Bushwhacker Butch Dead at 78, WWE Tag Team Partner Luke Speaks Out

By Brian Jones

Bushwhacker Butch (Robert Miller), one-half of the legendary WWE tag team The Bushwhackers, has died. He was 78 years old. His tag team partner, Bushwhacker Luke (Brian Wickens), shared the news on his official Facebook page on Monday. The official cause of death has not been announced. 

"Late last night, I lost my friend, brother and tag team partner of over 50 years with the passing of Bob 'Butch' Miller," Luke said in a Facebook post. "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."

Luke's daughter, Jackie, created a GoFundMe page to help the family with expenses. "The Bushwhackers were a fun comedy team. They entertained fans with their character work during what is known as the golden era of professional wrestling. Their contributions to the industry earned them a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2015," Jackie said on the GoFundMe Page. That being said, we have some sad news to share on one half of the team, Bushwhacker Butch Miller has been hospitalized after arriving in Los Angeles for a signing during the Wrestle Mania weekend. Butch had arrived alongside his long friend and brother Luke Williams. The duo has been together for more than 50yrs on the road and everyone was looking forward to this comeback."

The Bushwhackers began as the team known as The Kiwis in 1966. They had several name changes before calling themselves The Bushwhackers when they joined WWE (called WWF at the time) in 1988. They were with the company until 1996 and were known for their comedic antics, which were popular among fans. Following their time in WWEThe Bushwhackers appeared in multiple promotions, including ECW and World Wrestling Council. Their last match together was in 2001 and Bushwhacker Butch would retire from professional wrestling while Bushwhacker Luke would retire in 2002.

"As The Bushwhackers, we appeared in the largest venues in the world, in front of the biggest crowds professional wrestling had ever seen!," Bushwhacker Luke wrote. "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 an only child, but it would be wrong. In life I had a brother and his name was Bob Miller. I love you, Bob."

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