Robert Miller (born 21 October 1944) is a New Zealand retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. He is best known for his appearances in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Bushwhacker Butch, where he teamed with

Bushwhacker Luke Brian Wickens (born 8 January 1947) is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Bushwhacker Luke, where he teamed with Bushwhacker Butch as The Bushwhackers. ...

The Bushwhackers The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, ...

. He is also known for his appearances under the ring name Butch Miller for promotions such as NWA New Zealand,

Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the prom ...

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. T ...

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promoti ...

Southwest Championship Wrestling Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joe Blanchard and based in San Antonio, Texas, from 1978 to 1985, when it was purchased by Texas All-Star Wrestling and absorbed into that company. H ...

, and the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he teamed with Luke as "

The Kiwis The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, ...

" and "

The Sheepherders The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, ...

". Along with Luke, Butch held

championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

including the

NWA Florida Tag Team Championship The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida Underground Wrestling. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was ...

NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship The NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship was a tag team title defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coas ...

NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S. states of ...

, and

UWF World Tag Team Championship The UWF Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Universal Wrestling Federation from 1986 until the promotion closed in 1987. It was formerly known as the Mid-South Tag Team Championship from 1979 until 1986 when Mid-South Wrestling b ...

. The duo were inducted into the

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously ind ...

in 2015 and the

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...

in 2020.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1964–1974)

Butch Miller started wrestling for NWA New Zealand (later known as All-Star Pro Wrestling) in 1964 where he achieved a great deal of regional success. Miller, along with his friend Luke Williams, was brought to America in 1965 by fellow New Zealander

Steve Rickard Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt (3 September 1929 – 5 April 2015), best known by his ring name Steve Rickard, was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. As a wrestler, he traveled throughout the world during the 1960s and 1970s, ...

, who was also the booker for NWA Hawaii. Luke and Butch initially worked in Canada among others for

Stu Hart Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler, wrestling booker, promoter, coach, trainer, football player and sailor. He is best known for founding and handling Stampede Wrestling, a ...

billed as "The Kiwis" (Butch was known as "Nick Carter" and Luke was known as "Sweet William"). The first recorded title that the Kiwis won was in 1974 when the duo beat Bob Pringle and Bill Cody for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship on 6 January 1974. The Kiwis lost the titles to Tokyo Joe and the Great Saki only to regain them a short time later. The Kiwis lost the titles for good when

Stan Kowalski Stan Kowalski (born Bert Smith; May 13, 1926 – October 20, 2017) was an American professional wrestler who was one half of the tag team Murder Incorporated with partner Tiny Mills in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) from 1960 to 1975. E ...

and Duke Savage defeated them and kept the titles away from them in subsequent rematches.

The Sheepherders (1974–1981)

After leaving Stampede Wrestling, the Kiwis began doing double duty in Japan for

International Wrestling Enterprise International Wrestling Enterprise (国際プロレス興行;, ''Kokusai Puroresu Kogyō'') was a professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1966 to 1981. Founded by Isao Yoshihara, it was affiliated with the American Wrestling Association i ...

. In 1975, they returned to New Zealand for the first wrestling television tapings '' On the Mat''. Both men were inactive from wrestling for a few years. In 1979, both men reunited working for

NWA Pacific Northwest Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. T ...

as well as the Canadian-based International All-Star Wrestling around 1979–1980 as "the Kiwi Sheepherders". In 1979, the team won the

on three occasions between 21 July and 5 August 1980 before they left the territory. On 22 September, the Sheepherders lost the gold to Dutch Savage and

Stan Stasiak George Emile Stipich (April 13, 1937 – June 19, 1997) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stan Stasiak. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the 1970s, where he ...

only to regain them a week later. On 11 February 1980, the Sheepherders became double champions when they downed Dutch Savage and Stasiak once again, this time for the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship. Top faces

Rick Martel Richard Vigneault (born March 18, 1956) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, trainer, and television presenter, better known by his ring name, Rick Martel. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association, the ...

and "Rowdy"

Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for hi ...

teamed up in May 1980 to take the NWA Canadian tag titles from the Sheepherders and, in effect, run the duo out of the Northwest region by August, gaining the NWA Pacific Northwest tag titles when the Sheepherders left the promotion. The next stop for the Sheepherders was a brief stay in the

territory run by

Jim Crockett James Allen Crockett Sr. (June 2, 1909 – April 1, 1973) was a professional wrestling promoter and professional sports franchise owner sometimes known as Jim Crockett Sr., or to people within the business simply as "Big Jim". Early life Crockett ...

