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♪
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We had scheduled a bout
with Gino Hernandez.
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However, we have
reached a milestone,
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a sad moment, in World Class
Championship Wrestling.
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Gino Hernandez is dead.
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On February the 4th, 1986,
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the professional wrestling
world was in shock.
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28-year-old wrestler
Gino Hernandez was dead.
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The popular wrestling star's
badly decomposed body was
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discovered late last night
at his home in Highland Park.
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He had apparently been
dead for several days.
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So a lot of people,
when Gino died,
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they know exactly
what happened.
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I'm listening to the person
telling the story that's
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not even close to true...
'cause I lived the story.
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Dallas police say Hernandez
might have been murdered.
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The rumor grows,
the story grows,
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and it gets more
grandiose as it grows.
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At the time of Gino's death,
Gino was already a major talent.
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He was caught up in
a very fast life,
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and as a result of that,
he paid.
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And he paid... with his life.
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Well, in all respect
to Gino Hernandez,
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I think the Gino Hernandez
you saw in the ring was
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very much like the Gino
Hernandez outside the ring,
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and he was one who typically
did everything his way.
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As a mother, I got a lot
of questions that
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nobody has ever...
ever answered me.
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Many believe that Gino's
death was a tragic accident,
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but for over 30 years,
family members and wrestlers
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have believed it to be murder.
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Well, I think there are a
lot of rumors in wrestling,
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and it just comes from us being
able to tell a story, man.
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We're trying to figure out
the inside scoop on everything.
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The only people that know
what really happened to Gino...
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was whoever was there.
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A lot has been
taken away from me,
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and God has blessed me to
let me stay here this long
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and say this, finally...
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I think my son was murdered.
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I don't think it...
I almost know it.
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In this episode, we put
to rest decades of rumors,
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and investigate one of
wrestling's darkest mysteries.
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♪
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Beautiful pictures,
beautiful memories
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with our beautiful family.
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Aw.
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He had a wonderful
personality. He...
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He was a good son.
He was a good father.
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And I want everybody to
remember him as a good man.
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I think the hardest thing
for me was when he became a
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bad guy, and as a child
at the wrestling matches,
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like, people throwing
pennies at us,
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all these girls coming
up to the ring saying,
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"Sign it," and he'd
like rip it and throw it.
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And I was like a little girl.
I was like, "Oh no!"
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He's such a bad guy.
[laughs]
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As I say, in the ring,
Gino was evil.
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Don't attempt to adjust
your sets. What you see is real,
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the most gorgeous human
being on this earth.
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He had it.
He was special.
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He was the type of guy that
could've fit right in with the
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Randy "Macho Man" Savage
or some of those guys,
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so who knows where
Gino would 'a went.
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You can't buy it;
you can't steal it;
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you can't borrow it.
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You either got
it or you don't,
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and that's called charisma,
and he had charisma, man.
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Yeah, tag matches. Yeah.
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Who's the wrestler
that you hate the most?
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- Gino!
- Gino!
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And Gino was a cocky, arrogant,
good looking, talented.
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If you were to see Gino,
you would 'a thought he was
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connected or he was a
celebrity of some type.
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He always just
looked like money.
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He was all about
the finest suits,
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the finest
custom-made shirts,
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the rings and the watches.
You name it, that was Gino.
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And it wasn't a gimmick;
that was him.
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If he wanted to, he could
take that room and have
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everybody in that room
hating his guts and
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wanting to kill him,
in real life.
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I overcome any
obstacle in my life,
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and especially some
hormone-imbalanced female
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that tries to stick her
nose in a man's business!
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And he could talk.
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And it's easy to hate
somebody who's good looking,
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got money, or whatever.
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Got the pretty girl
on the side and...
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must be nice.
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Full head of hair. He's got
all that shit, you know.
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I'd like to show you and the
people pictures, no other.
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PATRICE: Farrah Fawcett,
I think they had a few dates.
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GINO: Who does she
choose to be with?
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If my wife was on the front row
when he said some of the things
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he would say to 'em,
I don't know that
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I wouldn't be waiting
outside to knock him out.
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It almost came
natural for him.
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One night, Gino had said
something and he insulted
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to the point, this big
cowboy guy was getting up
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and he was
headed to the ring.
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And the police stopped him.
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Well, Gino starts saying,
"Let him go, let him go,
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let him come in here,"
to the point
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he convinced the
police to let him go.
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And then Gino's telling me,
"Stop him, stop him!"
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He's whispering in
the back of my ear,
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but I told him in the
dressing room, I said,
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"You bit that off,
you chew it."
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David Manning.
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I was the referee
and promoter,
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and booker for World Class
Championship Wrestling
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from '77, '78 'til around '89.
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♪
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Probably, I'd been in
the business for about
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3, 4 years, 5 years,
when Gino started coming in.
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At that time, I was a referee
and he was a wrestler.
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The greatest thing about
Gino being a heel was,
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one, the microphone.
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Gino's one of the few
pieces of talent -
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I'd actually put Gino in the
category of a Ric Flair,
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a Jim Cornette,
a Michael Hayes,
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the people that you just
hand 'em a mic
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and they can do it.
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Tonight's the night!
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I told ya, I brought
out the $60,000 limo.
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Tonight, the World Junior
Heavyweight champion!
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Not bad for a kid
from Spring Branch High, huh?
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You know, he was real close with
the promoter Paul Boesch,
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in Houston, where Gino got
his big, big break was Houston.
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"Gorgeous" Gino.
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I remember meeting Gino
when he had to be
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17, 18 years old.
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Good looking guy, you know,
good body and everything,
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and had chicks all over him.
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Full of himself, conceited.
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I was just a kid, so he,
he treated me like a kid...
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[laughs]
... at the time.
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I was a professional
model at one time.
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Most of the time I just took
care of my daughter and
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my son, Gino.
I was a single parent.
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PRODUCER: Do you prefer to call
him Charles, or Gino, or...?
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- Mm-mm. Gino.
- Gino?
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Well, if you were a wrestler,
would you rather use
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the name Charles or Gino?
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'Cause Gino always referred
to himself as "Gorgeous" Gino.
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"Gorgeous" Gino Hernandez!
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[cheering]
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GG with a, two G's on
the back of his jacket.
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I had Luis's name.
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Gino sometimes would
kind of prance around,
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brag that his dad was
Luis Hernandez, you know.
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Lord, yes.
[laughs]
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- Can you talk about it?
- From morning to night.
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[laughs]
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Well, I've always been a fan
of wrestling all my life,
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and my father was a
wrestler and he died
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when I was 12 years old.
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And, I began to start
training for wrestling
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from the time I was
in high school,
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and I turned professional
at the age of 17,
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right out of high school.
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When he got into the ring,
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it was like he had been
wrestling for years.
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He was flying off the
rope and I'm going,
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"Where did he
learn that from?"
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He said, "My dad
did it for me.
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I was wearing his shoes."
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He said, "He did everything
for me," and of course,
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I had to cry when
he told me that.
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We were married very young.
We were both 18.
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And we had our first child,
so that started our family.
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I'm Janice Gillespie,
and I grew up in Houston, Texas,
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and that is where I
met Charles Wolfe,
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who you might know
as Gino Hernandez.
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After we were married,
he kept his life very separate,
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so he had his
professional life.
