Mike ‘Mantaur’ Halac, Former WWE Wrestler, Dead at 55
Former WWE wrestler Mike ‘Mantaur’ Halac died Tuesday at the age of 55. The news was confirmed by his family on Facebook.
“He went peacefully in his sleep,” his daughter Demi wrote. “He’s no longer in pain. This really hit home to lose my father. He will forever be in my heart and many others. I love you dad. Make the skies beautiful for me.”
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A cause of death was not disclosed.
Halac competed in the WWF in the ’90s, but got his start in the German Catch Wrestling Association under the name Bruiser Mastino. He competed there from 1991-1994.
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Upon returning to the United States, he joined the WWF as Bruiser, only to later switch personas shortly after his arrival. The Mantaur character was a minotaur who charged and mooed at his opponents. His first Pay-Per-View Appearance was in the 1995 Royal Rumble. He lasted nine minutes before being defeated by Lex Luger.
After leaving for a short stint in the Extreme Championship Wrestling, Halac returned to the WWF in 1996, playing the role of Golddust’s unnamed bodyguard and appearing in the In Your House 7 special. Golddust and Halac fought the Ultimate Warrior but eventually lost the match.
Halac continued his career in wrestling until 2019. His last match as Mantaur was in April of that year, when he took part in Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3 Part 2 Battle Royal in Jersey City, N.J.
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