. In MACW, the two won the

by beating

Matt Borne Matthew Wade Osborne (July 27, 1957 – June 28, 2013), known professionally as Matt Borne, was an American professional wrestler. Osborne was a second generation wrestler, the son of Tony Borne, and is best known as being the first wrestler to ...

and

Buzz Sawyer Bruce Alan Woyan (June 14, 1959 – February 7, 1992) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Buzz Sawyer. Professional wrestling career Sawyer started wrestling in 1978 (other sources state 1979) in the National Wr ...

for the gold. The Sheepherders held onto the gold for close to three months before dropping it to

Dewey Robertson Byron James John "Dewey" Robertson (February 28, 1939 - August 16, 2007) was a professional wrestler, known best by his ring name The Missing Link. As The Missing Link, Robertson wore blue and green face paint and shaved portions of his head whil ...

and George Wells on 12 December. After losing the titles, Luke and Butch headed for warmer weather as they traveled to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

and began working for the

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...

as "Los Pastores". While in Puerto Rico, the team would win the

WWC North American Tag Team Championship The WWC North American Tag Team Championship was a major tag team championship that was used and defended in Capitol Sports Promotions. It is sometimes referred to as the WWC North American Tag Team Championship, though this isn't entirely accu ...

twice while touring the island. After the team left WWC, Butch decided that he wanted to return closer to home and went to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to wrestle. Luke remained in the United States determined to keep the "Sheepherders" name on everyone's lips by teaming up with "Lord"

Jonathan Boyd Jonathan Barry Boyle (21 October 1944 – 7 August 1999) was an Australian professional wrestler who is known worldwide under the name "Lord" Jonathan Boyd. Initially Boyd competed both in North American and international promotions as part of ...

(formerly of the

Royal Kangaroos The Royal Kangaroos was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of cousins "Lord" Jonathan Boyd and Norman Frederick Charles III. The duo played off their Australian heritage which included using a boomerang as their weapon of choice. Boy ...

Butch returns (1983–1988)

In 1983, Boyd and Williams were working for

when in June, Jonathan Boyd legitimately broke his leg in a car accident. While Boyd was out with the broken leg Butch returned from Australia to reunite with his old tag-team partner. Luke and Butch stayed with the SWCW through the rest of 1983 and into 1984, when the two came head to head with

the Fabulous Ones The Fabulous Ones were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Stan Lane and Steve Keirn that was active between 1982 and 1991 with brief reunions during the 1990s. The Fabulous Ones competed primarily in North American territories such as ...

, a team Williams and Boyd had feuded with extensively while Miller was away. This time the prize was the

SWCW World Tag Team Championship The SCW World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Southwest Championship Wrestling Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joe Blanchard and based in San Antonio, ...

. The Fabulous Ones had supposedly won the titles in Australia, which is generally believed to be a fictitious tournament invented by the SWCW. The Sheepherders defeated the Fabs on 4 March and held the titles until the SWCW abandoned the tag team titles in September 1984. The next major stop for the Sheepherders was a return to Puerto Rico and the WWC, this time competing as "The Sheepherders" instead of "Los Pastores." On 6 January 1985 the team defeated

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...

(Invader I and Invader III) for the WWC North American Tag Team Championship in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Butch and Luke lost and then regained the titles from Invaders I and III in March and then held on to the gold until August, when the Invaders won the tag team title back for good. When Luke and Butch returned to mainland USA and signed on with

Bill Watts William F. Watts Jr. (born May 5, 1939) is a retired American professional wrestler, promoter and former American football player. Watts garnered fame under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a promoter in the Mid-South Un ...

’ UWF, they quickly cemented their status by beating

Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...

and Steve Williams for the

UWF Tag Team Championship The UWF Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Universal Wrestling Federation from 1986 until the promotion closed in 1987. It was formerly known as the Mid-South Tag Team Championship from 1979 until 1986 when Mid-South Wrestling b ...

on 16 March 1986. The Sheepherders worked for Bill Watts on and off over the next couple of years, taking time out to participate in the first ever Jim Crockett Memorial Tag Team Cup where they made it to the third round. In the third round the Sheepherders clashed with the Fantastics in an out of control brawl that ended in a double disqualification. The winners of this match would have gone on to face eventual tournament winners

The Road Warriors The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis).. They performed under the name "The Road Warriors" in th ...

in the next round. Back in the UWF for their "Mid South Superdome Show", the Sheepherders clashed with the Fantastics once more, this time Luke and Butch lost in a "New Zealand Boot camp" match to the UWF Tag champs. After being unable to beat the Fantastics on several occasions, the Sheepherders traveled back to Puerto Rico during the summer for a six-week run with the

WWC World Tag Team Championship The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. History Abroad (2017) On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...

on 3 August. When their short run with WWC ended, Luke and Butch sought new challenges and traveled to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

where they worked for

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...

