The Tragic Death Of WWE Legend Bushwhacker Butch

WWE legend Bob Miller, better known as Bushwhacker Butch, has died at 78 years old. The news was shared on the Instagram account of his former wrestling partner, Brian Wickens (a.k.a Bushwhacker Luke) on April 3. "Our dear Bob has passed away. Those we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch," Luke's daughter, Jackie, wrote on his behalf. "We will always love u uncle Bob Miller until we meet again."

According to TMZ, Luke revealed that Butch had landed in Los Angeles over the weekend for Wrestlemania. However, shortly after, he was admitted to the hospital for a "situation with medication." At the time of this reporting, the exact cause of death has not been determined.

The wrestling community is mourning the loss of the New Zealand native as he had quite a career in the sport. Beginning his wrestling career in 1964, Butch was clearly a force to be reckoned with. He and Luke joined forces while in New Zealand before eventually moving to the U.S., and the two became unstoppable. Joining the WWE in 1988, the Bushwhackers are solidified as one of the best tag teams in wrestling history, with several championships under their belts. In 2015, Butch was even inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame alongside Luke for the team's impact on the sport. Despite his tragic passing, he will forever be remembered by those in the wrestling community.

Bushwhacker Butch has been retired since the start of the millennium. However, Butch and his partner, Bushwhacker Luke reunited in 2021 for meet-and-greets and other select fan events. They remained active all the way up until Butch's death. In fact, in an eerie promotional post for Wrestle Con, Luke recently urged their fans that time was possibly running out to secure joint autographs of them. "Due to Butch living in NEW ZEALAND and BOTH OUR AGES, this could be the One and Only time getting DUEL AUTOGRAPHS & PHOTOS with Both of Us," read the Instagram post. Unfortunately, this would prove to be true. 

As wrestling pros and fans process Butch's untimely death, they've started posting their eulogies to Twitter. Wrestler Frankie Kazarian tweeted, "RIP Bushwhacker Butch. Godspeed sir. Thank you for everything, including the one match we had together. This is so sad." Wrestling pro The Iron Sheik wrote, "BUSHWHACKER BUTCH I LOVE YOU FOREVER. RIP MY FRIEND YOU ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE." Meanwhile, WWE Official Adam Pearce tweeted: "Godspeed, Bushwhacker Butch Miller. Rest well, sir."

Thoughts and condolences to Butch's family and friends.