Who was Gerardo Germán Pineda? 75-year-old Mexican referee dies after wrestler Hijo de Fishman performs banned piledriver move in ring

Veteran Mexican lucha libre referee Gerardo German Pineda died after wrestler Hijo de Fishman allegedly struck him with a banned move inside the ring. The incident occurred on October 6, during a wrestling event in Mexico’s Hidalgo.

The 75-year-old referee had been officiating the lucha libre event. He was caught up in the bout between Hijo de Fishman and Mascara Sagrada NG. Fishman allegedly performed a banned move, the martinete, commonly known as a piledriver, on Pineda.

Following the incident, a video surfaced online showing Fishman performing a bodyslam on Pineda. The video showed Fishman engaged in his bout against Sagrada and Pineda slightly pushing him. Fishman then appears to pick up Pineda, turn him upside down and throw him on the man. The video further showed the referee struggling to get up as the wrestlers continued their bout.


After being struck with the move, Pineda was left motionless on the mat. Upon realising that the referee did not get up, the wrestlers stopped the bout. Paramedics later arrived at the scene and pronounced that he had died.

Authorities later arrested Fishman. He was charged with manslaughter and is now facing a criminal investigation. The charge carries a possible five-to-15-year sentence in Mexico.

Who was the veteran referee Gerardo German Pineda?

Gerardo German Pineda was a respected figure in Mexico’s lucha libre circuit. He was popularly known as ‘El Buho’. Pineda’s career spanned decades as both a wrestler and later a referee. He reportedly spent around 15 years as a wrestler and then dedicated nearly three decades to refereeing.

Pineda had previously competed under the name El Buho Negro II. He then transitioned into refereeing almost by accident. He reportedly filled in for a missing official in a match and went on to hold the position for nearly three decades.

During his career, Pineda worked alongside several Mexican wrestling icons. These include Mil Mascaras, Canek, Dos Caras, El Hijo del Santo, Ultimo Guerrero and Blue Panther. Pineda’s son is also an independent wrestler and performs under the name ‘El Buho Jr’.

Promoter El Patron Espectaculos Lucha Libre released a statement confirming Pineda “unfortunately lost his life”, calling the incident “regrettable”.

What is a piledriver?

The piledriver is a wrestling move banned in several countries. It involves lifting an opponent vertically and giving the illusion of dropping them on their head. The attacker bends the other person forwards and places their head in between the opponent’s legs while hooking their arms. They then drop in a sitting position on the mat.

The move is considered among lucha libre’s most dangerous manoeuvres and is prohibited in Mexican wrestling. The banned move can potentially cause severe neck and spinal damage.

Several wrestlers over the years have suffered injuries from piledrivers, including Stone Cold Steve. The move was banned in WWE for many years.

Who is Hijo de Fishman, the wrestler who performed the move?

The 36-year-old Mexican wrestler, Hijo de Fishman is an independent lucha libre wrestler. He is the son of renowned Mexican wrestler Fishman who was known as the ‘Green Venom’.

He has performed for several wrestling promotions for approximately 15 years. He works as a rudo, one of lucha libre’s rule breaking characters. He was previously caught on camera attacking a referee with a chair in 2022.

The promoter El Patron Espectaculos is reportedly providing him legal support during the ongoing probe.