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And, he'd work out
in the mornings,
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and then he'd have a workout
in the afternoon and
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it really consumed
most of his day.
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And then he had his family.
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There was really very little
mixing outside of just family.
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There was the
soft side of him.
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He was really a pushover.
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He loved his children
very, very much.
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Everybody knows I'm
the man of the hour,
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the man with the power,
too sweet to be sour.
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You know, going back and
like watching the footage,
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and, and hearing him talk...
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227 pounds of twisted
steel and sex appeal.
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It's like a voice
I always knew.
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Really, everywhere we went,
people knew he was Gino.
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He would get into his
persona, his character,
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especially when
he became a heel.
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He would really be very,
very intimidating and
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made me very uncomfortable
to be around him when,
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when you would
see him like that.
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PRODUCER:
Has there been times in your,
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in your life where your
wrestling persona
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has bled into your real life?
201
00:08:43,610 --> 00:08:45,790
Jake Roberts never had a
fucking problem in his life.
202
00:08:45,829 --> 00:08:48,399
He's a bad motherfucker that
don't give a fuck about anybody
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and he's gonna do
what he pleases,
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and he's gonna
go on with life.
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Don't fuck with him.
He will fuck you up.
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00:08:53,794 --> 00:08:55,624
Aurelian Smith,
on the other hand,
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is a human being, man.
He cares about other people.
208
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He's made some mistakes.
209
00:09:00,975 --> 00:09:03,275
He's a recovering
alcoholic, addict.
210
00:09:03,325 --> 00:09:06,015
So, yeah,
that guy has problems.
211
00:09:06,067 --> 00:09:07,587
Jake "The Snake" doesn't.
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00:09:07,634 --> 00:09:09,944
For people to get mad at me
for when I get on TV and say
213
00:09:09,984 --> 00:09:11,334
I'm the latest and
I'm the greatest,
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00:09:11,376 --> 00:09:13,196
and I'm so fine
that I'm divine...
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00:09:13,248 --> 00:09:14,598
For people to
say I'm conceited,
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I don't understand it.
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00:09:16,294 --> 00:09:18,434
He lived his gimmick in the ring
and he lived it out of the ring.
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00:09:18,470 --> 00:09:20,210
We're into sports cars,
we're into fast cars.
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Faster women, and fast life.
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00:09:22,605 --> 00:09:24,825
He lived it, he ate it,
and he slept it.
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00:09:24,868 --> 00:09:26,608
He loved every minute and
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he could bring that
on just like that.
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And I, I used to tell him,
"You can drop that now.
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00:09:31,745 --> 00:09:34,695
I know who you are."
[laughs]
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00:09:34,748 --> 00:09:37,008
I know that he and Chris had
a very successful tag team,
226
00:09:37,054 --> 00:09:38,454
the Dynamic Duo.
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00:09:38,490 --> 00:09:39,880
Chris Adams was, ah...
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00:09:39,927 --> 00:09:41,487
He was a good guy.
229
00:09:41,537 --> 00:09:44,017
He could be a good friend as
long as alcohol wasn't involved.
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They were a great team.
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We got the looks!
We got the ability!
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00:09:48,675 --> 00:09:51,415
And we got the money,
we got the women,
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00:09:51,460 --> 00:09:52,940
we got the build.
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00:09:52,983 --> 00:09:55,603
And from now on,
we are number one!
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- We're bad, we're real bad.
- Let's go, let's go.
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We're bad to the bone.
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Alright.
They're bad to the bone.
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00:10:01,296 --> 00:10:02,336
Well,
there they go,
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00:10:02,384 --> 00:10:03,784
Chris Adams and
Gino Hernandez.
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00:10:03,820 --> 00:10:06,130
See you, guys!
241
00:10:06,170 --> 00:10:10,960
Gino's social life and his life
outside of wrestling,
242
00:10:11,001 --> 00:10:14,441
was just as flamboyant as
243
00:10:14,483 --> 00:10:18,533
inside the coliseum when
Gino came to perform.
244
00:10:18,574 --> 00:10:20,584
Matter of fact, one of
the highlighted matches,
245
00:10:20,620 --> 00:10:23,060
one of the biggest draws we
ever had was at the Cotton Bowl.
246
00:10:23,100 --> 00:10:28,060
It's all come down to the
Cotton Bowl tomorrow at 3 pm.
247
00:10:28,105 --> 00:10:30,625
And it was Gino and Chris Adams
248
00:10:30,673 --> 00:10:34,683
against Kevin and Kerry.
A hair match.
249
00:10:34,721 --> 00:10:37,681
Chris and Gino both had just
gorgeous hair, down,
250
00:10:37,724 --> 00:10:39,944
you know, the whole thing.
The sculptured look.
251
00:10:39,987 --> 00:10:41,547
And the Von Erichs
both had long hair.
252
00:10:41,597 --> 00:10:44,337
So, people weren't sure
what was gonna happen here.
253
00:10:44,382 --> 00:10:46,822
And he would get in that ring
and he just owned the crowd.
254
00:10:46,863 --> 00:10:48,433
He knew exactly
what he was doing.
255
00:10:48,473 --> 00:10:50,563
I've seen a lot of
wrestlers in my life,
256
00:10:50,606 --> 00:10:53,606
and I've seen a lot of guys
try to do what Gino did,
257
00:10:53,653 --> 00:10:56,703
and he was such an artist.
258
00:10:56,743 --> 00:10:59,833
And, sure enough,
Gino and Chris lost.
259
00:10:59,876 --> 00:11:01,696
I remember they would hold
'em in those seats and
260
00:11:01,748 --> 00:11:03,048
they brought the razors out.
261
00:11:03,097 --> 00:11:04,577
The crowd was going crazy.
They were cheering.
262
00:11:04,620 --> 00:11:06,710
They were so happy these guys
were fixin' to lose their hair.
263
00:11:06,753 --> 00:11:08,803
And they had the
perfect reaction, you know,
264
00:11:08,842 --> 00:11:10,972
and it just
elevated the feud.
265
00:11:11,018 --> 00:11:13,188
♪
266
00:11:13,237 --> 00:11:16,717
There was a nightclub in
Houston called Judges that
267
00:11:16,763 --> 00:11:20,723
Gino frequented quite a bit;
that was the place to go
268
00:11:20,767 --> 00:11:22,677
on a Friday night
after the matches.
269
00:11:22,725 --> 00:11:24,635
And, party all night long.
270
00:11:24,684 --> 00:11:26,384
My name is Jeanie Williams.
271
00:11:26,424 --> 00:11:30,214
In 1985, Chris asked me
to move to Dallas.
272
00:11:30,254 --> 00:11:34,744
And he said, "You live next door
to my friend Gino Hernandez,"
273
00:11:34,781 --> 00:11:37,041
so Gino and I
were neighbors.
274
00:11:37,087 --> 00:11:38,567
Gino was front
and center, man.
275
00:11:38,610 --> 00:11:41,310
It wasn't like it was a
secret that Gino did drugs,
276
00:11:41,352 --> 00:11:43,182
from smoking dope,
to cocaine,
277
00:11:43,224 --> 00:11:44,974
and uppers and downers.
278
00:11:45,008 --> 00:11:47,708
It was the 70s and
80s and we all did.
279
00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:52,150
I never saw Gino out
of control on drugs.
