Silver King, masked Lucha Libre star, dies in ring at London wrestling match
César González Barrón, 51, appeared in the 2006 movie "Nacho Libre," a comedy starring Jack Black.
LONDON — A Mexican wrestler and actor who appeared in the movie “Nacho Libre” died in the ring during a bout in London on Saturday, according to the venue where the event was held.
The wrestler, César González Barrón, known as Silver King, was facing off against an opponent known as Juventud Guerrera, or Youth Warrior, when he became unresponsive at the Roundhouse, a performing arts and concert venue in Camden.
In footage shared online, Guerrera appeared to kick González Barrón during the match and tried to pin him down for the victory. The footage also showed the referee and others trying in vain to revive González Barrón.
According to the Mexican news outlet Record and other reports, González Barrón appeared to have died of a heart attack, but officials have not yet released an official cause of death.
Medics from the London Ambulance Service arrived five minutes after being called at 10:21 p.m., according to news reports, but González Barrón was pronounced dead at the scene. The Metropolitan Police said Sunday that it was not involved in investigating the death.
Roundhouse confirmed the death in a post on Twitter, saying, “At this stage the details are still being investigated so we don’t have more information we can share. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and all of the Lucha Libre team.”
González Barrón, 51, appeared as the bad guy, Ramses, in the 2006 movie “Nacho Libre,” a comedy starring Jack Black. He was a star in Mexican wrestling, known as lucha libre, in which combatants wear elaborate masks and take on outlandish personas.
At the event in London, called the Greatest Show of Lucha Libre, González Barrón had reprised his role as Ramses.
One spectator at the fight, Roberto Carrera Maldonado, told the BBC that, initially, it appeared as if González Barrón’s collapse was part of the show.
“It felt like it was staged,” he said. But when it became apparent the wrestler was imperiled, he said, “All of us were really shocked; it wasn’t clear what was happening.”
