Former WWF Referee Passes Away

Jack Lotz, the referee who worked the match that saw Hulk Hogan’s first WWF Championship win, has passed away. PWInsider reports that Lotz passed away at the age of 86 on Saturday. Details on his passing are not yet available.

Lotz worked as a referee for WWF and its predecessor, the WWWF, and worked the first three WrestleManias as well as his most memorable appearance on January 23rd, 1984 when he refereed the match between Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan that saw Hogan capture the title. Lotz also worked as a stunt man and actor in Hollywood, playing a referee in the classic Raging Bull and doing stunts for The Sopranos, The Seige, and Analyze This among many other projects.

He was honored by the New York State Office for the Aging in 2017 for his work with the the Yonkers Central Committee of Veterans Organizations, the New York State Korean War Veterans, and the Korean War Veterans, including the creation of a fund with the Yonkers Veterans Post to support homeless veterans and other good deeds.