Latest / Gil I Am / Happy Birthday Bushwhacker Butch October 21

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Happy Birthday Bushwhacker Butch October 21 · Gil I Am

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The complete life and career of Bushwhacker Butch 15-minute podcast script.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Pro wrestling history revealed. Introduction. Two different men in one body.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Imagine a professional wrestler so violent that fans feared him.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: A man who fought in steel cages, barbed wire matches,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: and bloody battles throughout the wrestling territories. A man who
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: helped make some of the toughest tag teams in professional
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: wrestling famous. Now imagine taking that very same man, putting
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: him in camouflage pants, telling him to swing his arms
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: like a marching lunatic, and encouraging him to lick people
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: on the forehead. Sounds impossible? Well, ladies and gentlemen, it happened,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: and it became one of the most successful character transformations
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: in wrestling history. Before there were the lovable bushwhackers, there
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: were the terrifying sheepherders. Before the laughter, there was blood.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Before WrestleMania, there were cramped locker rooms, endless highways, and
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: vicious territorial rivalries. and before millions of Americans knew his name,
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: there was a young man from New Zealand named Robert Miller.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: On October 21, 1944, he entered the world, and on
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: October 21, 2026, he would have celebrated his 82nd birthday. Today,
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: we're traveling through the years, from 1944 to 2023, to
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: tell the remarkable story of a man who spent nearly
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: four decades inside a professional wrestling ring. This is the
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: life and career of Bushwacker Butch, 1944 to 1963, a
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: boy from New Zealand. Robert Miller was born on October 21, 1944,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: in Auckland, New Zealand. His childhood unfolded during the years
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: following World War II, long before professional wrestling became a
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: worldwide television spectacle. Much of Miller's private childhood remains outside
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: the public historical record. What we do know is that
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: wrestling would eventually become his life's work. In New Zealand,
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: professional wrestling had an established following. and local promotions provided
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: opportunities for young athletes to learn the business. For Miller,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: the opportunity would arrive in the 1960s. He would eventually
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: become friends and partners with another young New Zealand wrestler
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: named Brian Wickens. Wickens would become better known as Luke Williams. Together,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: they would create one of wrestling's longest-running and most recognizable partnerships. 1964,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: the beginning. In 1964, Robert Miller officially began his professional
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: wrestling career. He worked for NWA New Zealand, learning the
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: fundamentals of the sport, and this was the old-school territorial business.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: There were no guaranteed international television contracts, no social media,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: no instant fame. A young wrestler earned his reputation one
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: match at a time. He had to learn how to
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: work a crowd, protect his opponents, execute believable offense, and
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: make people want to buy tickets again next week. Miller
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: was beginning an education that would eventually take him around
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: the world. 1965 to 1971, the partnership takes shape. During
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: the mid-1960s, Miller and Luke Williams began developing their partnership.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: They worked as a team in New Zealand before pursuing
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: opportunities overseas. They were eventually known as the Kiwis. In
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: early appearances, Butch used the name Nick Carter, while Luke
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: was known as Sweet William. The two weren't yet the
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: internationally famous wild men wrestling fans would come to recognize.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: They were young professionals learning their craft. Their greatest advantage
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: was their chemistry. They understood each other's timing. They learned
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: to work together naturally. and that partnership would survive changing promotions,
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: different ring names, and decades of travel. 1972 to 1973,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: the North American territories. By 1972, the Kiwis were making
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: their mark in Canadian wrestling. They worked for Grand Prix
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: Wrestling and eventually appeared in Stu Hart's Stampede wrestling promotion.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Stampede operated out of Calgary, Alberta, and Stu Hart's organization
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: had a reputation for developing exceptionally tough performers. the Kiwis
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: became part of that demanding wrestling environment. It was a
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: world of long drives, physical matches, and audiences who wanted
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: to see real conflict. And for Miller and Williams, the
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: experience proved invaluable. They were becoming more polished performers, more aggressive,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: and increasingly recognizable as a team. 1974, their first major championship.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: January 6, 1974. The Kiwis defeated Bob Pringle and Bill
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Cody to capture the Stampede International Tag Team Championship. It
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: was their first documented major tag team title victory. They
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: would lose the championships to Tokyo Joe and the Great
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: Saki before winning them back. The significance went beyond carrying
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: a championship belt. They had proved that North American promoters
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: could build a division around them, and that meant more opportunities,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: more territories, and bigger opponents. 1975 to 1978. Japan, New Zealand,
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: and a changing business. After their Canadian success, Miller and
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Williams continued working internationally, including appearances in Japan. In 1975,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: they returned to New Zealand and appeared during the early
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: television era of the wrestling program On the Mat. There
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: were stretches of reduced activity and periods when the partners
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: pursued separate directions, but the foundation of their team remained intact.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: By the end of the decade, they were ready for
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: another major run in North America, and when they returned,
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: the Kiwis would gradually become something much more dangerous. 1979,
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: the sheepherders arrive. In 1979, Miller and Williams became established
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: in the Pacific Northwest wrestling territory. They were now known
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: as the Kiwi sheepherders, and their wrestling style was becoming
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: increasingly violent. They wore rugged gear, they fought aggressively, they
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: bent the rules, and they loved getting into confrontations with
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: the crowd. On July 21, 1979, they captured the NWA
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship. They would hold that championship
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: on multiple occasions. Their opponents included established wrestlers such as
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: Dutch Savage and Stan Stasiak, and a new reputation was developing.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: These weren't just two ordinary foreign villains. These were dangerous brawlers. 1980,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: battling Roddy Piper and Rick Martel. The year 1980 brought
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: even greater success. The Sheepherders captured Tag Team Gold in
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: the Vancouver Territory. They also became involved in fierce battles
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: with Rowdy Roddy Piper and Rick Martel. Picture that matchup. Piper,
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: one of wrestling's most explosive personalities, Martel, a gifted technician,
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: against two wild New Zealanders who could turn any wrestling
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: match into a fight. Later that year, the Sheepherders arrived
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: in Jim Crockett's Mid-Atlantic territory. On September 28th, they defeated
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Matt Bourne and Buzz Sawyer to capture the NWA Mid-Atlantic
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Tag Team Championship. Now they were gaining a reputation across
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: multiple major territories, but their next destination would further transform
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: their careers. 1981 to 1982. Puerto Rico and a temporary separation.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: In the early 1980s, the sheepherders traveled to Puerto Rico. There,
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: they worked for Carlos Colon's World Wrestling Council. Puerto Rico
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: was one of the most physically intense wrestling markets in
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: the world. Fans were passionate. Rivalries could become deeply personal.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: and violent stipulation matches were major attractions. The sheepherders fit
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: that environment extremely well. They were sometimes known as Los Pastores,
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: but eventually Miller decided to return closer to home and
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: wrestle in Australia. Luke stayed in North America and partnered
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: with Jonathan Boyd. For a period, the original sheepherders were separated,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: but in wrestling, the road has a way of bringing
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: old partners back together. 1983, the original team reunites. In 1983,
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Jonathan Boyd suffered a broken leg in an automobile accident.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: That created an opportunity for Butch Miller to return. Miller
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: and Luke Williams reunited in Southwest Championship Wrestling, and the
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: reunion immediately restored the chemistry that had made them successful.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: They renewed their involvement in the territorial tag team wars.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: One of their most important rivalries was with the Fabulous Ones,
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: Steve Kiernan and Stan Lane, two polished athletic fan favorites.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: against two rough, rule-breaking New Zealand brawlers. The contrast was perfect. 1984,
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: the Fabulous Ones rivalry. On March 4th, 1984, the Sheepherders
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: defeated the Fabulous Ones to capture the Southwest Championship Wrestling
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: World Tag Team Championship. The rivalry helped cement their reputation
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: as legitimate championship-level villains. But their character was evolving. Fans
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: weren't simply supposed to dislike them. They were supposed to
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: fear what they might do. The Sheepherders were willing to
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: fight anywhere, inside the ring, outside the ring, and frequently
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: into the crowd. Their matches weren't built around beautiful technical wrestling.
