Robert Miller obit

Kiwi wrestling icon Butch Miller of the BushWhackers dies, aged 78

 

He was not on the list.

Kiwi wrestling icon Robert ‘Butch’ Miller, who was a member of the BushWhackers, has passed away. He was 78.

The Herald understands he suffered a medical event while attending Wrestle Con in Los Angeles over the weekend and passed away overnight.

Fellow wrestling great the Iron Sheik led tributes on Twitter.

The BushWhackers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015, to honour their 36-year journey through professional wrestling, the trials and tribulations along the way, and their elevation to the top of the wrestling world.

In December, Miller had a long-form chat with the Between Two Beers podcast, sharing the good, bad and ugly from 30 years on the road.

e was best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Bushwhacker Butch, where he teamed with Bushwhacker Luke as The Bushwhackers. He was also known for his appearances under the ring name Butch Miller for promotions such as NWA New Zealand, Stampede Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling, and the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he teamed with Luke as The Kiwis and The Sheepherders.

Along with Luke, Butch held championships including the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship, NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship, NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship, and UWF World Tag Team Championship. The duo were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2020.

Butch Miller started wrestling for NWA New Zealand (later known as All-Star Pro Wrestling) in 1964 where he achieved a great deal of regional success. Miller, along with his friend Luke Williams, was brought to America in 1965 by fellow New Zealander Steve Rickard, who was also the booker for NWA Hawaii. Luke and Butch initially worked in Canada among others for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling billed as "The Kiwis" (Butch was known as "Nick Carter" and Luke was known as "Sweet William"). The first recorded title that the Kiwis won was in 1974 when the duo beat Bob Pringle and Bill Cody for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship on 6 January 1974. The Kiwis lost the titles to Tokyo Joe and the Great Saki only to regain them a short time later. The Kiwis lost the titles for good when Stan Kowalski and Duke Savage defeated them and kept the titles away from them in subsequent rematches.

Throughout the Bushwhackers' run in the WWF, the team was a solid mid-card team, feuding against such teams as The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, Rhythm and Blues (The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine), The Natural Disasters, The Beverly Brothers and The Headshrinkers. Several of the feuds were comedy-oriented, with the Bushwhackers' antagonists expressing disdain for their wild and wacky ways. In addition, Butch (along with Luke) participated in a long-running series of comedy vignettes, with "Mean" Gene Okerlund their usual foil; these vignettes were often featured on Coliseum Home Video releases where they served as the "link" between matches.

The Bushwhackers remained in the WWF through 1996, by which time they were a lower-card team and frequently used to job to newer teams such as Well Dunn, The Blu Brothers and The Bodydonnas. Late in the Bushwhackers' run, the team was accompanied to the ring by a giant kangaroo mascot.