Hebner debuted as a professional wrestling referee in the late 1970s in the Richmond, Virginia area. In a 2001 interview with
WWF Raw Magazine, Dave Hebner said the angle was soon dropped after he had suffered broken ribs when Earl kicked him (as part of the aftermath of the Hogan-Andre match during
The Main Event). As a result, the storyline was shifted to have Earl come clean, and he was the referee when
Randy Savage won the Tournament final at WrestleMania IV against Ted DiBiase for the WWF Championship. After retiring as a referee following
knee replacement surgery, Hebner became a
road agent. He worked as a road agent until July 19, 2005, when he and his brother Earl were released from their contracts, allegedly due to the sale of WWE merchandise without authorization; in a March 2025 interview Earl stated that both Hebners were actually fired because WWE's then-head of talent relations
John Laurinaitis wanted to terminate Dave, who was McMahon's right-hand man, from his employment, and the merchandise story was used as justification. After being released, Hebner debuted in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on the December 17, 2005 episode of
TNA Impact!, appearing on the stage during a match between
Team 3D and
The Diamonds in the Rough. Hebner left TNA in 2012. Hebner later became the manager of The Lumberjacks of MMWA Wrestling from 2012 to 2022. ==Personal life==