. While there, the Sheepherders came across their old rivals the Fabulous Ones, instantly rekindling their violent feud. This feud saw Luke and Butch end the Fabulous Ones' first reign with the

NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship The Florida version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team championship. The title was defended sporadically in the National Wrestling Alliance affiliated Championship Wrestling from Florida fr ...

and would keep them away from the Fabulous Ones until Lane and Keirn finally got the better of them on 30 November, when they regained the belts. In 1987, the Sheepherders returned to the CWA once more. On 10 January, the New Zealanders beat the up-and-coming team of

Badd Company Badd Company was a professional wrestling tag team in the American Wrestling Association in the late 1980s, which later went by the name the Orient Express. They used the song "Bad Company", by the band of the same name as their theme song. His ...

(

Pat Tanaka Patrick Tanaka (born August 5, 1963) is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association as one half of Badd Company and the World Wrestling Federation as one half of The Orient Express. He is the so ...

and

Paul Diamond Thomas Boric (born May 11, 1961) is a Croatian retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Paul Diamond. He is best known for being one half of the tag team Badd Company with Pat Tanaka and for his time in the World Wrestling F ...

) for the CWA/AWA International Tag Team Championship but lost them back to Badd Company as fast as they had won them. After the quick run with Badd Company, the Sheepherders once again became entangled in a feud with the Fabulous Ones in a rivalry that seemingly would never end. In what turned out to the last series of matches between the Sheepherders and the Fabulous Ones, the Fabulous Ones dominated the matches and once again "ran off" the Sheepherders. After leaving Memphis the Sheepherders returned to Puerto Rico and the WWC. Here the Sheepherders started a bloody feud with

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

and

Mark Youngblood Mark Romero (born July 21, 1963) is a retired American second generation professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mark Youngblood. Professional wrestling career Mark Romero is the son of Ricky Romero. He started wrestling as Mark Young ...

that drew big crowds in Puerto Rico. The feud saw Luke and Butch win the WWC World Tag Team titles on 4 April and then defend them tooth and nail until the Youngbloods regained the gold on 10 May in a cage match. After their spring run with WWC the Sheepherders returned to Florida and instantly became challengers for Mike Graham and Steve Keirn's

. On 26 June, Luke and Butch added that title to their collection by brawling and cheating. Their run with the Florida titles came to an end on 29 August when Keirn and Graham regained the titles. After losing the Florida titles, Luke and Butch returned to the UWF and started a second run with the UWF World Tag Team Championship after beating Brad Armstrong and

Tim Horner Timothy Horner (born August 19, 1959) is a retired professional wrestler, best known as Tim "White Lightning" Horner, one half of The Lightning Express with Brad Armstrong. Professional wrestling career Early career (1978–1988) Tim Horner ...

on 16 October. The Sheepherders held the UWF tag team titles until the UWF was bought out by Jim Crockett and merged into

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

to form the forerunner of

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

. When the UWF merged Luke and Butch began working for JCP, participating in the third Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial, Tag Team Tournament Cup losing to The Midnight Express (

Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managemen ...

and Stan Lane) in the second round. At ''

Clash of the Champions II ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...

'' the Sheepherders faced off against the

NWA United States Tag Team Champions The NWA United States Tag Team Championship is a name used for several secondary tag team championship used by various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) members since 1958. There are eleven different versions of the NWA United States Tag Team Cham ...

Fantastics, but did not win the gold. At ''

Clash of the Champions III ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...

'' the Sheepherders lost to Steve Williams and

Nikita Koloff Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson on March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, where ...

despite the interference of Rip Morgan. Just as it looked like the Sheepherders were going to face the Fantastics in the finals of a tournament to crown new United States tag team champions, Luke and Butch signed with

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

The Bushwhackers (1988–1996)

Luke and Butch signed on with the WWF in the midst of its national expansion, giving them a national and international exposure unlike anything they had ever had before. The team changed their name to "The Bushwhackers" and changed their violent style to a comedic style which was an instant hit with the fans. The comedy act involved licking, arm motions and more. The Bushwhackers made their debut on a matinee house show on 26 December 1988 facing

The Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from late 1987 until the spring of 1990. The team was composed of Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov portraying a pair of Soviet Communist bad guys. Volk ...

