Robert "Bushwhacker Butch" Miller Passes Away
The legendary tag team star was 78
Robert Miller, best known for his decades in professional wrestling as Butch Miller of The Sheepherders and The Bushwhackers, passed away on Monday. First notice of Miller's passing came from longtime partner Luke Williams.
Williams wrote, "Our dear Bob has passed away. Those we love never truly leave us. There are things death cannot touch. We will always love u uncle Bob Miller, until we meet again."
Miller was 78 years old. According to PWInsider, the veteran wrestler had suffered a medical episode over the weekend after flying into Los Angeles.
Miller began his career in NWA New Zealand in 1964. In the early seventies, he and Luke were brought to North America, where they performed in Calgary's Stampede Wrestling as The Kiwis. Together, they held Stampede's NWA International Tag Team titles on two occasions in 1974.
In the late seventies, the two changed their name to The Kiwi Sheepherders, later shortening to just The Sheepherders. Miller and Williams had championship runs in territories like Oregon and Mid-Atlantic, and were a top-level heel duo known for their violent style.
Stateside, the Sheepherders' most famed run came in Bill Watts' UWF, where they reigned twice as Tag Team champions, and battled The Fantastics in numerous Barbed Wire Cage matches.
In 1988, Miller and Williams joined the WWF. They dropped their violent heel personas to become The Bushwhackers, a family friendly comedy act for the midcard. They shortened their names in this period to just Butch and Luke.
The Bushwhackers never held gold in the WWF, but had pay-per-view matches with teams like The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, The Natural Disasters, and The Beverly Brothers, in addition to regularly appearing in comic sketches on the company's Coliseum Video releases.
Miller last wrestled in 2001. In 2015, Miller and Williams were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Cultaholic extends its condolences to Mr. Miller's family and friends.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
