Mexico: Asistencia Asesoria Administracion wrestler Pedro Aguayo Ramirez (better known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo) died Friday night in Tijuana while taking part in a tag-team match with former WWE performer Rey Mysterio.
Mysterio delivered a dropkick and landed his patented “619” on Ramirez — a move where a wrestler has his head draped on the second rope and receives a kick to the face. Unfortunately the move didn’t go off as planned. Via PWTorch.com:
According to news reports, El Hijo took the 619 in the trachea trying to avoid the move, causing severe whiplash. El Hijo was placed on a backbrace by paramedics and taken out of the Municipal Auditorium arena to Del Prado hospital.
The Zeta publication initially reported that El Hijo was stabilized at the hospital after losing consciousness. However, local news outlet El-Mexicano.com reported that El Hijo was pronounced dead around 1:00 a.m. local time. Zeta followed up with a headline story also reporting that El Hijo died early Saturday morning.
Aguayo Jr. had gotten back in the ring after taking a spinning head scissors where he bumped to the floor from Rey Mysterio Jr. Mysterio Jr. gave him a low dropkick to the back to set up the 619. It is not clear whether Aguayo Jr. was selling or not when he first hit the ropes to get ready for the 619. He may have already been injured falling on the ropes, or, while selling, and being positioned badly, when Manik fell into the ropes to set up a double 619 spot, that was when the ropes whiplashed him, although it was likely the first spot immediately.
Sources who were at Hospital del Prado in Tijuana have said that the initial cause of death was cervical spine trauma coming from when the ropes snapped his neck.
He was already out when Mysterio went for the 619 and Mysterio Jr. saw he was in trouble and didn’t hit him. The belief was he was knocked out and they continued the match, although went right to the finish.
The match, put on by CRASH wrestling, went on for several minutes before Ramirez, 35, received medical assistance. You can watch video of the final moments of the match here.
The Baja California state prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into possible manslaughter, per the Associated Press. Friday was only Mysterio’s second time wrestling following his departure from World Wrestling Entertainment in February.
The son of lucha libre legend Pedro Aguayo, Ramirez started his wrestling career at the age of 15 in Mexico teaming with his father and would go on to become a three-time Mexican National Tag Team champion. Along with wrestling in AAA and CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre), Aguayo Jr. started his own promotion called Perros del Mal.
AAA released a statement on its website that translates to: “Lucha Libre AAA feels much the loss of one of their star talent, praying for the repose of Pedro Aguayo Ramírez, in addition to the early resignation of his relatives. We thank the media support, understanding, respect and discretion at such a difficult time.”
Several wrestlers tweeted their condolences, including TJ Perkins, who was one of the wrestlers in the match: