. Lyle would always make sure to send you a few, even one or two he really liked, that same night!
If there has been anything comforting since last night, it’s been reading the amount of Facebook tributes. For all the negative about FB, this is what I love about. It mends the heart a tiny bit to see how many people he touched and he transcended being ‘just a photographer.’ I actually think he would be embarrassed by all the attention, but we love you Brother!”
@LyleCWilliams passed today. Lyle is family to me & @combatzone & all of wrestling. He loved us and we loved him . Always wanted to help everyone. We will be doing something for him. Words can not explain what Lyle means to us. Lyle love you buddy #riplyle
— DJ HYDE (@DJHyde_1) June 2, 2019
Lyle Williams was a large part of professional wrestling in Philadelphia for the last 20+ years.
Words cannot express the amount of sadness felt right now.
Lyle was a friend, a photographer, but most of all family. We will miss you.
— STREAMING NOW – CZW TANGLED WEB! (@combatzone) June 2, 2019
“I have been fortunate enough to know Lyle for many years like a lot of us in the wrestling community in this area,” Matt Tremont wrote on Facebook. “When I first broke in, I would say to Loudy, even if the promotion we were working for weren’t filming their show, you know Lyle would be there taking pictures and you know the show was legit and you could say happened lol. Lyle has literally taken pictures almost of my whole wrestling career. He was there for it all. From my DWF days to CZW to other promotions in the area, to when we started OPW and then H20, Lyle was always there, taking pics of the shows, always got pics of the new champions when they were crowned, etc.
He was always in good spirits even when he wasn’t feeling the best. He would always come to the H20 PPV parties and we just got to sit and chill and watch wrestling with everyone. I know two things about Lyle: he loved wrestling and his mom more then anything. He was one of the nicest human beings you would ever meet. When I was sick in the hospital a few years ago, Lyle was one of the 1st people to come see me.”
Scrolling through the Facebook posts, a common story seems to be how Lyle was the first person to make a new wrestler feel welcome in the community. I’ve had a similar experience. In late 2016, an old friend somehow got us a gig doing commentary for Dojo Wars. We had no experience, no chemistry and no right being there. Walking into the building an hour before doors opened was intimidating. Although the wrestlers and referees came up to shake hands as per tradition, I certainly felt like an outsider. I hadn’t paid any dues to enter this fraternity – if I was them, I wouldn’t have even shaken my hand.
And then came Lyle, whose friendly face and warm smile melted my trepidation away. He introduced himself, shook our hands and struck up a conversation about where we were from and how the hell we ended up here. As he had done with thousands of rookies over the past few decades, he made us feel right at home.
About a week after he posted his retirement message, I reached out to him to see if he’d be interested in an interview to celebrate his incredible career. He said he was interested, but that we’d have to wait because he was physically drained, even when it came to talking. Perhaps I was naïve, but I figured we’d wait a month or two and then speak again.
Unfortunately, that interview will never happen. One of the kindest, funniest, most talented people to ever walk this Earth has left us, much too soon. Even though he planned to reduce his schedule, his presence, even as simply a devoted wrestling fan, is still needed. We’re entering an exciting new era with AEW, a startup chock full of young performers that Lyle has spotlighted. He’d get a thrill out of seeing their success on such a grand scale.
While I can’t pick his brain about the art of photography, the indies’ changing landscape or who he predicted would make it to the next level, I take comfort in the fact that so many people have been giving little glimpses into his life over these past few days. The outpouring of love has been eye-opening, especially when you consider the universal impact one man had on an entire community. His work will last forever and his memory will never in the Tri-State Area.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and it will forever say “thank you, Lyle.”
Lyle’s funeral will be at Pitman Road Church of Christ from 9 a.m.-noon this Saturday, June 8, at 500 Pitman Rd in Sewell, New Jersey. Fans and friends are encouraged to attend to show love and respect.
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