280
00:11:52,189 --> 00:11:54,149
But Gino liked to party
and have a good time.
281
00:11:54,191 --> 00:11:55,671
Gino comes
knocking on the door.
282
00:11:55,715 --> 00:11:58,145
His eyes are huge
and he's like,
283
00:11:58,195 --> 00:12:00,325
"Touch my head.
Oh my God, my hair,"
284
00:12:00,371 --> 00:12:02,291
'cause they'd just had
their hair shaved.
285
00:12:02,330 --> 00:12:05,550
And so, we all decided
we'd go to a night club.
286
00:12:05,594 --> 00:12:09,034
We get in the car and he's
going about 100 miles an hour
287
00:12:09,076 --> 00:12:12,726
and he, he has this
tiny piece of paper
288
00:12:12,775 --> 00:12:15,775
and he says, "Just take this."
289
00:12:15,822 --> 00:12:17,352
♪
290
00:12:17,388 --> 00:12:20,298
We get to the club and
then everybody's just,
291
00:12:20,348 --> 00:12:23,218
everything's going
all strange and...
292
00:12:23,264 --> 00:12:25,444
Gino is laughing.
293
00:12:25,483 --> 00:12:27,753
I want to go to the bathroom,
and as I was walking,
294
00:12:27,790 --> 00:12:31,360
it was like my feet were
going into clouds and I,
295
00:12:31,402 --> 00:12:33,542
I'd come to find out
afterwards that
296
00:12:33,578 --> 00:12:36,358
Gino had given me some acid.
297
00:12:36,407 --> 00:12:39,187
♪
298
00:12:39,236 --> 00:12:42,236
I was in Las Vegas
one time, and...
299
00:12:42,283 --> 00:12:44,593
Gino had a friend with him.
300
00:12:44,633 --> 00:12:46,813
This particular gentleman was--
had a plane.
301
00:12:46,853 --> 00:12:51,683
They had rented the whole top
suite floor of the hotel there,
302
00:12:51,727 --> 00:12:53,947
just partying for
like 3 days.
303
00:12:53,990 --> 00:12:55,950
But I knew a lot of
those guys were--
304
00:12:55,992 --> 00:12:58,822
I don't know if they were
furnishing it all to him, but...
305
00:12:58,865 --> 00:13:00,645
From that time on,
after Las Vegas,
306
00:13:00,692 --> 00:13:02,782
it was just a slowly,
progression.
307
00:13:02,825 --> 00:13:05,345
Gino just, he ran with a...
308
00:13:05,393 --> 00:13:07,053
pretty tough
crowd in Houston.
309
00:13:07,090 --> 00:13:08,350
You know, if you
hang around trouble,
310
00:13:08,396 --> 00:13:09,956
you're gonna get trouble.
311
00:13:10,006 --> 00:13:12,436
It's like I always say,
getting into the wrestling
312
00:13:12,487 --> 00:13:14,917
is like getting into the mob.
Once you're in, you're in.
313
00:13:14,968 --> 00:13:16,968
It can go the
other way, too.
314
00:13:17,013 --> 00:13:18,843
So, you gotta watch
who you hang out with.
315
00:13:18,885 --> 00:13:23,715
♪
316
00:13:23,759 --> 00:13:26,239
Unknown to his family,
Gino had been running with
317
00:13:26,283 --> 00:13:28,023
a fast and dangerous crowd,
318
00:13:28,068 --> 00:13:30,768
but the party wouldn't
last much longer.
319
00:13:36,032 --> 00:13:38,382
I just heard it was like...
320
00:13:38,426 --> 00:13:40,466
Nah, I don't know.
I'm not gonna say.
321
00:13:40,515 --> 00:13:43,125
I don't know.
I don't know, man...
322
00:13:43,170 --> 00:13:47,440
Ah... That's, that's--
What I said is what it was.
323
00:13:47,478 --> 00:13:50,528
I heard that it was people
that you didn't mess with
324
00:13:50,568 --> 00:13:54,618
that had power in the
city of Houston and Dallas,
325
00:13:54,659 --> 00:13:57,659
and there are certainly
those kind of people out there.
326
00:13:57,706 --> 00:14:00,576
Well, when our children
were young, we divorced.
327
00:14:00,622 --> 00:14:02,752
I just didn't feel so safe
about some of the people
328
00:14:02,798 --> 00:14:05,498
he might hang out with,
things I was hearing.
329
00:14:05,540 --> 00:14:09,590
These were strong powerful
people within the city that
330
00:14:09,631 --> 00:14:12,941
might not have liked
certain things getting out.
331
00:14:12,982 --> 00:14:17,552
There was just a side of him
and people he ran with that,
332
00:14:17,595 --> 00:14:19,285
they were, I felt,
dangerous.
333
00:14:19,336 --> 00:14:21,726
♪
334
00:14:21,773 --> 00:14:26,303
By 1986, there was a shift
in the Dynamic Duo's story line,
335
00:14:26,343 --> 00:14:29,043
which saw Chris and Gino
turn against each other,
336
00:14:29,085 --> 00:14:32,125
igniting a vicious rivalry.
337
00:14:32,175 --> 00:14:33,435
I m gonna kill him!
338
00:14:33,481 --> 00:14:37,621
That s what I m gonna do, I m
gonna kill him!
339
00:14:37,659 --> 00:14:40,879
Yeah, one of Gino's last
matches was he and Chris.
340
00:14:40,923 --> 00:14:42,793
We did a gimmick where...
341
00:14:42,838 --> 00:14:44,838
I think it's Nair,
it was like, you know -
342
00:14:44,884 --> 00:14:47,194
girls,
to get rid of hair -
343
00:14:47,234 --> 00:14:49,504
Gino sprayed it in
Chris's eyes and for weeks,
344
00:14:49,540 --> 00:14:51,890
Chris wore this thing.
He couldn't see, and...
345
00:14:51,934 --> 00:14:53,984
and stuff like this, and...
346
00:14:54,023 --> 00:14:55,593
Whatever the
gimmick was in the ring,
347
00:14:55,633 --> 00:14:57,423
that was the
gimmick out of the ring.
348
00:14:57,461 --> 00:14:59,031
And so,
even around in the public,
349
00:14:59,072 --> 00:15:01,072
Chris would, you know,
like he couldn't hardly see.
350
00:15:01,117 --> 00:15:04,287
And, his wife, Toni,
would lead him around and
351
00:15:04,338 --> 00:15:06,168
bumping into chairs and...
352
00:15:06,209 --> 00:15:07,949
that's what I really
liked about it.
353
00:15:07,994 --> 00:15:09,604
Whatever happened,
you took it with you.
354
00:15:12,607 --> 00:15:17,737
Super Bowl Sunday, 1986.
355
00:15:17,786 --> 00:15:20,396
He was in a hurry,
always in a hurry.
356
00:15:20,441 --> 00:15:22,401
♪
357
00:15:24,836 --> 00:15:26,706
Mhm...
358
00:15:26,751 --> 00:15:28,801
Mhm.
359
00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:34,370
He was very fidgety and
nervous when he came in.
360
00:15:34,411 --> 00:15:37,371
Say what you
gotta say, and leave.
361
00:15:37,414 --> 00:15:40,594
She knew something was going
on because he had come home
362
00:15:40,635 --> 00:15:43,985
to her home, and he had
something and he put it
363
00:15:44,030 --> 00:15:46,290
somewhere in her home.
