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MIKE HALAC AKA MANTAUR AND BRUISER MASTINO PASSES AWAY

By Mike Johnson on 2023-07-12 08:06:00

PWInsider.com is sad to pass on the passing of Mike Halac, who performed in the WWF in the 1990s as Mantaur, and in Europe's Catch Wrestling and the original ECW as Bruiser Mastino.  Halac was only 55 years old.  Halac's daughter announced several hours ago that he had passed away in his sleep.

As Bruiser Mastino, he was a regular for Otto Wanz's CWA before being brought into the WWF as Mantaur, where he was best known for wearing a bull head to the ring and being managed for a short time by Jim Cornette.  He was mostly used as a heel to put over the top babyfaces of the time period, including Bret Hart and made an appearance in the 1995 Royal Rumble.

After his WWF run, he made a few appearances as Bruiser Mastino for the original ECW and made several other appearances in the WWF as part of the Truth Commission.  He briefly held the USWA Unified title in Memphis.  He worked from time to time after on the independent scene and would make regular convention appearances.  He popped up the  Clusterf*** match as a surprise at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2019 event as Mantaur.

The Mantaur character was featured in NBC's Young Rock as part of the series' recounting of Dwayne Johnson's 1990s era.

PWInsider.com sends our deepest condolences to Mike Halac's family, friends and fans.

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