There was some sad news over the weekend as Lucha Libre star Perro Aguayo Jr. passed away after a match in Tijuana, Mexico at the age of 35. Coincidently, this was also Rey Mysterio’s first match since being released from WWE. There are some news outlets that have reported this responsibly, but there are other places that have used misleading headlines which blame Mysterio for Aguayo’s passing.

I know the real story here is that a young man tragically lost his life, however, something needs to be said for how the media is portraying Mysterio as having sole blame in this matter. I’m sure he is extremely heartbroken over the situation, and some in the wrestling media are trying to change the narrative at the expense of Mysterio’s reputation for the sake of web site click bait.

The footage of the match shows the sequence of spots leading up to Aguayo’s passing. Everything from Aguayo taking a spinning head scissors where he bumped on the floor, to the moment he took a dropkick into the ropes to set up the 619 and even when Manik hit the ropes while Aguayo was positioned on them are all inconclusive.

The fact of the matter is that we may never know the precise moment and move that triggered the fatal injury. The only thing that is clear is that this was an accident in every sense of the word. No one is to blame, it’s a sad situation all around.

I don’t know why, but all the discussion regarding the various moves that attributed to Aguayo’s passing made me think about the time I watched video of my backyard wrestling escapades two years after I began training to become a wrestler. Watching that footage with a trained eye scared me because there were several instances where I didn’t remotely have a clue how close I was to seriously injuring myself or someone else.

I’m not saying in any way, shape, or form that the men in the ring that night were careless or untrained. It just goes to show the risk that every single person who steps into a ring is taking when they perform. The bottom line is that someone died, and that should be the focus, not whether someone is to blame or not to blame.

My condolences go out to the family of Perro Aguayo Jr. I also want to wish all of the wrestlers well who have matches coming up as we go into our favorite weekend of the year. Please, be safe, and have fun.