Earl Hebner | |
---|---|
Birth name | Earl William Hebner |
Born | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | May 17, 1949
Spouse(s) | Carol Ann Kettner
(m. 1969; div. 1977)Susan Ann Green
(m. 1978; div. 2000) |
Children | 2 including Brian Hebner (wrestling referee) |
Relatives | Dave Hebner (twin brother) |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Earl Hebner |
Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
Billed weight | 161 lb (73 kg) |
Trained by | Tommy Young |
Debut | 1977 |
Retired | 2021 |
Earl William Hebner (born May 17, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestling referee. He is best known for his time as senior referee for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) from 1988 to 2005. Hebner (along with his identical twin brother, Dave) played a prominent role in the inaugural The Main Event card in 1988, in which André the Giant controversially defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, as well as the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" during the main event of the 1997 Survivor Series. He also participated in a number of storylines, including feuds involving The McMahon–Helmsley Faction and The Alliance. Hebner was also the senior referee for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2017, and was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2015.
In 2019, Earl Hebner joined All Elite Wrestling, where he was used primarily for main event and title matches.