Mike Halac, best known as Mantaur, in the WWF and Bruiser Mastino, in Europe has died on July 11, 2023.
His daughter posted the news on Facebook.
Halac, 55, from Omaha Nebraska, had type 2 diabetes. The cause of his death is still unknown at this time.
“Sad news today about the passing of a friend. Bruiser Mastino was one of the top guys in CWA when I first arrived in ’98 and was always good to me. Helped me out when he didn’t need to and I usually had a good laugh in his company. Gone too young. RIP, my friend,” said Joe E. Hitchen from a Facebook post.
During the early 1990s as Bruiser Mastino, Halac worked for the Catch Wrestling Association in Germany. His debut in the company saw him go up against Rambo for the World Heavyweight Championship, in a losing effort. He stayed with the company until !994, as he later went to venture in the WWF.
He debuted in the WWF under the ring name Mantaur. His character was very aggressive and saw him occasionally moo at his opponents. He was close at winning a title during his tenure with the company. His match against Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon ended in a disqualification due to Jeff Jarrett interfering. He made his first pay-per-view with the company at the 1995 Royal Rumble. He entered the rumble match and lasted nine minutes until he was thrown off by Lex Luger. His last appearance with the company was in a lumberjack match between Sycho Sid and Diesel.
Davey Boy Smith going up against Mike Halac
After his first appearance with the WWF, he made a brief return to the CWA as Terminator Mastino. He returned for his second stint in the WWF in 1996 as Goldust’s unnamed bodyguard.
After a brief tenure in the United States Wrestling Association and a third stint in the WWF, Halac returned to the CWA in 1998 as Bruiser Mastino. He also went on to compete in the European Wrestling Promotion. After announcing his retirement in 2001, Halac returned to wrestling in 2005 in Germany. In late 2018, Halac was an inaugural inductee into the Omaha Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. His most recent match saw him perform under his ring name Mantaur, in a Battle Royal match at GCW, in 2019.
Mike Halac as Bruiser Mastino
“Not good news to wake up to this morning. WWF Mantaur, and the South African truth Commission, Tank (Mike Halac) has passed away. I have a heavy heart! You were my opponent, you were my tag team partner on a few occasions. But more than anything else, you were a friend and a brother in the business to me. My home was open to you at any time as your home was open to me. I’m glad a couple years ago that we got to share our birthdays together in Kansas City. And we would pick up the phone and talk to each other anytime day or night. Rest easy my brother! Rest easy my brother until I see you again. Love you bro!” said Jeff Burton in a Facebook post.
In 2016 he was a part of a class action lawsuit against the WWE, that alleged wrestlesr suffered traumatic brain injuries during their time with the company and that the WWE concealed the risks of injury.
He had recently sought medical aid after a fall.
