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Bushwhacker Butch and Bushwhacker Luke are Kiwi wrestling icons. Butch, whose real name is Robert Miller, has passed away.
One half of the superstars wrestling kiwis and the Bushwhackers, Bushwhacker Butch, has passed away.
Butch, whose real name is Robert Miller, had traveled to Los Angeles for festivities over Wrestlemania weekend, but became unwell and was hospitalized.
On Tuesday, his former wrestling partner, Bushwhacker Luke, whose real name is Luke Williams, announced on Facebook Miller, 78, had passed away.
“Late last night I lost my friend, brother and tag team partner of over 50 years with the passing of Bob “Butch” Miller.
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“My heart goes out to his wife Helen, his lovely daughters Sharon and Kirsten and all his grandchildren.
“From the early 1970s, when we were young friends wrestling for John da Silva in New Zealand, my first impression of Bob “The Chest” Miller (as he was known at the time) was that he was a first-rate redneck was, and what a bloody redneck he was. But he was also an all-round good guy and a good friend.”
The pair were known for their wrestling and larger-than-life characters.
Miller said that by the time they reached their mid-twenties, they traveled the world together “from New Zealand to Australia to Malaysia, Singapore and Japan, before invading the North American territories in Canada and the United States” as The Shepherds”.
“In 1988, we were in our 40s and still on top when we received a call from the Connecticut offices with an offer to join the largest and fastest growing wrestling organization in the world, the WWF/E. The Bushwhackers were born.
“As the Bushwhackers, we appeared at the front of the largest halls in the world [of the] largest crowds professional wrestling had ever seen.
“And we were ultimately honored by our fans and colleagues with our induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2020.
“We’ve done it all, we’ve seen it all and we’ve all achieved it together.”
Williams said neither of them knew that while they were in the United States, it was their last days together.
“If you read the story of my life it would say I am an only child, but that would be wrong.
“In my lifetime I had a brother and his name was Bob Miller. I love you Until I see you again, Wooooahh yeeeeaahh.”
A GoFundMe fundraising page was set up to cover Miller’s hospital expenses.