We are sad to share that Dave Hebner has passed away at the age of 73. The news was first reported on Brian Hebner’s podcast.
Dave is the twin brother of Earl Hebner. He got his start in the wrestling business in the 1970s as a referee for WWE where he was part of several historic matches such as Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III and as part of the famous twin referee angle on The Main Event in 1988 that let to Hulk Hogan being screwed out of the WWF Championship.
Andre The Giant handed the belt over to Ted DiBiase. The event marked the all-time viewership record for pro wrestling in the United States with 33 million people watching. Hebner worked in WWE on and off camera until 2005 before having a brief run in TNA Wrestling.
NASCAR’s Hermie Sadler mentioned on Twitter last month that Dave had been dealing with health issues but the exact nature of his illness was not mentioned although PWInsider reports that he had been battling Parkinson’s Disease.
We send our condolences to Hebner’s friends and family.