And...
364
00:15:46,336 --> 00:15:48,426
He was acting...
365
00:15:48,469 --> 00:15:51,119
nervous and antsy,
and felt like...
366
00:15:51,167 --> 00:15:52,907
something might
happen to him.
367
00:15:52,952 --> 00:15:55,522
And who it was,
I don't think she knew
368
00:15:55,563 --> 00:15:58,173
who he was afraid of,
or who he was worried about.
369
00:15:58,218 --> 00:16:00,388
PRODUCER: Do you know
what he hid in her house,
370
00:16:00,437 --> 00:16:01,527
that you're referring to?
371
00:16:01,569 --> 00:16:02,659
No.
372
00:16:02,700 --> 00:16:06,310
Was he nervous?
Yeah, real nervous.
373
00:16:06,356 --> 00:16:08,006
And Gino wasn't
afraid of anything,
374
00:16:08,054 --> 00:16:11,014
but there's certain things
you can't dodge.
375
00:16:11,057 --> 00:16:13,797
If somebody wants to get you,
they'll get you.
376
00:16:13,842 --> 00:16:16,192
♪
377
00:16:16,236 --> 00:16:17,626
He came to the
matches one night,
378
00:16:17,672 --> 00:16:19,542
and he came
running in my office,
379
00:16:19,587 --> 00:16:20,937
and he was
telling me this story.
380
00:16:20,980 --> 00:16:23,030
And he said,
"You wouldn't believe it, Dave.
381
00:16:23,069 --> 00:16:24,329
You wouldn't believe it."
382
00:16:24,374 --> 00:16:25,514
He said, "I'm driving and
I look in the back and
383
00:16:25,549 --> 00:16:27,029
I can see someone
sitting in the back."
384
00:16:27,073 --> 00:16:28,773
And he said, "I didn't know
what to do," and he said,
385
00:16:28,813 --> 00:16:30,823
"So I'm watching to see if
they're gonna try to stab me
386
00:16:30,859 --> 00:16:32,599
or whatever," and he says,
"So all of a sudden,
387
00:16:32,643 --> 00:16:34,343
I just slammed on the brakes
and then they jumped out
388
00:16:34,384 --> 00:16:36,264
the back and they ran off."
389
00:16:36,299 --> 00:16:37,609
And he said, "I think
they were gonna kill me."
390
00:16:37,648 --> 00:16:40,608
He's like, "I need a gun."
391
00:16:40,651 --> 00:16:43,001
I could just tell,
he was scared to death.
392
00:16:43,045 --> 00:16:46,305
And so, I said, "No, I don't
have a gun with me, Gino."
393
00:16:46,353 --> 00:16:48,053
I said, "But I think
you're okay. I think, you know,
394
00:16:48,094 --> 00:16:49,574
maybe you just
saw something."
395
00:16:49,617 --> 00:16:52,047
And he was like, "No, no, no.
They're following me.
396
00:16:52,098 --> 00:16:54,008
I'm afraid something's
gonna happen to me,
397
00:16:54,056 --> 00:16:56,056
you know, I gotta get a gun.
I gotta get a gun."
398
00:16:56,102 --> 00:16:58,152
He was adamant someone
was sitting in the
399
00:16:58,191 --> 00:17:01,801
backseat of his car,
and he got a glimpse of him
400
00:17:01,846 --> 00:17:04,066
through his rearview mirror.
401
00:17:04,110 --> 00:17:06,720
Maybe Gino was telling me
the truth all these times
402
00:17:06,764 --> 00:17:08,244
that someone was
either stalking him,
403
00:17:08,288 --> 00:17:11,768
or someone was after him, or
someone was going to kill him.
404
00:17:11,813 --> 00:17:15,433
That night was the
last night I saw Gino.
405
00:17:15,469 --> 00:17:17,779
The last time I saw
Gino alive, and he said,
406
00:17:17,819 --> 00:17:20,599
"Hey, kiddo, look what I
got here," and he had
407
00:17:20,648 --> 00:17:23,298
a white box and he said
it was a peach pie.
408
00:17:23,346 --> 00:17:25,476
And he said he
was going out,
409
00:17:25,522 --> 00:17:28,572
but if I wanted to
stop by the next day,
410
00:17:28,612 --> 00:17:31,922
"Come and have a slice,
it's delicious."
411
00:17:31,963 --> 00:17:36,583
On my birthday
February the 5th, 1986...
412
00:17:36,620 --> 00:17:40,670
Walter called me.
He was Gino's manager.
413
00:17:40,711 --> 00:17:45,591
He did a lot of Gino's
bookings and he said,
414
00:17:45,629 --> 00:17:47,679
"Patrice, have you
heard from Gino?"
415
00:17:47,718 --> 00:17:49,238
I said, "No. Why?"
416
00:17:49,285 --> 00:17:51,975
He said, "Well, I need to,
I need to talk to him."
417
00:17:52,027 --> 00:17:54,027
"I haven't heard from him,
but today's my birthday and
418
00:17:54,073 --> 00:17:56,643
I know he'll be calling me.
419
00:17:56,684 --> 00:17:58,644
I'll tell him to
give you a call."
420
00:17:58,686 --> 00:18:02,906
The next day, I saw
Gino's car parked.
421
00:18:02,951 --> 00:18:05,521
I noticed the car was
sort of out of alignment,
422
00:18:05,562 --> 00:18:10,442
the wheels were strange,
like he parked it really quick.
423
00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:12,830
He missed a show
up in Oklahoma,
424
00:18:12,874 --> 00:18:16,144
and that wasn't like him, but I
didn't think anything about it.
425
00:18:16,182 --> 00:18:17,402
And then we
couldn't reach him.
426
00:18:17,444 --> 00:18:19,364
We tried to, we tried
to get a hold of Gino.
427
00:18:19,402 --> 00:18:21,142
We couldn't reach him.
428
00:18:21,187 --> 00:18:26,237
The next day, the car was
still the same position.
429
00:18:26,279 --> 00:18:29,369
I'm gonna go and
check on him, and, and...
430
00:18:29,412 --> 00:18:33,762
knocking on his door, and I
can't really get a good vision,
431
00:18:33,808 --> 00:18:39,068
but I did see a pie,
the pie.
432
00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:41,158
And then I heard that,
you know,
433
00:18:41,207 --> 00:18:42,337
he didn't show up
in Houston,
434
00:18:42,382 --> 00:18:44,082
which was
definitely unusual.
435
00:18:44,123 --> 00:18:45,603
When I went to the office
on Monday and
436
00:18:45,646 --> 00:18:47,866
I hadn't heard from Gino...
437
00:18:47,909 --> 00:18:49,169
I said, "We got a problem."
438
00:18:49,215 --> 00:18:50,515
One of the guys
that worked referee,
439
00:18:50,564 --> 00:18:52,134
of course, was named
Rick Hazzard.
440
00:18:52,174 --> 00:18:55,314
And I said, "Rick, why don't
you go over to Gino's apartment,
441
00:18:55,351 --> 00:18:56,871
see if his car's there."
442
00:18:56,918 --> 00:18:58,348
And so, he called me,
and he said,
443
00:18:58,398 --> 00:19:01,008
"Well, the car's here, but no
one's answering the door."