. Throughout the Bushwhackers' run in the WWF, the team was a solid mid-card team, feuding against such teams as

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers The Fabulous Rougeaus (also known as the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers) was the professional wrestling tag team of real-life brothers Jacques and Raymond Rougeau, best known from their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1986 to 1990. ...

Rhythm and Blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

(

The Honky Tonk Man Roy Wayne Farris (born January 25, 1953), better known by the ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American retired professional wrestler. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

and

Greg Valentine Jonathan Anthony Wisniski (born September 20, 1951) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine. Over five decades, Valentine held more than 40 championship ...

The Natural Disasters The Natural Disasters were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Earthquake (John Tenta) and Typhoon (Fred Ottman) who worked in the World Wrestling Federation between 1991 and 1993. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship once. Formatio ...

The Beverly Brothers The Beverly Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team comprising Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom in the World Wrestling Federation. They were also known as The Destruction Crew in the American Wrestling Association and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew ...

and The Headshrinkers. Several of the feuds were comedy-oriented, with the Bushwhackers' antagonists expressing disdain for their wild and wacky ways. In addition, Butch (along with Luke) participated in a long-running series of comedy vignettes, with "Mean" Gene Okerlund their usual foil; these vignettes were often featured on Coliseum Home Video releases where they served as the "link" between matches. The Bushwhackers remained in the WWF through 1996, by which time they were a lower-card team and frequently used to job to newer teams such as The Blu Brothers and

The Bodydonnas The Bodydonnas were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the mid-1990s, consisting of Chris Candido as Skip, Candido's real-life girlfriend Tammy Lynn Sytch as Sunny, and Tom Prichard as Skip's kayfabe cousi ...

. Late in the Bushwhackers' run, the team was accompanied to the ring by a giant kangaroo mascot.

Late career (1996–2001)

After leaving the WWF, the team made special appearances in the independent circuit, including a return to WWC for its 24th Anniversary show where they were billed as the Sheepherders and took on old rivals Invaders I & II. They also appeared at

Terry Funk's WrestleFest Terry Funk's WrestleFest: 50 Years of Funk was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on September 11, 1997. The event was held to mark the retirement of Terry Funk. It featured Bret Hart and Mankind ...

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

to celebrate "50 years of Funk" where they lost to

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

and

Chris Youngblood Christopher Romero (February 10, 1966 – July 7, 2021) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Chris Youngblood. A second generation wrestler, he was the son of Ricky Romero and the brother of Mark and Jay Youngblood ...

. In 1999, Luke and butch participated in a "wrestling nostalgia" pay-per-view called

Heroes of Wrestling Heroes of Wrestling was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event that took place on October 10, 1999 from the Casino Magic hotel and casino in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The event was meant to be the first in a series of pay-per-views ...

as the Men from Down Under. They defeated former WWF Tag Team Champions

The Iron Sheik Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri ( fa, حسین خسرو علی وزیری, romanized: Hossein Xosrô 'Ali Vaziri; born March 15, 1942), better known by his ring name the Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and a ...

and

Nikolai Volkoff Josip Hrvoje Peruzović (October 14, 1947 – July 29, 2018), better known by his ring name Nikolai Volkoff, was a Yugoslav-American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Although Volkoff often p ...

. Luke and Butch made one of their last appearances as active wrestlers on 1 April 2001 when they participated in the "Gimmick Battle Royal" at

WrestleMania X7 WrestleMania 17 (stylized as WrestleMania X-Seven) was the 17th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 1, 2001, at the Reliant Astrod ...

. On 15 June, the team returned to Memphis one last time, fighting

The Moondogs The Moondogs are a Northern Irish rock band formed in 1979, and consisting of Gerry McCandless, Austin Barrett and Jackie Hamilton. Their career spans three albums, four singles and two television programmes. Discography Singles *"She's Nine ...

to a double disqualification on a special "Mid-South Clash of the Legends" show.