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: They were built around hatred. 1985, more championships in Puerto Rico.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: In 1985, Butch and Luke returned to Puerto Rico. On
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: January 6, they defeated Invader 1 and Invader 3 to
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: capture the WWC North American Tag Team Championship. Their rivalry
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: with the Invaders continued for months. Title changes, rematches, and
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: chaotic confrontations became part of their schedule. By now, the
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Sheepherders had become specialists in violent tag team wrestling. They
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: understood how to build a feud, how to make an
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: audience hate them, and how to make fans desperate to
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: see their favorite wrestlers finally defeat them. But 1986 would
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: become one of their most important years. 1986, the UWF
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: and the Fantastics. In 1986, the Sheepherders entered Bill Watts'
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: wrestling territory. which became the Universal Wrestling Federation. On March 16th,
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: they defeated Ted DiBiase and Dr. Death Steve Williams to
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: capture the UWF Tag Team Championship. Think about those opponents.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Ted DiBiase was one of the finest technical wrestlers of
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: his era. Steve Williams was a powerhouse in a legitimate
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: collegiate wrestling standout. Defeating that team gave the Sheepherders tremendous credibility.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: But another rivalry would help define their careers, the Fantastics,
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton. The sheepherders and the Fantastics
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: engaged in wild battles, including a memorable encounter during the
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: 1986 Jim Crockett Memorial Tag Team Cup. Their tournament match
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: descended into such chaos that it ended in a double disqualification.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: There were also New Zealand boot camp matches and other
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: brutal confrontations. The Sheepherders were helping develop the kind of
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: violent tag team wrestling that later generations would associate with
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: hardcore wrestling. And they were doing it years before ECW
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: became famous. 1987, the year of the Territory Wars. In 1987,
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Butch and Luke continued collecting championships. They captured tag team
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: gold in Puerto Rico. They battled Chris and Mark Youngblood.
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: They also competed in Florida, where they won the NWA
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: Florida Tag Team Championship. And in October, they captured the
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: UWF World Tag Team Championship again, defeating Brad Armstrong and
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: Tim Horner. It was a remarkable period. But the wrestling
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: business was changing. Jim Crockett Promotions was growing. Vince McMahon's
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: WWF was expanding. National television was replacing the old regional model.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: And suddenly, there was an opportunity that could make the
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: Sheepherders internationally famous. 1988, the greatest transformation of their careers.
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: In 1988, the Sheepherders were working for Jim Crockett Promotions.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: They battled teams such as the Fantastics and appeared on
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: major national wrestling broadcasts. But by the end of that year,
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: they had signed with the World Wrestling Federation, and Vince
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: McMahon had a different vision for them. Gone were the frightening,
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: bloodthirsty sheepherders. In their place came two eccentric, fun-loving characters
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: wearing camouflage pants and battered caps. They swung their arms
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: while marching to the ring. They rubbed heads with fans.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: They licked people's faces. And they behaved like two escaped
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: characters from a cartoon. They were now the Bushwhackers. On
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: December 26, 1988, They made an early WWF house show
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: appearance against the Bolsheviks. A team that had spent years
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: terrifying audiences was beginning a completely different chapter. And amazingly,
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: it worked. 1989, WrestleMania fame. The Bushwhackers became immediate fan favorites.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: Their exaggerated walking style was recognizable within seconds. Their signature
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: double team maneuver was the battering ram. And their enthusiasm
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: made them especially popular with children. On April 2, 1989,
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: They made their WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania V. Their opponents
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: were the fabulous Rougeau brothers, Jacques and Raymond, managed by
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: Jimmy Hart, and the Bushwhackers won. Later that year, they
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: continued battling the Rougeaus and appeared at Survivor Series alongside
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka. After more than two decades
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: in the wrestling business, Butch Miller had finally reached one
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: of wrestling's biggest international stages, and he did it by
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: completely reinventing himself. 1990, music, mayhem, and comedy. The Bushwhackers
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: began 1990 with a victory over the Rougeau Brothers at
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: the Royal Rumble. But one of their most memorable moments
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: came at WrestleMania VI in Toronto. Their rivals were Rhythm
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: and Blues, the Honky Tonk Man and Greg the Hammer Valentine.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: Instead of a traditional wrestling match, the Bushwhackers crashed their
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: musical performance and destroyed their instruments. For a man who
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: had spent years working bloody cage matches in Puerto Rico,
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: this was an extraordinary transformation. But audiences loved it. The
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: Bushwhackers also feuded with the Orient Express and continued appearing
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: in major WWF events. 1991, Royal Rumble history. In 1991,
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: the Bushwhackers were still established attractions. At the Royal Rumble,
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: Luke Williams produced one of the most memorable eliminations in
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: the match's history. He marched into the ring, was almost
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: immediately eliminated by Earthquake, and marched right back out. No argument,
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: no dramatic speech, just another Bushwhacker march. Butch and Luke
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: also became involved in a rivalry with the natural disasters,
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: earthquake and typhoon. Their feud eventually led to a SummerSlam match,
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: and as the year continued, a new rivalry was developing,
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: the Beverly Brothers. 1992, the Beverly Brothers. In 1992, the
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: Bushwhackers battled Blake and Bo Beverly. The Beverly's were managed
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: by the genius, Lanny Poffo. For the Bushwhackers, the storyline
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: provided another opportunity for comedy. They were joined by the
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: eccentric Jameson as part of the rivalry. The Beverly Brothers
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: defeated them at the Royal Rumble. But at WrestleMania VIII,
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: the Bushwhackers won a non-televised match against their rivals. Their
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: formula remained simple. Entertain the crowd, get the children cheering,
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: and send people home smiling. 1993, four danks and one
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: ridiculous Survivor Series. In 1993, the Bushwhackers entered one of
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: the strangest storylines of their WWF careers. At Survivor Series,
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: they joined men on a mission for a match against
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger, and the Head Shrinkers. But
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: there was a twist. The four fan favorites dressed as
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Doink the Clown. Butch became Butch Doink, Luke became Luke Doink,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: and the match became a comedy spectacle involving clown costumes,
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: unusual tricks, and absurd wrestling antics. The four Doinks won.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: By this point, the Bushwhackers were no longer championship contenders.
