The fatal match

Mexican wrestler El Hijo de Fishman faced Máscara Sagrada NG on a card called 'Deslealtades' at the Centro Deportivo Cultural 11 de Julio in Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo. During the bout he applied a piledriver, also known as martinete, to referee Gerardo Germán Pineda, 75, who was known as El Búho. Ouest France reports that the move had apparently been rehearsed in a scripted contest, and that the crowd and wrestlers at first took the referee's stillness for a knockout. Pineda stayed motionless on the mat for several minutes before medical services reached him. When they did, El Financiero reports, he no longer had vital signs. Telemundo, as cited by La Razón, says a witness saw the two argue before the hold and that the wrestler threw the referee against the ring first.

Conflicting accounts

Sources differ on the day of death. Ouest France and El País place the match on Wednesday 7 October 2026, while El Mundo says Pineda died on Tuesday 6 October. Ringside footage cited by The Independent shows Pineda receiving a bodyslam earlier in the match and clutching his back. Ouest France writes that the referee's neck was probably broken. El Mundo says the exact circumstances of the death, and the link between the manoeuvre and the outcome, must still be established by the investigation.

Arrest and charges

Municipal police arrested Hijo de Fishman on Wednesday and handed him over to the Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado de Hidalgo. El País describes the charge as homicidio culposo, and La Razón says authorities could investigate the case on that basis. The Independent reports a manslaughter charge, citing local reports in Mexico, while Ouest France describes the charge as homicide involontaire. El Mundo stresses that the detention is not a declaration of guilt and that investigators must determine whether the wrestler bears criminal responsibility. El Mundo also reports that some information suggests medical assistance was not immediate, a point that also needs clarifying.

Release under reparation agreement

On Friday 9 October, El País reports, Hijo de Fishman was released after reaching a reparation agreement with Pineda's family. A video published by the account of El Patrón Espectáculos Lucha Libre shows him wearing his mask, accompanied by his legal team. One of his representatives said the agreement covers repairing the damage and that no criminal proceeding will be started against him. The wrestler has made no further statement, but his promoter said a press conference would be held to clarify the case and avoid more speculation. He is the son of José Ángel Nájera Sánchez, known as Fishman, a wrestler from Torreón who was prominent in the 1970s and 1980s.

The referee and the timeline

Pineda had refereed for three decades after about 15 years as a wrestler under the name El Búho Negro II, according to El Mundo. El País notes that the piledriver is banned by several wrestling commissions because it risks serious cervical injury. Condolences have followed his death across Mexican wrestling, El Mundo reports. The key dates below follow the Wednesday 7 October date given by Ouest France and El País.