Butch Miller was one half of the professional wrestling tag team known as the BushWhackers.
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.
Miller, and his teammate Luke, began their tag-team career as the New Zealand Kiwis, before becoming the Sheepherders, then The Bushwhackers.
In the 1980s, Williams and Miller moved to the USA and began wrestling in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and quickly gained a reputation for their hardcore matches and ruthless tactics.
In 1988, the Sheepherders signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWE) and were given a new gimmick as the BushWhackers. They were portrayed as simple-minded “country boys” who loved to have fun and were always looking for a good time. They became known for their comical skits and matches, which often involved them performing their signature Bushwhacker Walk to the delight of the crowd.
The BushWhackers became a unique and memorable part of the WWE roster. They entertained fans with their silly antics and lovable personalities, and will always be remembered as one of the most eccentric and entertaining tag teams in wrestling history.
And behind the scenes, the Bushwhackers’ careers ran parallel to some of the biggest names in sports entertainment history.
In the Between Two Beers podcast, Butch talked about his friendship with Hulk Hogan, and how they trained together for over a decade in a Californian gym, his behind-the-scenes stories of fighting Andre the Giant and traveling with him on the road in New Zealand, what it was like competing at SummerSlam infront of 96,000 people at Wembley, wrestling Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, The Rock’s dad, and The Rock’s grandad, the origins of the Bushwhacker walk, fearing for his life after a show, jumping on a table during negotiations with WWE boss Vince McMahon, transitioning from ‘bad guys’ to ‘good guys’ and much more.
Between Two Beers is part of the Alternative Commentary Collective - NZ’s Home for Sports Entertainment. Check out more podcasts, events, details on live commentaries and sports watch alongs here.
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