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: They were established entertainment characters. and the WWF knew exactly
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: what the audience expected from them. 1994, Hollywood comes calling.
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: In 1994, the Bushwhackers appeared on the popular television sitcom
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Family Matters. Yes, the show featuring Steve Urkel. They appeared
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: as themselves in an episode involving Carl Winslow and Urkel.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: Think about that journey. From the violent territories of Puerto
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: Rico to a nationally televised American family sitcom. Not bad
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: for two New Zealand wrestlers who began their careers in
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: the 1960s. Inside the WWF, they continued battling teams such
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: as the Heavenly Bodies and Well Done. But wrestling was
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: changing again, and younger teams were beginning to take center stage.
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: 1995 to 1996, the end of their full-time WWF run.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: By 1995, the Bushwhackers had become veterans of the WWF roster.
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: Both appeared in the 1995 Royal Rumble. They continued wrestling regularly,
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: but were increasingly used to help establish newer talent. By 1996,
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: their WWF run was approaching its conclusion. The company was
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: entering another period of major change. Monday Night Raw was
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: competing with WCW Monday Nitro. Characters and presentation styles were evolving.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: And after approximately eight years as WWF performers, Butch and
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: Luke departed. But their wrestling story wasn't over. 1997 to 2000,
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: back to the independents. After leaving the WWF, the Bushwhackers
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: returned to independent wrestling. In 1997, they appeared in Puerto
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: Rico again and also participated in Terry Funk's WrestleFest celebration
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: in Amarillo, Texas. At WrestleFest, they faced Chris and Mark Youngblood,
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: renewing a rivalry from their earlier careers. In 1999, they
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: participated in the Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view. Under the name
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: The Men from Down Under, they defeated The Iron Sheik
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: and Nikolai Volkov. In 2000, Butch and Luke continued wrestling internationally,
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: including appearances in the United Kingdom. After all those years,
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: the two veterans were still entertaining audiences. But the end
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: was approaching. 2001, the final matches. On April 1, 2001,
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: the Bushwhackers returned to the WWF for WrestleMania X-7 in Houston, Texas.
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: They participated in the Gimmick Battle Royal. It was a
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: celebration of wrestling's most recognizable personalities. And seeing the Bushwhackers
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: back in a WWF ring reminded fans just how entertaining
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: they had been. Later in 2001... They made additional wrestling appearances,
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: including a match against the Moondogs in Memphis. But in September,
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: Butch suffered a serious health crisis following a neck injury.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: He required hospitalization and experienced a dangerous infection. He survived,
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: but the incident marked the end of his active professional
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: wrestling career. After nearly four decades in the ring, Butch
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: Miller retired. 2002 to 2014, returning home. Following retirement, Miller
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: faced additional health challenges. He eventually returned to New Zealand
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: in 2003, where he could spend more time with family.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: He had two daughters, Sharon and Kirsten. He also remained
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: involved in professional wrestling. He served as a commissioner for
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: Kiwi Pro Wrestling and contributed to the New Zealand wrestling community.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: In 2008, when WWE visited Auckland, Butch appeared in an
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: in-ring segment with MVP and fellow New Zealand wrestling legend
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: Tony Garea. The fans were treated to the famous Bushwhacker
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: March once again. Butch experienced another period of serious illness
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: around 2010. By this stage, his active wrestling career was
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: behind him. Yet he remained connected to the business that
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: had defined so much of his life. And in 2015,
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: professional wrestling would give him one of its highest honors. 2015,
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: the WWE Hall of Fame, March 28, 2015, San Jose, California.