Retirement (2001–present)

In September 2001, Miller was rushed to the

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

after suffering a

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

injury. While in the hospital, he also had a brush with

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

, but he survived. Miller retired after the incident and moved back to New Zealand where he began working as the commissioner for NZWPW and also writes a column for ''NZPWI.CO.NZ''. He currently lives in Paraparaumu Beach and is the Commissioner for Kiwi Pro Wrestling. When the WWE came to New Zealand on 11 June 2008 in Auckland he was a guest on the first international ''V.I.P Lounge'' along with

Tony Garea Anthony Gareljich (born 20 September 1946) is a New Zealand retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tony Garea. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestl ...

. The segment's host,

Montel Vontavious Porter Hassan Hamin Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and manager currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name MVP (standing for Montel Vontavious Porter) and ...

(MVP) announced him as

but then apologized. Eventually, MVP attacked Butch and Garea with the microphone. Butch and Garea recovered and fought off MVP, then celebrated with the Bushwhacker walk. In 2015, The Bushwhackers were inducted into the

John Laurinaitis John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ringname Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and business executive. He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), All Japan ...

. In February 2018, the Bushwhackers reunited for one last tour of their native New Zealand. Luke only wrestled.

Personal life

Miller moved back to New Zealand from Florida in 2003. He lived in Paraparaumu Beach until 2016. Miller and his wife Helen moved to Ōtaki Beach in 2016.

Other media

The Bushwhackers appeared as themselves in a 1994 episode of the sitcom ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers ...

'', wrestling against

Carl Winslow ''Family Matters'' is an American sitcom revolving around the Winslow family, a middle-class African-American family living in Chicago. The series ran for nine seasons (eight of which were broadcast on ABC, one on CBS) and is a spin-off of '' ...

and

Steve Urkel Steven Quincy Urkel is a fictional character on the American ABC/CBS sitcom ''Family Matters'', portrayed by Jaleel White. Originally slated to be a one-time-only character on the show, he broke out to be its most popular character and gradually ...

, who are forced to fill in for and wrestle as "The Psycho Twins." The Bushwhackers released their autobiography "The Bushwhackers: Blood, Sweat & Cheers", along with writer John E. Crowther, on September 27, 2022.

Championships and accomplishments

*Allied Powers Wrestling Federation **APWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Luke Williams *Can-Am Wrestling **Can-Am Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Luke Williams *

Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ref ...

** CWA International Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Luke Williams *

( 1 time) – with Luke Williams ** NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 1 time) – with Luke Williams *International Wrestling Association **IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Luke Williams *

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

( 1 time) – with Luke Williams *

NWA All-Star Wrestling NWA All Star Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Vancouver) is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. All-Star Wrestling folded in 1989 but returned in 2007 no longer affiliated with the National Wr ...

** NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' ( 1 time) – with Luke Williams *

( 3 times) – with Luke Williams * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** PWI ranked him # 493 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "

PWI ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...

Years" in 2003 ** PWI ranked him # 71 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Luke Williams in 2003 *

**Class of 2020 - Inducted as part of

with Luke Williams. *''Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter'' **Tag Team of the Year (1979–1980) with Luke Williams *

** SCW Southwest Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Luke Williams **

SCW World Tag Team Championship The SCW World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Southwest Championship Wrestling Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joe Blanchard and based in San Antonio, ...

( 1 time) – with Luke Williams *

** NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Calgary version)'' (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with Luke Williams *Ultimate Championship Wrestling **UCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Luke Williams *United States Wrestling League **USWL Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Luke Williams * Universal Wrestling Federation **

(

) – with Luke Williams *

World Wide Wrestling Alliance The World Wide Wrestling Alliance (WWWA, 3WA), formerly known as NWA Ohio, is a defunct American professional wrestling promotion. However, NWA Ohio Owner & Promoter Dave Nelson's claim of ownership of the WWWA name is disputed. History Founded ...

**WWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Luke Williams *

( 1 time) – with Luke Williams **

(

) – with Luke Williams * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' ** Worst Tag Team (1992, 1994) with Luke Williams ** Worst Worked Match of the Year (1993) with Luke Williams and

Men on a Mission Men on a Mission was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Mabel (Nelson Frazier) and Mo (Robert Horne), best known for its appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996. Career Harlem Knights The team that woul ...

vs. The Headshrinkers,

Bastion Booger Michael Paul Shaw (May 9, 1957 – September 11, 2010) was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Norman the Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation (W ...

, and

Bam Bam Bigelow Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned most ...

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(Class of 2015)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bushwhacker Butch 1944 births The Dudley Brothers members Living people New Zealand male professional wrestlers Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Sportspeople from Auckland Stampede Wrestling alumni WWE Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers NWA Florida Tag Team Champions NWA United States Tag Team Champions (Florida version) Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions