MEXICO CITY — The son of a Mexican wrestling legend died early Saturday from a blow suffered in the ring, the Baja California state prosecutor’s office said.
Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo, fell unconscious on the ropes, apparently after receiving a flying kick from the wrestler Oscar Gutierrez, known as Rey Mysterio Jr., according to video of the match in a municipal auditorium in Tijuana.
The match continued for almost two minutes before other participants and the referee realized Aguayo was seriously injured and tended to him.
He was taken to a hospital a block away and died about 1:30 a.m., said prosecutor’s spokesman Raul Gutierrez.
The state prosecutor’s office said it has opened an investigation into possible manslaughter.
“I have no words for this terrible news,” said Joaquin Roldan, director of the AAA wrestling promotion, through his Twitter account. “My sincerest condolences for the Aguayo Ramirez family.”
Mexico is famous for its colorful characters and costumes in professional wrestling, popularly known as lucha libre, where fighters perform daring aerial maneuvers inside and outside the ring.
Aguayo, 35, had wrestled for 20 years and was the son of the legendary Pedro “Perro” Aguayo, now retired and a member of the Aztec lucha hall of fame.
“It makes me very sad because he was a professional colleague and I have great affection for his father,” the wrestler El Hijo del Santo said. “I think the fans in Japan, the U.S. and Mexico of course, where he was very popular, must be in mourning, especially because of his youth. He had much ahead of him.”
