Bushwhackers

[6.0] "It's a tale of two teams. As the Sheepherders they were feared violent brawlers from Portland to the Carolinas. As the Bushwhackers they were a comedy act and that's it. By the time they were in WWE they were not so much on the backend of their career but on borrowed time. They even said they were there for the money because their bodies were beat up and I respect that."

[2.0] "They had charisma for sure, and could win over the crowd, but I was never amused, nor thought their gimmick was funny (nor was the in-ring work good enough to make up for it). A low point was their agonizing 15-minute match against the Beverley Brothers in the Royal Rumble where they spent half the match marching around and the other half with forgettable wrestling."

[3.0] "Based mostly on their WWF comedy days. Their offense was goofy most of the time but they did have that cool double gut buster move. The battering ram was too much to take seriously even in the kiddie kayfabe days of the early 90's. Despite that they were hugely over with the crowd because of their charisma and their entrance, and they sold a lot of hats back in the day!"

[6.0] "the sheepherders used to rule, they were brutal, violent and great brawlers who used to have great brutal matches, so you may wonder, well... why aren't they at a 9 or a 10? and the answer is that the bushwhackers run happened, that destroyed their reputation to me and a lot of other people that saw the sheepherderrs era because now they were gobers, they still could put on a fun brawl, but it just didn't feel the same in the childish late 80s/early 90s wwf"

"As a kid, my first reaction to "Who's your favorite wrestler? " was always a quick "The Bushwhackers! " I can very clearly remember how much I appreciated their comedy when a lot of wrestling scared me as a wee one. I dug the Butch and Luke because their levity and silliness made wrestling accessible to me. My childhood fear of Andre the Giant was strong and long lasting, watching Butch chew on Luke's head was hilarious.I was big into The Three Stooges, Cartoon Network, and all other physical comedy stuff. Their iconic walk was contagious and I enjoyed how everyone at the time seemed to know it. Back then, I thought their rustic costumes very counter culture. I pretty much thought they were top tier, cream of the crop wrestlers. Nowadays...oh boy...I am kind of in agreement with the majority of members here. I really cannot watch their matches without a level of cringe. It's just the pure schtick of it. Their antics just creep under my skin and dig deep. I find myself wishing they'd snap out of it, but no... The arm swinging I so fondly imitated has become a curse. Butch's arms are freakishly long. His wingspan is like Giannis Antetokounmpo and it's all I find myself watching. I'm fixated on those weird arms. They're so long and distracting that it makes the skull licking seems pedestrian. Butch and Luke...I still love those guys for the rose tinted effect they had on my childhood. But damn man, those blokes are the Blunders from Down Under... Nice to throw Dirty Dom a bone and have him whoop up on some other stable-folk. Dom really can hold it down, while I thought the other fellas did pretty good as well."

[4.0] "I don't get the hype unfortunately. Their time in the WWF brought nothing to the table besides their iconic entrance. But once that bell rang, the only thing you'd look forward to was the finish of the match. I appreciate what they've contributed, but I can't say I enjoyed much of their work at all. Their finish wasn't very convincing either and was often poorly executed. It's a shame."

[7.0] "These two would have been fantastic in ECW during the 90s as prior to joining WWE, they were one of the most bloodthirsty tag teams on the planet. Unfortunately, they were watered down when Vince McMahon got his hands on them and they became a comedy act. I'm sure they made great money from it but their work before their WWE days is what people really need to check out to appreciate them."

[7.0] "In 1988 Vince McMahon decided to take one of the most vicious tag teams in the history of wrestling and turn them into a couple of absolute goofs, and now unfortunately that will be their legacy. Before their WWF run these two were simply crazy, just absolute bloodthirsty maniacs and it was awesome. Some seriously good old fashioned 70s and 80s donnybrooks. They were by no means technical masters but in that time you didn't need to be if your psychology was good enough. By the time they got to WWF they were getting older and their hardcore style wouldn't have translated in late-80s WWF anyway, so they became silly babyfaces directed at kids, which is fine, I guess. And IMO they really didn't do a bad job of what they were given. They just weren't given much to work with, considering the likes of Jameson and The Four Doinks. And then there's stuff like Heroes of Wrestling, but it's probably best not to delve into that too much. I dunno, I guess it's just too bad that they'll be more remembered for licking people's heads than 15 years of kicking the crap out of people. 6.5 rounded up."

[3.0] "It's probably not fair for me to rate this team soowly since I've only seen their WWF work, but they were for 8 years and sucked the whole time. There's nothing here but a comedy act with head licking, I don't hate these guys, and as a 43 year old fan, I can't say I have never done the bushwhacker walk. They served a very good purpose, but I don't remember them being anything more than serviceable. But they were there to fill space in the rumble and survivor series, and eat pins of bigger teams. Every fed has them."

