Mantaur obit

Tributes pour in for former WWE Superstar Mike 'Mantaur' Halac

 

He was not on the list.

Former WWE Superstar Mantaur, aka Mike Halac, has seemingly passed away at the age of 55. Tributes have been pouring in from all corners of the wrestling world on social media.

Pro-wrestling veteran Mantaur worked for WWE in the mid-90s and had stints in ECW and WCW as well. He wrestled his last WWE match in 1997.

As per several sources on social media, Mantaur has seemingly breathed his last. The former WWE Superstar was 55 years old and a legend of the industry with years of experience behind him.

Halac returned to the CWA in September 1998, again as "Bruiser Mastino". He wrestled three matches for NWA Germany later that year, winning the first against Franz Schumann on September 22, losing the second to Ulf Herman September 23, and losing the third to Shumann on December 2.[17] He also competed in the European Wrestling Promotion (EWP), defeating Christian Eckstein on November 25. Halac returned to the EWP on May 18, 2001, winning a triple threat match against Eric Schwarz and Martin Nolte. The next day, he defeated Big Tiger Steele and retired from wrestling.

Halac returned to wrestling on June 3, 2005, in Germany for one night only for Riotgas Wrestling Alliance. He won a battle royal and later that night fought his cousin Cannonball Grizzly for the RWA International title which Grizzly won.

In June 2009, Halac along with his cousin P. N. News promoted an independent tour entitled "Beach Brawl 09" with two shows at Fun Plex in Omaha, Nebraska and concluding in Hartington, Nebraska. The tour included Alex Shelley, Homicide, Matt Morgan, Lenny Lane and Chad Collyer. On the first show of the tour, Halac (as Brusier Mastino) teamed with News (as Cannonball Grizzly) as Big O Incorporated in a winning effort against Matt Morgan & Homicide. He lost to Tito Santana at Pro Wrestling Syndicate in Metuchen, New Jersey on December 7, 2012. In May 2015, as "The Turkish Terror" Madd Mustafa, he won the American Heritage Wrestling Heavyweight Championship at their inaugural event in Adel, Iowa. In September 2016, Halac returned to Germany for European Wrestling Promotion where he teamed with Thunder against P. N. News and Christian Eckstein in a no contest. On November 28, 2018, Mantaur was an inaugural inductee into the Omaha Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame at the PWP Live "Wrestlerama" event at The Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha. Most recently on April 6, 2019, he wrestled as Mantaur at GCW's Joey Janela's Spring Break 3 Part 2 in a Clusterfuck Battle Royal in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was eliminated by Canadian wrestler Cecil Nyx.

In July 2016, Halac was named part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. The case was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.