444
00:19:01,052 --> 00:19:02,272
And I said, "Why don't you
see if you can get
445
00:19:02,315 --> 00:19:04,745
over the wall and just peek in."
446
00:19:04,795 --> 00:19:07,795
And sure enough,
Rick got over the wall.
447
00:19:07,842 --> 00:19:09,152
The way the bed was
laying, at first,
448
00:19:09,191 --> 00:19:10,411
he couldn't see anything.
449
00:19:10,453 --> 00:19:12,063
He just happened
to glance down...
450
00:19:12,107 --> 00:19:13,497
and where the bed ended,
451
00:19:13,543 --> 00:19:16,943
he could see part of the
body hanging out.
452
00:19:16,981 --> 00:19:18,941
At that point,
they called the police.
453
00:19:18,983 --> 00:19:21,203
The cops said he had
been laying there,
454
00:19:21,247 --> 00:19:24,077
they had estimated about...
455
00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:25,859
4 to 5 days.
456
00:19:25,903 --> 00:19:28,913
Walter took some wrestler
and went to the condo.
457
00:19:28,950 --> 00:19:32,080
They got in 'cause Walter was
the only one that had the key.
458
00:19:32,127 --> 00:19:33,557
There was a gun
on the scene,
459
00:19:33,607 --> 00:19:35,737
so I don't know
where Gino got the gun,
460
00:19:35,783 --> 00:19:38,313
but there was a gun on the
scene when they found him.
461
00:19:38,351 --> 00:19:40,881
I was standing outside
Chris's apartment,
462
00:19:40,918 --> 00:19:43,828
actually, and they're
bringing out his body in,
463
00:19:43,878 --> 00:19:46,748
in a body bag.
It was just like...
464
00:19:46,794 --> 00:19:49,934
something you're,
you're in denial.
465
00:19:49,971 --> 00:19:55,191
Probably about, I'd say,
very short span of time,
466
00:19:55,237 --> 00:19:58,067
Walter calls me again.
467
00:19:58,109 --> 00:20:03,289
And he said...
"Patrice, this-- it's Walter."
468
00:20:03,332 --> 00:20:06,422
And I said, "Do you--
Did Gino get in touch with you?"
469
00:20:06,466 --> 00:20:09,206
I said, "He hasn't called me,
but have you found him?"
470
00:20:09,251 --> 00:20:11,301
He said...
471
00:20:11,340 --> 00:20:16,740
"Yeah... I'm standing
here in his condo."
472
00:20:16,780 --> 00:20:22,180
I said, "Well, is he okay?"
He said, "He's dead."
473
00:20:22,221 --> 00:20:24,011
And he hung up.
474
00:20:24,048 --> 00:20:26,878
♪
475
00:20:26,921 --> 00:20:29,621
And I just
started screaming.
476
00:20:29,663 --> 00:20:36,713
♪
477
00:20:36,757 --> 00:20:40,017
Death came to
Gino Hernandez.
478
00:20:40,064 --> 00:20:42,504
Wrestling fans were shocked
at the sudden end to
479
00:20:42,545 --> 00:20:45,455
one of the brightest
careers in the game.
480
00:20:45,505 --> 00:20:48,805
His friends were saddened
by an irreplaceable loss
481
00:20:48,856 --> 00:20:51,506
of a vibrant young spirit.
482
00:20:51,554 --> 00:20:53,384
To his mother and sister,
483
00:20:53,426 --> 00:20:58,036
it was a tragedy of
indescribable magnitude.
484
00:20:58,082 --> 00:21:00,742
Police arrived at the home
of wrestler Gino Hernandez
485
00:21:00,781 --> 00:21:05,391
in February of 1986, and
discovered his dead body.
486
00:21:05,438 --> 00:21:08,658
It was so decomposed that
the exact cause of death
487
00:21:08,702 --> 00:21:10,662
could not be determined.
488
00:21:10,704 --> 00:21:13,274
A loaded pistol was found
next to his right hand,
489
00:21:13,315 --> 00:21:15,485
and police found no
sign of drugs or
490
00:21:15,535 --> 00:21:17,185
paraphernalia in the condo.
491
00:21:24,195 --> 00:21:28,195
Yeah, I was grieving.
Mica and I was grieving.
492
00:21:28,243 --> 00:21:31,033
And, he just knocked on
the door and he said,
493
00:21:31,072 --> 00:21:34,032
"I would like to come in
and discuss the funeral."
494
00:21:34,075 --> 00:21:36,765
Well, of course,
I let him in.
495
00:21:36,817 --> 00:21:39,857
Gino knew him. He was--
Gino went places with him.
496
00:21:39,907 --> 00:21:41,817
♪
497
00:21:41,865 --> 00:21:44,605
But I really
didn't know him.
498
00:21:44,651 --> 00:21:46,091
We were both sitting
facing each other,
499
00:21:46,130 --> 00:21:49,570
sitting on the floor, and...
500
00:21:49,612 --> 00:21:54,752
If I can recollect,
he says to me...
501
00:21:54,791 --> 00:21:57,881
"Gino owed me a
lot of money,
502
00:21:57,925 --> 00:22:01,055
but just don't you
worry about it
503
00:22:01,102 --> 00:22:03,762
'cause I'm gonna pay
for his funeral."
504
00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:05,930
I was sitting there
and I know how I felt,
505
00:22:05,976 --> 00:22:07,716
looking at him.
506
00:22:07,761 --> 00:22:09,371
I was scared to death.
507
00:22:14,028 --> 00:22:15,508
Yeah.
508
00:22:15,551 --> 00:22:17,121
Well, it's just the tone of
voice and the way somebody
509
00:22:17,161 --> 00:22:19,251
looks at you when they stick
their finger in your--
510
00:22:19,294 --> 00:22:23,524
and they lean in to you like,
"Do you hear me?"
511
00:22:23,559 --> 00:22:27,079
No remorse.
No empathy.
512
00:22:27,128 --> 00:22:31,048
Nothing... nothing.
513
00:22:31,088 --> 00:22:34,658
I'm an intelligent woman,
and I can read a person
514
00:22:34,701 --> 00:22:36,791
pretty dog gone well.
515
00:22:36,833 --> 00:22:39,713
Eye to eye contact;
that tells you a lot.
516
00:22:39,749 --> 00:22:43,409
♪
517
00:22:43,449 --> 00:22:48,189
You know, I remember
walking into...
518
00:22:48,236 --> 00:22:49,976
to the funeral.
519
00:22:50,020 --> 00:22:54,370
Went up, paid our respects.
520
00:22:54,416 --> 00:22:58,586
There was a platinum casket.
521
00:22:58,638 --> 00:23:02,028
And... it was closed casket.
522
00:23:02,076 --> 00:23:05,076
So many people.
523
00:23:05,122 --> 00:23:11,352
I dressed the finest
I could dress, like a...
524
00:23:11,390 --> 00:23:16,700
movie star because I knew that
Gino wanted me to look that way.
525
00:23:16,743 --> 00:23:20,053
♪
526
00:23:20,094 --> 00:23:21,574
There were a lot of
people that were hurting,
527
00:23:21,617 --> 00:23:24,487
his mom, and his sister.
Oh my gosh,
528
00:23:24,533 --> 00:23:27,713
and that was just painful
to know they were hurting.
