A professional wrestler in Mexico was arrested after a 75-year-old referee died following an in-ring incident that reportedly included a piledriver.
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Hijo de Fishman was detained and handed over to prosecutors on a culpable homicide charge, comparable to manslaughter, according to TMZ.
The referee, Gerardo Germán Pineda, was a former wrestler known as El Búho who had spent decades in the sport.
Video published by TMZ shows the masked wrestler lifting Pineda and slamming him onto the canvas. Pineda then moves on the mat, appearing to be in pain.
According to reports cited by TMZ, the wrestler later performed a piledriver. Pineda reportedly lost consciousness afterward and was pronounced dead at the venue.
The account distinguishes the slam shown in the footage from the subsequent piledriver described in the reports.
An attendee, Steph Heredia, told the Daily Star that the wrestler and referee argued before the move. She said spectators initially believed the incident was part of the performance.
The report did not provide an official medical finding establishing Pineda's cause of death or further information about the status of the criminal proceedings.
Pineda's death ended a career that had taken him from competing in the ring to officiating matches.