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: The Bushwhackers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: Their longtime wrestling associate, John Laurinaitis, introduced them. For Butch
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: Miller and Luke Williams, it was recognition of decades spent traveling, wrestling, entertaining,
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: and helping build professional wrestling's tag team tradition. They had
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: wrestled under different names, worked for dozens of promoters, survived
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: difficult injuries, and entertained generations of fans. Now, the two
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: New Zealand veterans were standing on the Hall of Fame stage.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: The honor recognized not just the Bushwhackers, it also celebrated
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: the Sheepherders. the violent territory veterans whose championship victories helped
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: establish their reputation long before WWF television made them famous.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: 2016 to 2020, the legend continues following their Hall of
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: Fame induction. Butch and Luke continued making appearances for wrestling fans.
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: In February 2018, they reunited for a final tour of
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: New Zealand, although only Luke competed in the ring. In 2020,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: the Bushwhackers received another honor. They were inducted into the
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. For a tag
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: team that had begun decades earlier in New Zealand, it
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: was another remarkable achievement. Their legacy now extended across multiple
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: eras of wrestling history, 2021 to 2022, telling their own story.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: In 2022, Butch and Luke's autobiography, Blood, Sweat, and Cheers,
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: The Bushwhackers, was released. The book explored their years in wrestling,
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: including the brutal territorial days and their eventual transformation into
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: the Bushwhackers. Butch also continued telling stories in interviews. By then,
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: he was 78 years old. He had spent most of
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: his adult life connected to professional wrestling, and he remained
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: proud of the extraordinary journey that had taken him around
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: the world. But unfortunately, his story was nearing its end. 2023,
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: the final goodbye. In late March 2023, Butch Miller traveled
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: to Los Angeles during WrestleMania 39 weekend. He was there
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: to reconnect with the wrestling world and participate in festivities
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: surrounding the event. But during the trip, he became seriously
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: ill and was hospitalized. On April 2, 2023, Robert Miller died.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: He was 78 years old. His longtime partner Luke Williams
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: announced the heartbreaking news. WWE issued a statement honoring his
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: life and career, and fans around the world remembered the
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: man who had entertained them for decades. For older territorial
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: wrestling fans, he was one of the vicious sheepherders. For
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: millions of WWF viewers, he was Bushwacker Butch, the man
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: with the camouflage pants, the swinging arms, the outrageous facial expressions,
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: and the unforgettable march. Two dramatically different wrestling characters, one
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: extraordinary career, the legacy, a man who mastered two worlds.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: So what made Butch Miller special? Consider what he accomplished.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: He began wrestling in 1964. He won championships in Canada,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: the United States, and Puerto Rico. He fought legendary names
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: including Roddy Piper, Rick Martel, Ted DiBiase, and Dr. Death
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Steve Williams. He battled the Fabulous Ones and the Fantastics
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: in some of the territory era's most intense tag team rivalries. Then,
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: when many wrestlers would have been approaching the end of
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: their careers, Butch reinvented himself. He traded violence for comedy.
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: He traded hatred for laughter. And he became more famous
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: than ever. He never won the WWF World Tag Team Championship,
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: but he didn't need to. Because championships aren't the only
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: measurement of professional wrestling greatness. Recognition matters. Longevity matters. Entertainment matters.
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: And when millions of people can recognize your character simply
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: by the way you walk, you've accomplished something extraordinary. On
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: October 21, 2026, Bushwacker Butch would have turned 82 years old.
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: His life spanned nearly eight decades. His wrestling career lasted
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: almost 40 years. And his partnership with Luke Williams became
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: one of the most enduring relationships in tag team wrestling history.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: The Sheepherders helped define violent territorial wrestling. The Bushwhackers helped
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: define family-friendly WWF entertainment. And Butch Miller helped make both successful.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: So the next time you see those two New Zealanders
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: swinging their arms, stomping their feet, and marching toward the ring,
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: remember something. Behind all that comedy were two legitimate wrestling
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: veterans who had spent decades fighting their way around the world.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Bushwhacker Butch belongs
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: in the history books. Happy heavenly 82nd birthday to Robert
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: Bushwacker Butch Miller. From the sheepherders to the bushwhackers, what
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: a ride it was. This has been Pro Wrestling History Revealed.
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: Until next time, remember the legends, respect the territories, and
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: never forget the wrestlers who built this incredible business. Please like, subscribe, share,
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: and comment.