Former WWE Superstar Mike "Mantaur" Halac Has Passed Away At Age 55
Mid-90s WWE went through some very strange times. The era of Hulk Hogan was over. Vince McMahon's promotion set out to create new stars in the New Generation. Some, like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, worked perfectly. Still, this era was also known for many strange gimmicks appearing on WWE TV. One of those was Mantaur, "the half man, half beast" character who came to the ring wearing a giant minotaur head. Played by Mike Halac, Mantaur didn't last long, but Halac's legacy did.
Unfortunately, at just the age of 55, Mike Halac has passed away. His daughter, Demi, took to Halac's Facebook page with a message announcing that her father had died, saying, "He went peacefully in his sleep. 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."
RELATED: Mantaur Is The Peak Of WWE New Generation Era's Stupid Gimmicks
Mike Halac's Wrestling Career In & Outside Of WWE
Halac debuted in WWE as Mantaur on January 7, 1995. He worked as a heel, squashing his opponents. Though he would be managed for a time by Jim Cornette, the Mantaur character never connected with fans. He quickly became a jobber to the stars, even once facing Brett Hart.
Before WWE, Halac started his wrestling career in 1991 at the age of 23, working under the name Bruiser Mastino for Germany's Catch Wrestling Association. He performed there for three years before making the jump to WWE. At the end of 1994 he worked a series of house show matches with the Mastino name before Mantaur was born. Mantaur never got over, yet Halac could still say he was in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring. His last WWE match happened in the spring of 1995 against Bam Bam Bigelow.
He then went to ECW, but even though he was back to being called Bruiser Mastino, he couldn't escape his embarrassing Mantaur past. Halac was out of ECW within weeks. In 1996, he briefly returned to WWE as Goldust's bodyguard during his feud with the Ultimate Warrior, but his past gimmick was never mentioned. In 1997, Halac had one dark match for WCW before a Nitro taping, but spent the rest of his career back in Catch Wrestling and other indie promotions. He had last wrestled in 2019.
The Sportster offers its condolences to the family of Mike Halac.
