Luchador Silver King Dies During Match
Luchador Silver King Dies During Match
“César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón, a.k.a. Silver King, was born to live a life in the ring. As the son of the luchador Manuel González Rivera known as the professional wrestler, Dr. Wagner, Barron followed in the footsteps of his dad.
His stage names were Dr. Wagner Jr., El Invasor, El Bronco, El Hermano de Dr. Wagner Jr., and most recently as Silver King. Unfortunately, his life recently ended the same way it began — in the ring.
Silver King was part of the Greatest Show of Lucha Libre in Camden Town, London, England, when he collapsed in the ring. Witnesses thought Silver King was simply performing and his fall to the ground was part of the act.
“It felt like it was staged,” Roberto Carrera Maldonado told the BBC. “Obviously it was quite normal in the fight.
The BBC also reports that the referee tried to revive him to no avail. Although a cause of death has yet to be determined, speculation is that the Silver King suffered a heart attack.
“All of us were really shocked —it wasn’t clear what was happening,” Maldonado added, “I had the impression they didn’t know what to do.”
Silver King played Ramses in the hit 2006 film “Nacho Libre” opposite Jack Black.
The actor paid tribute to the great luchador on Instagram with a picture from the movie and said, “César González…vaya con dios, hermano.”
His opponent seems to be confused about his victory but continues to play along as if he won the match. The entire time, you can see Silver King clearly struggling to alert his opponent and the ref of his condition. Spectators were also unaware of the severity of the issue as you can hear boos and laughter from the crowd.
The BBC reports that medical officials arrived five minutes after being called to the scene. During that time, the ref tried to administer CPR but the fighter was dead in the ring.
He was so good as Ramses. That movie was a cultural moment in the U.S. giving people a comedic and touching look at lucha libre and Mexican culture. The use of real luchadors in the movie gave it a needed authenticity.
“I am profoundly sad at the death of my great rival and companion of numerous fights,” he tweeted. “He dies as he wanted: a fighter. @SILVERKING Farewell my dear friend, #SilverKing.”
According to CNN, Sean Waltman, a former WWE star, said: “It was an honor to have been friends and shared the ring with the great Silver King. He truly was one of the greats and I’m heartbroken to learn of his passing.”
Rest in peace, Silver King.”
Follow Us
