Veteran lucha libre referee Gerardo German Pineda died following an incident with Mexican wrestler Hijo de Fishman inside the ring. The incident occurred on October 6 during a lucha libre event in Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico, according to USA Today.
Authorities arrested Fishman, who is an independent wrestler, on October 7 and charged him with manslaughter as they investigated Pineda’s death.
The referee, widely known in Mexican wrestling as El Búho, was 75. Reports said medical personnel rushed to the ring after the wrestler performed a move on Pineda. He reportedly remained motionless and was later pronounced dead.
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What happened during the Mexican wrestling event?
The incident took place during a show organised by El Patron Espectaculos Lucha Libre on Tuesday, October 6. Hijo de Fishman was scheduled to face wrestler Máscara Sagrada when the confrontation with Pineda took place.
Fishman is an independent Mexican wrestler and the son of Fishman, a prominent lucha libre star known as the “Green Venom”. He has performed for several wrestling promotions during his career.
Videos now circulating online show Hijo de Fishman performing a double-underhook piledriver on Pineda. The piledriver is when a wrestler is bending the opponent forward, securing their arms and positioning their head between the wrestler’s legs as they proceed to drop into a seated position.
According to The Sun, the piledriver is banned in wrestling because of the risk of serious neck and spinal injuries.
Pineda reportedly did not move after Fishman performed the move on him. Both wrestlers stopped the match after seeing no movement from the referee. Medical staff immediately attended to him, but he was subsequently pronounced dead.
Authorities have not publicly established the precise cause of death in the information provided by the reports.
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Who was Gerardo German Pineda?
Pineda, also known as El Búho, was a respected figure in Mexico’s lucha libre circuit. His career spanned decades as both a wrestler and referee. According to 24/7 Laredo, he spent around 15 years wrestling before dedicating nearly three decades to refereeing.
He previously competed under the name El Búho Negro II. He officiated bouts involving prominent Mexican wrestling names.
Following Pineda’s death, event organizer El Patron Espectaculos Lucha Libre issued a statement expressing condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. “We deeply regret the loss of a life and express our solidarity with his family, friends and colleagues in the wrestling business,” the statement read.