529
00:23:27,754 --> 00:23:30,064
There was a group of men,
and Patrice would probably
530
00:23:30,104 --> 00:23:32,414
know who they were
more than I would,
531
00:23:32,454 --> 00:23:34,854
that took care of all the
finances of that funeral
532
00:23:34,891 --> 00:23:36,071
and it was a...
533
00:23:36,110 --> 00:23:38,240
very expensive funeral.
534
00:23:38,286 --> 00:23:39,676
They, they...
535
00:23:39,722 --> 00:23:42,862
do the service at
the grave site,
536
00:23:42,899 --> 00:23:44,859
and then they had
bottle of champagne,
537
00:23:44,901 --> 00:23:46,771
they had glasses, and people
were pouring champagne.
538
00:23:46,816 --> 00:23:49,116
And, "To you, Gino!"
Drinking the champagne,
539
00:23:49,166 --> 00:23:50,986
then breaking the
champagne glasses,
540
00:23:51,038 --> 00:23:54,868
you know, on the casket,
and toasting Gino.
541
00:23:54,911 --> 00:23:56,481
When you were
looking at all of this,
542
00:23:56,522 --> 00:23:58,922
it just was surreal,
to a point.
543
00:23:58,959 --> 00:24:02,699
Almost like an out of body
experience, a little bit.
544
00:24:02,745 --> 00:24:05,915
There was a gentleman
there that did a eulogy,
545
00:24:05,966 --> 00:24:09,616
that talked about Gino
getting on planes and
546
00:24:09,665 --> 00:24:11,665
going to Vegas, and...
547
00:24:11,711 --> 00:24:14,981
beating up a guy and putting
him in a headlock, and...
548
00:24:15,018 --> 00:24:19,498
It was just weird.
It was tonally off,
549
00:24:19,545 --> 00:24:21,235
and it was almost like
people going,
550
00:24:21,285 --> 00:24:24,545
"Who the
fuck is this guy?"
551
00:24:24,593 --> 00:24:27,203
And, to some of us that
hadn't been around for a while,
552
00:24:27,248 --> 00:24:28,768
we just thought it was,
you know,
553
00:24:28,815 --> 00:24:32,245
a new friend or whatever.
We had no clue.
554
00:24:32,296 --> 00:24:36,206
At his funeral, there was
a lot of rich people.
555
00:24:36,257 --> 00:24:39,907
You might assume drug
dealing is going on.
556
00:24:39,956 --> 00:24:43,256
And people made
comments like,
557
00:24:43,307 --> 00:24:45,917
"Do you know who that is?"
And I had no clue who it is.
558
00:24:45,962 --> 00:24:47,752
If you were putting me
on the line today,
559
00:24:47,790 --> 00:24:49,180
I wouldn't know who it is.
560
00:24:49,226 --> 00:24:52,876
But people talking about,
"Oh, well, he's, he's...
561
00:24:52,926 --> 00:24:55,226
He's wanted by the
authorities, you know."
562
00:24:55,276 --> 00:24:57,316
I don't know who
the hell he is.
563
00:24:57,365 --> 00:25:01,755
Who was the guy
that gave the eulogy?
564
00:25:01,804 --> 00:25:03,334
That's John Royal.
565
00:25:09,246 --> 00:25:13,766
I just heard that he,
he was a drug dealer.
566
00:25:13,816 --> 00:25:18,256
I mean, I didn't know anything
about the man, period.
567
00:25:18,299 --> 00:25:22,129
As far as I know,
right now he's in prison.
568
00:25:22,172 --> 00:25:24,262
I would've done just pretty
much anything then
569
00:25:24,305 --> 00:25:26,955
just to make sure my
daughter was safe,
570
00:25:27,003 --> 00:25:29,183
and I was too.
571
00:25:29,223 --> 00:25:32,573
And that's the way it's
been all these years.
572
00:25:32,618 --> 00:25:35,058
I hadn't talked to anybody
until I talked to you guys.
573
00:25:35,098 --> 00:25:42,018
♪
574
00:25:42,062 --> 00:25:46,112
As the Hernandez family
mourned Gino's mysterious death,
575
00:25:46,153 --> 00:25:48,763
many questions
remained unanswered.
576
00:25:48,808 --> 00:25:50,328
Rumors began to fly
throughout the
577
00:25:50,374 --> 00:25:53,644
wrestling community and beyond.
578
00:25:53,682 --> 00:25:56,292
So, a lot of people,
when Gino died,
579
00:25:56,337 --> 00:25:57,897
were immediately
telling the story,
580
00:25:57,947 --> 00:25:59,377
"Here's what happened."
581
00:25:59,427 --> 00:26:01,597
Andre the Giant told us that
he knew for a fact that
582
00:26:01,647 --> 00:26:03,737
Gino had been shot in the head.
583
00:26:03,779 --> 00:26:05,609
And that was not the case.
584
00:26:05,651 --> 00:26:08,611
I heard from somebody that
he was close with that
585
00:26:08,654 --> 00:26:13,354
he used to take trips down to
Houston, Southwest Airlines,
586
00:26:13,397 --> 00:26:15,267
several times a week to
go down to Houston.
587
00:26:15,312 --> 00:26:16,752
For what, I don't know.
588
00:26:16,792 --> 00:26:19,752
The rumor mill was that
he had gambled and that
589
00:26:19,795 --> 00:26:22,665
he owed some money
on a football game.
590
00:26:22,711 --> 00:26:24,061
And so, you got all
these different rumors,
591
00:26:24,104 --> 00:26:25,454
and with Chris
and with Gino,
592
00:26:25,496 --> 00:26:27,536
you had the
conflict going on.
593
00:26:27,586 --> 00:26:29,886
Police have received
several telephone calls
594
00:26:29,936 --> 00:26:31,236
from concerned fans,
595
00:26:31,285 --> 00:26:33,195
who say Hernandez might
have been murdered.
596
00:26:33,243 --> 00:26:34,553
[indistinct shouts]
597
00:26:34,593 --> 00:26:36,423
And immediately it's like,
well, Chris did it.
598
00:26:36,464 --> 00:26:37,944
Why? The guy blinded him.
599
00:26:37,987 --> 00:26:39,987
PRODUCER: Had you ever heard
that all the World Class fans
600
00:26:40,033 --> 00:26:42,303
called the police saying it
must have been Chris?
601
00:26:42,339 --> 00:26:47,129
I did hear that, and I think
the police actually did...
602
00:26:47,170 --> 00:26:51,090
contact Chris about
the murder of Gino.
603
00:26:51,131 --> 00:26:53,261
That goes to show just
how believable
604
00:26:53,307 --> 00:26:55,307
World Class Championship
Wrestling was,
605
00:26:55,352 --> 00:26:56,962
that somebody would
go to the depth to think,
606
00:26:57,006 --> 00:26:58,656
Jesus, he killed that guy
because that guy
607
00:26:58,704 --> 00:27:00,234
took his eyesight.
608
00:27:00,270 --> 00:27:02,800
This is a case that we're
talking 30 years ago...
609
00:27:02,838 --> 00:27:06,018
and there's been a lot
of rumors like this.
610
00:27:06,059 --> 00:27:08,279
None of the family members were
ever allowed to see him.
611
00:27:08,322 --> 00:27:12,942
His corpse, his body
was just so guarded.
