Pro wrestlerMike Halac, best known for portraying the bull-like character Mantaur inWWE, has died. PerTMZ, the news was announced by Halac’s daughter, Demi, with a post on social media. While a specific cause of death isn’t known at this time, Demi says her father died “peacefully in his sleep.” He was 55 years old.
“He’s no longer in pain,” Demi says. “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.”
Halac, who was born on June 17, 2025, made his debut in pro wrestling in the early 1990s. He originally competed for the Catch Wrestling Association under the moniker Bruiser Mastino before making his way to the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). At the time, the pro wrestling organization was aiming for younger viewers and featured many outlandish characters, though Halac would take on the role of one of the most bizarre of them all.
Debuting on WWE television in 1995, Halac was introduced as “Mantaur.” The character was essentially a Minotaur who’d trample and moo at opponents in the ring. Before matches, he’d even wear a large bison mask. Managed by Jim Cornette, Mantaur was initially presented as a dominant force, even holding his own in the 1995 Royal Rumble. However, the character fell down the card soon after, and Halac left WWE by the end of the year. Halac would later make appearances in WWE in 1996 as different character, playing a bodyguard of Goldust. He would continue to perform in the indie wrestling circuit for many years, having his last match in 2019 as Mantaur.
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The Mantaur Character Was Unforgettable for Fans Who Saw Him
The Mantaur character made an impact on pop culture that was so unforgettable, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had to include him in the biographical sitcomYoung Rock. With the series delving into Johnson’s early years of his pro wrestling career, there was an episode that featured Mantaur, complete with the bison mask. In reality, Halac had departed WWE shortly before Johnson made his debut, and even though there were so many other wrestlers of the era to choose from, Mantaur needed to be included as one of that era’s most memorable characters.
“One of my buddies called and said, ‘Big Mike, your ass was just onYoung Rock, brother!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s fking awesome bro!'” Halac explained of how he learned about the Mantaur cameo on the show, per The Hannibal TV. “That’s how over Mantaur is, motherfker! He madeYoung Rock! That’s what I’m talking about.”
“I wanted to make sure Mantaur was in the episode. Mantaur is just such a great visual,“Young Rockwriter Brian Gewirtz also said of including the character in the show, perWrestlingInc. “I mean where else in wrestling are you gonna see a guy with a giant bison head on top of his body enter a wrestling ring?”
Truly, Mantaur will never be forgotten. Our thoughts go out to Halac’s daughter Demi along with the pro wrestling star’s other loved ones at this time.Rest in peace, Mike Halac.
