From Alfred Feliciano: Butch Miller, who with Luke Williams became the most decorated, violent tag team in professional wrestling history pa...
From Alfred Feliciano:
Butch Miller, who with Luke Williams became the most decorated, violent tag team in professional wrestling history passed away April 3 in Los Angeles at the age of 78. Miller had flown into LA from New Zealand to participate in WrestleCon with Williams but was hospitalized in an ICU on March 31.
Miller and Williams teamed as The Kiwis, The Sheepherders and during their time in WWE from 1988 until 1996 as The Bushwhackers. They were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.
They came from humble beginnings in their hometown in Auckland, New Zealand in 1966 as a part of Steve Rickards' All-Star Pro Wrestling, an old NWA member promotion throughout the Australian continent. Throughout their longtime friendship and being tag team partners for almost 40 years, They have won every major World Tag Team Championship in NWA member promotions across America and Canada. From Calgary's Stampede Wrestling, to Championship Wrestling from Florida, Southwest Championship Wrestling, NWA Mid-Atlantic, Vancouver's All-Star Wrestling, Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, Pacific Northwest, UWF (NWA Mid-South) and the only former NWA member promotion still active, the World Wrestling Council Puerto Rico, where they won the WWC World Tag Team two times and held the now-defunct WWC North American Tag Team Championships four times throughout the 1980s. While not teaming with Miller, Williams teamed with the late Australian wrestling legend, Sir Jonathan Boyd and won the NWA Southeastern and AWA Southern Tag Team belts as well as the Southwest Championship Wrestling tag titles all one time apiece. Another former Sheepherder member was a fellow Kiwi native, former wrestler turned wrestling promoter "Crusher" Rip Morgan, who in real life was Miller's nephew. Morgan teamed with Boyd to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championships five times.
In 1988, Miller and Williams left their heel persona to join the WWE where they spent eight years as the beloved Bushwhackers. winning the hearts of the fans. They wrestled a more fun and comical style in WWE during their time from their moments in Wrestlemania, tp Summerslam and Survivor Series. Miller and Williams returned to the indy circuits in 1996 including appearances in Puerto Rico for WWC through the late 90s. Their final match together took place on September 8, 2001 in Farmersville, Virginia where Miller suffered a broken neck had to retire. Williams retired from the ring in 2002.
No matter whether they were the violent Sheepherders or the comical Bushwhackers, their feuds with other top tag team were legendary, from the Rock N' Roll Express, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Road Warriors, The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and the late Tommy Rogers), The Fabulous Ones, Jimmy Golden and Robert Fuller, The Invader Dynasty (Jose Huertas Gonzales, Roberto Soto, and Johnny Rivera), Los Super Medicos, Mark and Chris Youngblood, The Batten Twins, The Rock N' Roll RPMs (Tommy Lane and the late Mike Davis), Ron and Don Harris (Skull and 8-Ball from the Disciples of Apocalypse), Jack and Jerry Brisco, The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika), Well Dunn (the late Rex King and Steve Doll), Al Perez and Joe Savoldi, The Hart Family, Fidel Sierra and Ricky Santana (The Cuban Connection and The Barrio Brothers in WCW), The Lightning Express (the late Brad Armstrong and Tim Horner), Los Boricuas members Hurricane Castillo Jr. and "El Malcriado" Miguel Perez Jr. all the way up ECW Originals Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocko Rock (for WWC in 1999), The APA ("Farooq" Ron Simmons and John Bradshaw Layfield), and The Guerrero family (Hector, Mondo, and both Chavo Classic and "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero).
They were also a source of inspiration for teams like The Dudley Boyz, Matt, and Jeff Hardy, Brisco Brothers, Santana and Ortiz, The Lucha Bros (Penta Zero M and Fenix), Los Golpeadores ( Alpha Wolf and Dragon Bane), the S.A.T. (Will, Joel and Jose Maximo), Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf 450, The West Side Mafia (Morgan De Jesus and "El Cabro Sucio" Tabu) and FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood).
Miller and Williams won both the NWA Florida and NWA U.S. Tag Team Championships (Florida version) and returned to WWC Puerto Rico for its Eleventh Anniversary Show in 1984 with Boyd as their manager. For a brief time in 1987, they were managed by Johnny Ace (John Laurinitis.) They were the final UWF World Tag Champions prior to the purchase of UWF by Jim Crockett. They participated in the third Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup in 1988 prior to leaving for the WWE.
On behalf of GWH, I send out heartfelt condolences and prayers to Luke Williams and his family and the family of Butch Miller in their time of loss, as well as to say thank you to both of them for the love and memories you have given us fans to remember. If you would like to donate to help the Miller family, here is a link to a go fund me campaign.
Below are matches Miller and Wiliams had from the NWA, WWC Puerto Rico, and WWE along with their induction to the WWE Hall of Fame.
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