Oro (wrestler) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oro
Hernández wearing his trademark wrestling mask
Birth name	Jesús Javier Hernández Silva
Born	(1971-12-24)December 24, 1971 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Died	October 26, 1993(1993-10-26) (aged 21) Mexico City, Mexico
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Apolo Montaño El Doble Oro Rayo Mortal
Billed height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Billed weight	88 kg (194 lb)
Trained by	El Calavera II Diablo Velasco
Debut	November 23, 1990

Jesús Javier Hernández Silva (born December 24, 1971 – died October 26, 1993) was a Mexican professional wrestler. He was famous for his ring name Oro, which means Gold in Spanish. Oro was a luchador enmascarado, which means a masked professional wrestler in Lucha Libre. Sadly, Hernández passed away in 1993 because of an injury during a wrestling match.

He came from a wrestling family; his father was a wrestler, and several of his brothers and cousins also became wrestlers. Today, his nephew wrestles for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) as Oro Jr., honoring his uncle's memory.

About Oro's Life

Jesús Javier was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He and his brother, Esteban Hernández Silva, dreamed of becoming professional luchadores, just like their father. Their father wrestled under the name Calavera II (The Skull II). He even formed a tag team called Los Hermanos Calavera ("The Skull Brothers") with his own brother.

At first, their father wasn't sure about his sons becoming wrestlers. But he eventually agreed to teach them some basic moves. After that, he sent them to the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) training gym in Arena Mexico. There, they learned even more from a famous trainer named Diablo Velasco before they were allowed to start wrestling in matches.

Oro's Wrestling Career

The two brothers made their first professional wrestling appearance on November 23, 1990. Jesús Javier was 18 years old and used the ring name Oro (Gold). His brother used the name Plata (Silver). They wore masks that looked almost the same, but one had a gold design and the other a silver one.

Soon, another wrestler named Platino (Platinum) joined them. They formed a trio tag team called Los Metalicos (The Metals). This team quickly started a rivalry with another trio, a rudo ("bad guy") team called Los Destructores ("The Destroyers"). They had many exciting matches against each other.

Fans loved the young team, especially Oro. He had an aerial wrestling style, which meant he did a lot of high-flying moves. This was quite new and exciting at the time. Oro's amazing moves from the top rope, like planchas and topes, inspired many other wrestlers to try more high-flying styles in Lucha Libre.

Just over a year after their debut, Los Metalicos (Oro and Plata) won their first championship. They defeated Los Destructores to win the Mexican National Tag Team Championship on December 4, 1991. A week later, a match between the two teams ended in a way that caused the championship to be given back. The next week, Los Destructores won the title again. Los Metalicos also won the Distrito Federal Trios Championship in 1991. They later lost it to Los Guerreros del Futuro ("The Warriors of the Future").

Oro's popularity grew so much that he was invited to wrestle in Japan in 1992. He worked for Gran Hamada's Universal Lucha Libre promotion, which showed the Lucha Libre style to Japanese fans. His skills and exciting style made him very popular there. When he returned, Oro started to become a bigger star in EMLL. He even teamed up with two of the biggest names in Lucha Libre, Mil Máscaras and Último Dragón.

As Oro became more famous, EMLL replaced him in Los Metalicos with Bronce (Bronze). Bronce's wrestling look was similar to Oro's, but with bronze colors instead of gold. EMLL then started a storyline where Oro had a rivalry with a veteran wrestler named Mano Negra (The Black Hand).

On May 23, 1993, Oro defeated Mano Negra to win the NWA World Middleweight Championship. This was the only singles title Oro won in his career. Mano Negra won the title back three weeks later, on July 3. EMLL had planned for their rivalry to end with a special match called a Luchas de Apuestas ("Bet Match"). In this type of match, both wrestlers would bet their masks on who would win. However, Oro decided he wanted to spend more time with his family and travel less. He planned to retire by 1994. Because of this, EMLL replaced Oro with Atlantis in the storyline.

Oro's Passing and Tributes

On October 26, 1993, Oro was in a tag team match with La Fiera and Brazo de Plata. They were facing Kahoz, Dr. Wagner, Jr., and Jaque Mate at Arena Coliseo in Mexico City. Before the match, Oro mentioned he wanted to do a special move that looked very dramatic. He wanted it to seem like a wrestler had a serious injury, to make the match more exciting.

During the match, Kahoz hit Oro with a clothesline. Oro landed on his head, just as he had planned. His opponent tried to help him up, but Oro soon collapsed, and his pulse became weak. Oro was placed on a stretcher during the match. His brother shouted, "Don't fall asleep!", trying to keep him awake. Sadly, Oro passed away before he could be put into an ambulance. He was almost 22 years old.

Oro's family asked that an autopsy not be done. However, it was believed he passed away from a brain aneurysm. The day after his passing, news of Oro's death was on the front page of every Lucha Libre magazine in Mexico. Even a rival wrestling company, Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, paid tribute to Oro during their show. This was very unusual for them to do for a wrestler from another company.

In 1994 and 1995, around the date of Oro's passing, EMLL held a Copa de Oro (Gold Cup) tournament. This was a tag team tournament where the winners received a trophy from Oro II. The 1994 tournament was won by Apolo Dantés and El Dandy. The 1995 tournament was won by Chicago Express and Pierroth, Jr..

Every year, around the anniversary of Jesús Javier Hernández Silva's passing, the Lucha Libre community holds a religious mass. This mass remembers Jesús Hernández and other important Lucha Libre figures who have passed away. The mass takes place in Arena Coliseo, the same arena where Oro wrestled his last match. Many wrestlers have said that Oro inspired them to become wrestlers or to adopt a faster, high-flying, and more risky style in the ring.

Oro's Legacy in Lucha Libre

Jesús Javier Hernández was such a popular wrestler and character that his name has been used by several other wrestlers over the years to honor him.

• Oro II: His brother, Ismael Hernández Silva, who wrestled as Plata before Oro's passing, changed his name to Oro II in honor of his brother. He used this name until 1995.
• Oro II (Second version): Ismael Hernández Islas, another brother, adopted the name and mask in 1995.
• Orito: A smaller version of Oro, known as a Mini-Estrella, who was active even before Oro's passing.
• Oro Jr. (I): Orito later moved to the regular-sized wrestling division and changed his name.
• Oro Jr.: The son of Ismael Hernández Solís and nephew of the original Oro. He started wrestling for CMLL in late 2011.

The Hernández Wrestling Family

The Hernández family has been involved in professional wrestling for three generations. It started with the brothers known as Los Hermanos Calavera ("The Skull Brothers"). Their family includes six sons and one grandson who are, or have been, professional wrestlers.

Championships and Awards

Oro achieved several important titles during his wrestling career:

• Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
  • Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Plata
  • NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
• Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico Distrito Federal
  • Distrito Federal Trios Championship (1 time) – with Plata and Platino
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him # 249 among the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003.

Images for kids

• 

  Hernández' nephew who works as Oro Jr. in honor of his uncle.

See also

• List of premature professional wrestling deaths