612
00:27:14,545 --> 00:27:18,585
Um, I think Walter.
613
00:27:18,637 --> 00:27:20,157
It would just be too shocking
because he had been
614
00:27:20,203 --> 00:27:24,213
dead for so long that they
didn't want anybody to see him.
615
00:27:24,251 --> 00:27:26,731
Now, I'm pretty meticulous
about saving everything.
616
00:27:26,775 --> 00:27:30,335
This is the suitcase that
I put everything in after
617
00:27:30,387 --> 00:27:33,127
I had collected stuff,
after he had passed away,
618
00:27:33,173 --> 00:27:35,043
anything that I could get
my hands on 'cause
619
00:27:35,088 --> 00:27:37,478
I never got to go in
his apartment.
620
00:27:37,525 --> 00:27:39,785
As a mother, got a lot of
questions that nobody
621
00:27:39,832 --> 00:27:43,572
has ever...
ever answered me.
622
00:27:43,618 --> 00:27:45,098
I said, well,
I tell you what,
623
00:27:45,141 --> 00:27:47,401
I'll just do my
own investigating.
624
00:27:47,448 --> 00:27:51,058
And if, if I can find out
the right person to contact,
625
00:27:51,104 --> 00:27:54,764
I'll contact that person and
take care of it myself...
626
00:27:54,803 --> 00:27:57,503
worry about the
consequences later,
627
00:27:57,545 --> 00:27:59,025
and that's
exactly what I did.
628
00:27:59,068 --> 00:28:02,068
I think there was foul play
in Gino's death only because,
629
00:28:02,115 --> 00:28:04,195
one,
he was super paranoid.
630
00:28:04,247 --> 00:28:06,247
When he walked
into his apartment,
631
00:28:06,293 --> 00:28:07,733
he locked the doors.
632
00:28:07,773 --> 00:28:10,213
And he had a deadbolt
on the inside, so,
633
00:28:10,253 --> 00:28:13,823
the deadbolt was not locked from
the inside of the apartment.
634
00:28:13,866 --> 00:28:15,516
It never made
any sense to me.
635
00:28:15,563 --> 00:28:19,053
The deadbolt wasn't on,
and he always locked it.
636
00:28:19,088 --> 00:28:21,438
So, somebody was
there with him.
637
00:28:21,482 --> 00:28:24,962
Well, who was
there with him?
638
00:28:25,007 --> 00:28:26,787
And left him alone?
639
00:28:26,835 --> 00:28:28,315
If it would 'a been me,
and I would 'a said,
640
00:28:28,358 --> 00:28:30,228
"You need to do an autopsy
'cause someone murdered him."
641
00:28:30,273 --> 00:28:31,803
The autopsy report?
642
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:33,490
When they found him
and he was,
643
00:28:33,537 --> 00:28:36,667
had been dead for a while.
I asked what happened.
644
00:28:36,715 --> 00:28:40,195
I believe they said that it
might be a drug overdose.
645
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:43,500
I remember talking to the
coroner and he said that
646
00:28:43,547 --> 00:28:45,937
Gino had cocaine
in his system,
647
00:28:45,985 --> 00:28:48,465
but he had 5 times
the amount.
648
00:28:48,509 --> 00:28:50,419
I believe I was told he
had enough that
649
00:28:50,467 --> 00:28:52,117
could've killed an elephant.
650
00:28:52,165 --> 00:28:53,815
He had more than just
enough to overdose;
651
00:28:53,862 --> 00:28:56,652
he had 3 or 4 or 5 times
in his body that
652
00:28:56,691 --> 00:28:58,211
it would take to overdose.
653
00:28:58,258 --> 00:29:01,568
The medical examiner had
said that he didn't understand
654
00:29:01,609 --> 00:29:03,919
how that much cocaine
could get in someone,
655
00:29:03,959 --> 00:29:06,309
you know,
be ingested...
656
00:29:06,353 --> 00:29:08,623
Makes you question,
you know,
657
00:29:08,659 --> 00:29:09,969
what the hell happened?
658
00:29:10,009 --> 00:29:12,789
Autopsy report said
he was morbidly obese.
659
00:29:12,838 --> 00:29:14,708
It said that he
was Hispanic.
660
00:29:14,753 --> 00:29:16,063
She asked me,
she said, "Now,
661
00:29:16,102 --> 00:29:18,452
I'm pretty sure about
this because, you know,
662
00:29:18,495 --> 00:29:21,625
I did give birth to him.
Was Gino circumcised?"
663
00:29:21,672 --> 00:29:23,812
I said, "Well, he was."
664
00:29:23,849 --> 00:29:26,939
Well, the autopsy report said
it was an uncircumcised male.
665
00:29:29,115 --> 00:29:31,415
Well, first of all,
is that even really him?
666
00:29:31,465 --> 00:29:35,425
If it's not him...
I wondered sometimes,
667
00:29:35,469 --> 00:29:38,689
could he have, would he
have faked his own death?
668
00:29:38,733 --> 00:29:43,653
When we were married,
there was a comedy, sitcom,
669
00:29:43,694 --> 00:29:44,914
I don't remember
the name of it.
670
00:29:44,957 --> 00:29:47,567
The main character had
faked his own death.
671
00:29:47,611 --> 00:29:50,091
He was some sort of trouble,
whether it was tax evasion
672
00:29:50,136 --> 00:29:51,876
or he was trying to hide
from somebody after him.
673
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,270
He had left a,
a wife and a child,
674
00:29:54,314 --> 00:29:57,454
and came back
like 7 years later.
675
00:29:57,491 --> 00:29:59,751
Gino had said,
"I'm gonna do that someday.
676
00:29:59,798 --> 00:30:01,628
That's what I would do."
677
00:30:01,669 --> 00:30:05,499
Well, I wished that it
wasn't him in there.
678
00:30:05,542 --> 00:30:07,982
But, I know in my heart
that if he is alive,
679
00:30:08,023 --> 00:30:10,333
I'd 'a heard
from him by now.
680
00:30:10,373 --> 00:30:12,593
She was wanting to
push for answers and
681
00:30:12,636 --> 00:30:14,026
really push for answers.
682
00:30:14,073 --> 00:30:18,123
And as a mother,
I felt for her, and I just...
683
00:30:18,164 --> 00:30:20,434
We had the discussion
then, well,
684
00:30:20,470 --> 00:30:21,910
if we start
stirring the pot,
685
00:30:21,950 --> 00:30:24,340
what's gonna keep them
from doing something to,
686
00:30:24,387 --> 00:30:26,127
you know, our children?
687
00:30:29,479 --> 00:30:31,129
It feels like he was
probably killed,
688
00:30:31,177 --> 00:30:33,737
that somebody murdered him.
It feels that way to me.
689
00:30:33,788 --> 00:30:36,268
♪
690
00:30:36,312 --> 00:30:39,492
That's what the rumblings
were at the time,
691
00:30:39,533 --> 00:30:41,273
that he had been murdered.
692
00:30:41,317 --> 00:30:44,487
And I could certainly see that
happening with Gino, you know.
693
00:30:44,538 --> 00:30:46,848
Some of the people he hung
with were powerful people.
694
00:30:46,888 --> 00:30:49,938
He may have
pissed somebody off.
695
00:30:49,978 --> 00:30:55,548
If he were in some way
involved with a drug ring...
