WWE Hall Of Famer “Bushwhacker” Butch Miller Passes Away At Age 78

The WWE Hall of Famer, Bushwhacker Butch, has passed away at the age of 78 years old.

There is some sad news to report from this WrestleMania weekend. It was revealed by Bushwhacker Luke that his best friend, Bushwhacker Butch, passed away at the age of 78. Butch’s real name is Bob Miller. He is survived by his wife Helen, their daughters Sharon and Kirsten, and his grandchildren

According to TMZ, Butch was hospitalized in the ICU on Friday after arriving in Los Angeles for WrestleMania. That resulted in a “situation with medication” according to Luke in an interview, which led to a hospitalization. Sadly, Butch’s condition did not improve and he passed away.

In an interview, Luke said: “He flew in from New Zealand on Wednesday, was all good. Friday morning, he was incognito.”

The Bushwhackers consisted of Luke & Butch in WWE. Their run there started in 1988 as a fun-loving tag team that would lick the heads of eachother, their opponents and even fans just to get people to laugh. They often used a move called the Battering Ram to win matches, which was like a double headbutt move.

Prior to their WWE run, the New Zealanders were known as The Sheepherders, which were brawling, violent characters that were different than the Bushwhackers. It showed how talented they could be by being completely different from what they were in their Bushwhackers run.

They were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. In the photo below, Butch is on the right and Luke is on the left.

There is nobody better in the world to share what Butch meant to pro wrestling than Luke, who wrote this touching tribute to his friend on Facebook.

“Late last night, I lost my friend, brother and tag team partner of over 50 years with the passing of Bob “Butch” Miller. My heart goes out to his wife Helen, his lovely daughters Sharon and Kirsten and all of his grandchildren. From the early-1970s when we were young mates wrestling for John da Silva in New Zealand, my first impression of Bob “The Chest” Miller (as he was called in those days) was that he was a first-class redneck, and what bloody redneck he was!

“But he was also an all-around good guy and a great friend. By the time we reached our mid-20s, we found ourselves traveling 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 Sheepherders. In 1988 we were in our 40s and still at the top of our game when we got a call from the offices in Connecticut with an offer to join the largest and fastest growing wrestling promotion in the world, the WWF/E- The Bushwhackers were born!”

“As The Bushwhackers we appeared in the largest venues in the world, in front the the biggest crowds professional wrestling had ever seen! And we were eventually honored by our fans and peers with our inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2020. We did it all, we saw it all, and we accomplished it all together. This past weekend in Los Angeles, Bob flew in from New Zealand to join me for Wrestlemania weekend and the related festivities, neither of us knowing it would be our last days together and his last days of life. If you were to read the story of my life it would say that I am only child, but it would be wrong.”

“In life I had a brother and his name was Bob Miller. I love you, Bob. Until I see you again, WOOOOAHH YEEEEAAHH!”

Everybody at TJRWrestling sends our condolences to the family, friends and fans all over the world of Bushwhacker Butch. May he rest in peace.