Former WWE and ECW star Mike Halac, known by his ring names Mantaur and Bruiser Mastino, has sadly passed away at the age of 55. The news was confirmed by Halac’s daughter, Demi, who announced his passing on his personal Facebook page. She expressed her grief and love for her father, stating that he passed away peacefully in his sleep and is no longer in pain.
The cause of Halac’s death has not been disclosed yet, but it is worth noting that he had been living with Type 2 diabetes, as mentioned in a 2021 interview.
Halac began his wrestling career in 1991 when he debuted as the Bruiser Mastino character for Europe’s Catch Wrestling Association. In 1994, he left CWA to join WWE, where he initially wrestled as Bruiser before being repackaged as Mantaur. With Jim Cornette as his manager, Halac received a push in WWE. However, his last match as Mantaur came in a loss to Bam Bam Bigelow at the Superstars of Wrestling tapings on June 6, 1995, in Wheeling, WV. He made his final appearance in that run on July 23, 1995, at In Your House 2, where he acted as a Lumberjack for the WWE Title Match between Kevin Nash (as Diesel) and Sycho Sid.
Following his WWE stint, Halac took his Mastino gimmick to the original ECW in December 1995, participating in four matches. He briefly returned to CWA in Germany before making his way back to WWE in 1996 as an unnamed bodyguard for Goldust. Halac then joined the USWA as Tank, a member of The Truth Commission, which led to two appearances on WWE Shotgun Saturday Night in June 1997. During his USWA run, Halac achieved his only career title reign in the U.S. by defeating Jerry Lawler for the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title on March 15, 1997, only to drop it back to Lawler a week later.
In September 1997, Halac made his sole WCW appearance, winning a Nitro dark match against Damian 666. He continued to work in Europe and the American indie scene for a few more years before his retirement. His final matches, under the Mantaur persona, include a loss to Tito Santana for PWS in December 2012, a draw with CPA for PWS in September 2015, and an appearance in the Clusterfuck Battle Royal at GCW’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3 Part 2 on April 6, 2019.
Mike Halac’s contributions to the wrestling industry will always be remembered. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.
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Sources:
– Demi Halac’s Facebook page: [link]
– WrestlingHeadlines.com: [link]