Legendary WWE Referee, Road Agent Dave Hebner Passes Away

Long-time referee Dave Hebner, who was famously involved in the “double referee” Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant angle in WWE, has passed away. Brian Hebner’s podcast announced that Dave, who was his uncle, passed away today. He was 73 years old; details on his passing have yet to be revealed, though PWInsider reports that he had been battling Parkinson’s Disease in recent years.

Dave Hebner began his wrestling career in the late 1970s, working in Richmond, Virgina as a referee alongside his brother Earl. Dave joined the WWF in the 1980s and became known for refereeing some of the most iconic matches of the era including WrestleMania III’s Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat match, as well as the Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania V.

The brothers’ most famous moment of that era came with the February 5, 1988 episode of WWF The Main Event. Hulk Hogan was defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Andre the Giant and Dave was assigned as the referee. Earl, who was making his WWE debut, actually worked the match and counted the pinfall for Andre depiste Hogan’s shoulder being up. Ted DiBiase then immediately bought the title from Andre. Dave then ran to the ring and confronted Earl and fought before Hogan pres-slammed Dave’s “evil twin” over the ropes. That angle set up the tournament for the championship at WrestleMania IV, and the special drew over 33 million viewers.

Dave eventually had to undergo knee replacement surgery and moved backstage as a road agent for the company, a role he filled until 2005 when he was released. He would make appearances for TNA and was a manager for the Lumberjacks in MMWA Wrestling.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Dave Hebner.