Gerardo Germán Pineda, the lucha libre referee known as El Búho, died during a show in Hidalgo, Mexico that ran from Tuesday night into early Wednesday. Hijo de Fishman, one of the wrestlers in the match he was refereeing, has been detained while authorities investigate.
Pineda was refereeing the main event between Hijo de Fishman and Máscara Sagrada NG on a show called Deslealtades at the Centro Deportivo Cultural 11 de Julio in Mineral de la Reforma, according to Fox Sports Mexico. Mexican outlets report that Hijo de Fishman allegedly gave Pineda a martinete, the Mexican term for a piledriver, and that Pineda did not get up. The move is banned in Mexican lucha libre.
Paramedics were called to the ring and confirmed that Pineda had no vital signs, Vanguardia reported.
Lucha libre reporter luchablog wrote on X that, according to local reports, Pineda lay on the mat for minutes before anyone checked on him because people thought he was selling, and that there was reportedly no ambulance or medical personnel at the show.
Referee el Buho passed away following a wrestling match last night in Hidalgo.
Buho was refereeing a match between Hijo de Fishman and the current Mascara Sagrada. Hijo de Fishman gave referee Buho a double underhook piledriver during the action. Buho never got back up.
— luchablog (@luchablog) October 8, 2026
Hijo de Fishman Detained
Officers from the Mineral de la Reforma public security department detained Hijo de Fishman and turned him over to the state prosecutor’s office, which is investigating a possible negligent homicide, El Informador reported. According to TUDN, prosecutors have 48 hours to decide whether to release him or seek to have him bound over for trial.
He has not been convicted of a crime. Vanguardia reported that the cause of death has not been officially established and that forensic studies will have to determine whether the move caused it. Authorities have not released a detailed public account of what happened.
The promoter, El Patrón Espectáculos, said it will provide legal assistance to the wrestler and that its representative is in contact with Pineda’s family, according to Vanguardia.
What Has Not Been Verified
WrestlingNews.co has not seen video of the move described in the reports. Clips said to be from the match and a screenshot said to show the piledriver are circulating on social media, and WrestlingNews.co has not been able to verify them. Some social media users who say they watched footage of the match dispute that a piledriver took place. None of those claims have been confirmed.
Who Was El Búho
Pineda wrestled for about 15 years as El Búho Negro II before becoming a referee, a job he did for nearly three decades, much of it at Arena Afición in Pachuca. He refereed matches involving Mil Máscaras, Canek, Dos Caras, El Hijo del Santo and Blue Panther. Local reports list his age as 75.
Hijo de Fishman is the son of the late Fishman. He debuted in 2008 and has worked for IWRG and The Crash, according to TUDN.
Our condolences go out to Pineda’s family and friends.
