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| Rest in peace Photo from AAA via mediotiempo.com |
Perro Aguayo, Jr., a top heel in the AAA promotion in Mexico and son of the legendary performer of the same name, passed away early Saturday morning stemming from major injuries suffered in a match on Friday night. He was in a tag match with Manik, Rey Mysterio, Jr., and Tigre Uno/Extreme Tiger for the CRASH promotion in Tijuana. His head snapped against the ring rope on a routine dropkick, and he fell unconscious immediately. The match continued shortly in confusion until the participants and ringside officials realized that something was gravely wrong with Aguayo. A finish was called for on the fly, and Aguayo was rushed to Del Padro hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was laid to rest on Sunday.
The official cause of death was "raíz de un golpe que tuvo en la región cervical," which thecubsfan in the original report roughly translated as a spinal stroke. If you remember, that condition was also the cause of death for puroresu icon Mitsuharu Misawa. Additionally, the Observer said that the main doctor at the hospital said the "cervical spine trauma" was caused by his throat hitting the rope one of two times, although he believes that the first impact caused the fatal blow. Either way, an investigation into the incident will be conducted.
Aguayo debuted at the age of 15 in 1995 in the AAA promotion, where he remained until 2003, when he jumped ship to rival CMLL. There, he remained until he and two of his stablemates in Los Perros del Mal formed new promotion of the same name in 2008. In 2010, the promotion led an invasion of AAA, and Aguayo worked for both promotions until his death. Aguayo's work was acclaimed by many lucha fans, and even at 20 years in the business, he was seen as still in his prime. Luchadores tend to last forever relatively speaking under normal circumstances.
Aguayo's death serves as another stark reminder that the wrestling business can be so cruel. Accidents sometimes are unavoidable, and in such a high-skill environment, those accidents can have ghastly consequences. No one goes to work thinking that they're going to suffer injury or be the cause of someone suffering injury. Yes, to an extent all accidents can be prevented, but human nature dictates that they happen, and when they do, the worst thing one can do is throw blame blindly into the night like javelins. If you're part of the mob that wants to blame Mysterio for the consequences, then take a step back and examine what your mindset is. It was not Mysterio's fault. Placing blame on him isn't going to help anything.
Instead, focus on the man who lost his life. Focus on Perro Aguayo, Jr., his family, friends, peers, and fans. The age of 35 is far too young for a person to lose his or her life, especially on the job.