Former WWE Referee Dave Hebner has passed away at the age of 73. Hebner’s nephew Brian Hebner shared the news on his Reffin’ It Up podcast, and then shared a post on social media, writing “RIP Dave Hebner. Gone but never forgotten. Always loved.” Brian, who is the son of Dave’s twin brother Earl Hebner, didn’t reveal the cause of death at this time, though it seems he had been dealing with health issues for a while according to recent photos, particularly one from a visit with NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler, (via WrestlingInc). Our thoughts are with the Hebner family at this difficult time.
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Dave Hebner started as a referee with WWE in the 1980s and would be a part of some classic matches, including WrestleMania III’s Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat and WrestleMania V’s Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage. He would also had a part to play in the classic match-up between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, which saw Ted DiBiase locking him in a closet so that Earl could switch places with him and get the win to Andre.
Over the years Dave would take part in WWF Superstars, WWE F Challenge, Saturday Night’s Main Event, WWE Sunday Night Heat, WWE Raw, and WWE SmackDown, with his last work for the company coming 2005. Hebner was also part of the class-action lawsuit against WWE along with 50 other plaintiffs that alleged WWE concealed the risks of neurological injuries and intentionally classified wrestlers as independent contractors to avoid liability under worker protection laws. In that complaint, it was stated that Hebner had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Our thoughts are with Hebner’s family and friends during this difficult time.
