Mexican wrestler and former WCW star Silver King, real name César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón, passed away after collapsing during a match at the Roundhouse in London
Lucha libre star Silver King became a huge name to wrestling fans across the world, but sadly passed away at the age of just 51 at after unexpectedly collapsing in the ring six years ago today.
King, whose real name is César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón, wowed fans in Mexico for years. However, it was not until he joined the ranks of WCW’s amazing cruiserweight division in the 90s that saw him get international attention. He also gained even further fame in a Hollywood movie in the role as Ramses in Nacho Libre, starring alongside Jack Black, in 2006.
Tragically his life was cut short after he suffered a heart attack while wrestling former WCW cruiserweight champion and WWE alumni Juventud Guerrera at the Roundhouse in London on May 11 in 2019.
According to reports from those in the building, Barrón seemed to be struggling to breath during the match. Guerrera began taunting the crowd, a standard delay tactic in these situations to allow an injured performer some time or for the referee to check on him.
Tragically, he was unresponsive as the referee encouraged him to get up and sadly passed away as medics tried to save his life.
Barrón had wrestling in his blood as h his father was the legendary Dr. Wagner, an icon of Mexican wrestling.
Juan Manual, Barrón’s brother, was also a successful wrestler and paid tribute to his father with his ring name of Dr. Wagner Jr.
Barrón shared the ring with some of the all time technical greats of wrestling, including WWE superstar Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Jushin Thunder Liger and Ultimo Dragon.
He was also part of the late legendary WWE, ECW and WCW star Eddie Guerrero’s Latino World Order stable.
The Latino World Order, or LWO, was the Mexican equivalent of the iconic New World Order (NWO) faction, which was the dominant force in WCW at the time.
Barrón would also enjoy success teaming with fellow Mexican wrestler El Texano under the tag team name Los Cowboys. However, his time in WCW would and end and he would be forced to take a new path on his wrestling journey.
In another tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero, Barrón would end up taking on the star’s Black Tiger character in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Although his WCW days saw him without a mask, instead wearing his trusty cowboy hat, Barrón would later return to being a masked luchador in 2010 under the name Silver Cain in Mexico. He lost his mask decades earlier in Mexico after losing his a match stipulation.
When news of his death broke, numerous wrestlers paid tribute to Barrón, including WWE, who posted their sadness at his passing with a video of him wrestling Mysterio in WCW.
Former WWE and current AEW star Chris Jericho said on Instagram: “Sorry to hear about the in-ring passing of #SilverKing in England. I had so many great matches with him when I worked @cmll_mx in the early 90s …and more importantly he always made me feel welcome.
“I was a stranger in a strange land and many locals didn’t want me there, but César and his partner Johnny (the amazing #Texano) always treated me like an equal.
“They worked stiff AF, but I loved it and always dished it back, which resulted in dozens of great matches w #LosCowboys vs me and my partner #ElDandy. Thank u for taking care of me and teaching me to become a better worker Cesar….and to me you upgraded to #GoldKing many moons ago. #hermanossiempre”
Former WWE star William Regal also paid tribute and said: “Very sorry to hear of the passing of my friend, the great Mexican Luchadore Silver King. He was always a pleasure to spend time with and wrestle when we were both in WCW in the 90’s.”
Eric Bischoff, former president of the WCW, said: “I am saddened to hear about the passing of Silver King. Like so many of the great Luchadores that helped Americans appreciate Lucha Libre and make Nitro the success it was, he will be missed. Thank you and RIP.”
Barrón would later become the villainous Ramses from Nacho Libre on occasions for wrestling events.
When hearing of his passing. Black also paid tribute to his late co-star by sharing a photograph from the set of Nacho Libre with the words: “César González…vaya con dios, hermano,” which translates to: “Go with God, brother.”
In 2019, he was posthumously inducted into the Mexico’s AAA promotion’s Hall of Fame.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