[6.0] "They had their moments, but during their WWF reign their matches were generally poor, used as pretty much jobbers with a huge fanbase. Even as a kid I never really took to them, but others did. Before the WWF they do have better matches as the Sheepherders and that hardcore style was never going to transfer to the WWF at that time. Probably the best match I've seen them in is vs Roddy Piper & Rick Martel either in Portland or LA. Limited enough in their technical ability, but they could put on a good brawl and had great ring psychology, just needed good workers to fight against otherwise it would be a bore-fest. They jumped into their gimmick 110% and they were over. Hard to rate them somewhere around the mid range but for now. 5.5*"

[3.0] "Their appearances in WWF/E were always a genuine lowlight of any show they were on, with their matches being either dull, painful or painfully dull without exception. It's been said that they were more interesting to watch in their younger days (both men were well into their 40s by the time they made their WWF debut) but in the few videos of theirs I've been able to dig up from the Stampede era (as The Kiwis or The Sheepherders) I can't find much evidence of this. I hate to give ratings this low, as behind the scenes they were human beings trying to make a living, but in this case I feel it's justified as even as a child I legitimately would have preferred to have one less match on a show than to sit through watching The Bushwackers."

[7.0] "Judge as just a comedy team due to their WWE run which came later in their career. During the territory era they were a more legit tag team with better matches. The crowd always seemed to give a reaction for the duo whether face or heel"

[3.0] "A comedic tag team that could be used to make the kids laugh. Nothing more sadly. Plus, I don't think I would've laughed at their jokes as a kid but who really knows"

[4.0] "They had good runs before the Bushwhackers, but since it was their longer run and the gimmick that they are remembered for... bleh. I know some people find them funny, and that's alright as everyone's taste is different, but I just roll my eyes everytime The Bushwhackers' theme hit. Just not for me."

[2.0] "I would love to say "points earned for some of the Sheepherder stuff", but a good chunk of that team was very difficult to enjoy. While they were less comedy and more brutal - I'm not actually big on blood bath brawlers so I can't say that incarnation was something I do backflips over. The Bushwhackers were a woeful tag team match and when they're coming on - grab the remote because its FAST FORWARD time. I legitimately feel/felt bad for aaaall of the teams over the years that had to waste time with a Bushwhacker program, though I guess The Powers of Pain dragged the best out of them (how...odd to even type that! ). Best suited in Royal Rumbles, best match is probably their Survivor Series grouping with Jimmy Snuka & Roddy Piper as "Roddy's Rowdies". Some charm in there that I can't deny though, so they still stay above zero. Loved their entrance music at least. 1.75 rounded up."

[1.0] "On my shortlist for the least entertaining and most annoying tag team I've ever had the misfortune of watching. I wasn't around back then to witness really any of their career, and I'm genuinely grateful of that fact."

[5.0] "They were actually pretty good as The Sheepherders in their early days in the NWA and such. Once the WWF got their hand on them however, they immediately become one of the worst tag teams ever. The Bushwhackers gimmick got over and was memorable though, that's for sure."

[6.0] "The Bushwhackers feel like such an iconic part of that Rock 'N' Wrestling era. Even if you didn't know wrestling, The Bushwhackers felt like they had a touch of mainstream cross over familiarity. On WWE TV, they were a silly, kid friendly group. As insane acting as they were, they were not flat-out "dumb" the way that acts in modern wrestling are portrayed. Their interactions alongside Mean Gene are memorable. The Sheepherders were before my time & in companies that were outside of what I would have watched anyhow. But I have looked up a few of their matches & it's definitely interesting to see them in that light."

[5.0] "As the Sheepherders there were good at times but were just Brawler. As the Bushwackers they were a pretty awful comedy act."

[3.0] "I'm told these guys were badass heels at some point but since I'm only familiar with their WWF work I only know them as pretty awful comedy guys."

[5.0] "They were a major and often understated influence in the development of hardcore wrestling by taking bleeding of all kinds to the next level. I hope whoever had to clean the ring after one of their matches got paid a few extra dollars because Sheepherders' matches were really gory. On the other side they also pioneered using senseless violence to cover up for lack of in-ring ability and promo skills: one may say they would have been a great fit in ECW and Zandig-era CZW. Their WWF run was rather pathetic: Butch and Luke were really worn out by this stage and there was not really much they could do without senseless violence even at their peak. Still they got a paycheck for acting like two goofs. Pretty seminal tag team, but honestly the bad balances out the good in their career so their rating sits right in the middle."

[6.0] "Fair rating for these guys. They are funny and entertaining but limited skills in the ring. They made me laugh when they beat their opponents. Their peak was in New Zealand as the Kiwis. I loved their entrance with their dances. In their early days they were pioneers of bloodbaths and hardcore matches. In WWF they weren't the same as the got older and had boring matches. Some feuds with Rougeau Brothers and Well Dunn. In 1996 they were horrible and their time was over. Can't believe that Luke is still wrestling at 71."

[7.0] "As fan-friendly babyfaces, the Bushwhackers were a memorable part of the early '90s WWF scene. But fans who only know them from that time might not realize their past as the Sheepherders, when they were known for a bloody, brutal, "proto-hardcore" style. A memorable team and innovators in their own rights."