El Buho's Cause Of Death Officially Confirmed

The autopsy of Gerardo German Pineda (AKA El Buho) conducted between four and 12 hours after his passing confirmed the referee died from a traumatic brain injury. The injury caused brain swelling and a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a rare type of stroke that causes bleeding on the brain. The autopsy report was obtained by Antonio Nieto.

El Buho (which translates to The Owl) passed away on Tuesday, October 6, following a pro wrestling match between El Hijo de Fishman and Mascara Sagrada in the main event of a El Patrón Espectáculos Lucha Libre show in Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico. El Buho was the referee in the match and Fishman, as is common in his matches, was physically and verbally aggressive to the referee. This included Fishman delivering a slam to El Buho, but he later delivered a double underhook piledriver to Pineda.

El Buho did not move after the manoeuvre and the initial belief was that Pineda was just selling. It was soon realised that the situation was serious, with the building being evacuated. It took minutes for an ambulance to arrive, however, as medical personnel and an ambulance were not on site despite it being a requirement for Lucha Libre shows in Hidalgo. Paramedics confirmed El Buho had passed away when they arrived at the scene.

El Hijo de Fishman was arrested by local police following the incident and he faced manslaughter charges. Fishman was released from custody in the early hours of Friday, October 9, after a compensation agreement was reached with El Buho's family just hours after the referee's funeral.

Criterio Hidalgo noted the compensation package was for 586,525 pesos (around $32,000) and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported the belief was El Patrón Espectáculos Lucha Libre agreed to pay the money to El Buho's family.