names death_date death_place weight birth_place trainer height image_size debut billed birth_date image article_title name retired
'' ` bronko lubich '' ' bronco lubich 11 august 2007 plano , texas , united states 175 lb kg on batonja , hungary mike dimitre 6 0 200px 1948 belgrade , yugoslavia 25 december 1925 bronko lubich.jpg bronko lubich
 bronko sandor lupsity 1972 -rrb- -lrb- as wrestler -rrb- 1990 -lrb- as referee
bronko lubich

bronko sandor lupsity -lrb- december 25 , 1925 -- august 11 , 2007 -rrb- was a hungarian-born serbian canadian professional wrestler , manager , referee and promoter .
known by his ring names bronco or bronko lubich , he and aldo bogni were veteran '' `` heels '' '' under manager `` colonel '' homer o'dell competing in regional territories for the national wrestling alliance in canada , the pacific northwest , midwest and southeastern united states throughout the 1960s .
he and bogni were particularly active in the charlotte-area where they feuded with `` the flying scotts '' -lrb- george and sandy scott -rrb- .
they also had memorable feuds with george becker and johnny weaver , rip hawk and swede hanson , lars and ole anderson and mr. wrestling and sam steamboat .
lubich also appeared as both a wrestler and manager in texas during the early 1960s , most notably as the manager and cornerman of then nwa united states heavyweight champion angelo poffo from 1961 to 1964 , and was often known to use his cane as a foreign object to help his men score victories .
it was in this role that he became a well-known booker and promoter in the dallas-fort worth area .
he spent his last year as an active wrestler in texas teaming with chris markoff where the two feuded with mr. wrestling and george scott , and johnny valentine and wahoo mcdaniel .
after his retirement , he joined fritz von erich 's world class championship wrestling as head referee and part of the booking team for the promotion until its close in 1990 .
he is remembered by modern wrestling fans as one of its most visible referees , especially after wccw began airing on televised events , and was involved in several major angles and storylines in the promotion .
he was the official for many high-profile matches including the long-running feud between the freebirds vs. the von erich family .
he was also recognizable by his distinctive `` slow counts '' when a wrestler attempted a pinfall .
he was considered a highly respected official by wrestlers in the territory , according to interviews with former wccw mainstays scott casey and bill mercer , and advised fellow wrestlers on both their professional careers and financial matters .
lubich , with skandor akbar , also had a small part in influencing the careers of several younger up-and-coming wrestlers including mick foley , `` stone cold '' steve austin , and manager percy pringle .