696
00:30:55,592 --> 00:30:57,902
Maybe he knew something.
697
00:30:57,943 --> 00:31:00,033
And...
698
00:31:00,075 --> 00:31:05,115
Maybe they were
worried he would talk.
699
00:31:05,167 --> 00:31:08,477
Conspiracy theories about
Gino's death lingered on,
700
00:31:08,518 --> 00:31:10,128
but it would take over 30 years
701
00:31:10,172 --> 00:31:12,442
before answers
began to surface.
702
00:31:12,479 --> 00:31:18,919
♪
703
00:31:18,964 --> 00:31:22,534
In the days leading up to
Gino's mysterious death,
704
00:31:22,576 --> 00:31:25,006
those closest to him
noticed that he seemed
705
00:31:25,057 --> 00:31:30,537
fearful of something, or...
someone.
706
00:31:30,584 --> 00:31:32,114
Of course, you know, this is,
707
00:31:32,151 --> 00:31:34,461
this is hearsay, you know.
708
00:31:34,501 --> 00:31:39,031
But, it seems to be that
general consensus that he,
709
00:31:39,071 --> 00:31:42,291
weeks leading up,
or prior to his death,
710
00:31:42,335 --> 00:31:44,945
he felt like he, somebody
was going to kill him.
711
00:31:44,990 --> 00:31:48,730
To hear multiple people
saying that they got that
712
00:31:48,776 --> 00:31:52,346
from him as well, maybe this
was a very real possibility.
713
00:31:52,388 --> 00:31:54,738
You know,
maybe this is what happened.
714
00:31:54,782 --> 00:31:56,962
♪
715
00:31:57,002 --> 00:32:00,702
I was going to my car
and he was coming in, and,
716
00:32:00,744 --> 00:32:02,534
and he says, "Hey,
why don't you come along,
717
00:32:02,572 --> 00:32:05,312
have a couple drinks?"
So, I said, "Okay."
718
00:32:05,358 --> 00:32:07,968
We actually walked
to his apartment.
719
00:32:08,013 --> 00:32:14,243
He walked into the kitchen and
he had a cabinet above his sink.
720
00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:19,850
He took out a cereal bowl and
the bowl was full of cocaine.
721
00:32:19,894 --> 00:32:21,814
There was a lot of
cocaine in there.
722
00:32:21,852 --> 00:32:23,812
And he put that
on the counter,
723
00:32:23,854 --> 00:32:26,554
and he started
using the cocaine.
724
00:32:26,596 --> 00:32:27,986
♪
725
00:32:28,033 --> 00:32:31,343
It wasn't very long,
maybe... [sighs]
726
00:32:31,384 --> 00:32:34,174
30 minutes,
40 minutes later,
727
00:32:34,213 --> 00:32:39,263
he stopped speaking and
when I talked he said, "Sh!"
728
00:32:39,305 --> 00:32:41,695
He wasn't being
angry to me, but he was,
729
00:32:41,742 --> 00:32:44,142
"Sh, don't speak."
730
00:32:44,179 --> 00:32:47,619
He kept going to the back
and looking out the window.
731
00:32:47,661 --> 00:32:51,011
He had a,
quite intense paranoia.
732
00:32:51,056 --> 00:32:54,096
He puts a
plug in the sink, and...
733
00:32:54,146 --> 00:32:56,706
turns on the water.
734
00:32:56,757 --> 00:32:59,847
The water started
coming over the top,
735
00:32:59,890 --> 00:33:02,330
dripping onto the floor.
736
00:33:02,371 --> 00:33:05,511
I go to pull the plug out
of the sink and
737
00:33:05,548 --> 00:33:08,988
he stops me,
pulls me back.
738
00:33:09,030 --> 00:33:10,990
He was like, "Sh!"
739
00:33:11,032 --> 00:33:14,642
The water was still
falling on the floor.
740
00:33:14,688 --> 00:33:16,908
I turned,
just around a little bit,
741
00:33:16,951 --> 00:33:20,091
and he had a
gun in his hand.
742
00:33:20,128 --> 00:33:24,738
My heart started to
beat kind of fast,
743
00:33:24,785 --> 00:33:29,305
and he was holding me, telling
me to be really quiet, and...
744
00:33:29,355 --> 00:33:33,525
Could hear
nothing but the water.
745
00:33:33,576 --> 00:33:36,876
And he seemed to be
comforted that
746
00:33:36,927 --> 00:33:39,497
it was covering up
sound of some kind,
747
00:33:39,539 --> 00:33:42,319
just the sound of
the water seemed,
748
00:33:42,368 --> 00:33:47,288
for whatever reason,
he found that comforting.
749
00:33:47,329 --> 00:33:49,849
He would go to the windows
and he would just
750
00:33:49,897 --> 00:33:54,417
stare outside into the darkness,
over and over again,
751
00:33:54,467 --> 00:33:59,427
just looking outside
into the darkness.
752
00:33:59,472 --> 00:34:03,352
You can see he was afraid,
it seemed, of the dark...
753
00:34:03,389 --> 00:34:05,429
in his mind.
754
00:34:05,478 --> 00:34:06,958
♪
755
00:34:12,528 --> 00:34:13,878
Yeah, 'cause I was
doing them with him.
756
00:34:13,921 --> 00:34:16,661
[laughs] Duh.
757
00:34:16,706 --> 00:34:19,356
You know,
I was no saint, man.
758
00:34:19,405 --> 00:34:21,885
I know that Gino was doing
coke and I don't know
759
00:34:21,929 --> 00:34:25,319
how much he was doing,
but the night I was there
760
00:34:25,367 --> 00:34:28,537
he damn sure had some,
quite a bit there, you know.
761
00:34:28,588 --> 00:34:31,368
Wasn't no 8-ball,
that's for damn sure.
762
00:34:31,417 --> 00:34:34,897
I was surprised that there
was not any cocaine
763
00:34:34,942 --> 00:34:36,642
found by the police.
764
00:34:36,683 --> 00:34:39,643
But I did hear rumors
that it was cleaned up.
765
00:34:39,686 --> 00:34:41,506
I would just say a good
source told me that
766
00:34:41,557 --> 00:34:44,037
Rick was kind of enough
to immediately--
767
00:34:44,082 --> 00:34:45,562
there was a bowl.
768
00:34:45,605 --> 00:34:47,475
He said it was crazy, it was
almost like a sugar bowl.
769
00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:50,180
And he said, "I've never seen
that much blow in my life.
770
00:34:50,218 --> 00:34:52,348
It was full of coke."
771
00:34:52,394 --> 00:34:55,144
Just out of reaction, he just
took it and dumped it.
772
00:34:55,180 --> 00:34:58,310
I don't think anyone else that
was even there knew that.
773
00:34:58,357 --> 00:34:59,917
I don't know who he thought
maybe he was protecting,
774
00:34:59,967 --> 00:35:01,967
but you know...
775
00:35:02,012 --> 00:35:03,712
I think he just did
it out of instinct.
776
00:35:03,753 --> 00:35:06,893
Some of the wrestlers,
including Chris,
777
00:35:06,930 --> 00:35:08,930
said there might
be more to it.
778
00:35:08,976 --> 00:35:12,676
Where was he getting
so much cocaine from?
779
00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:17,549
[sighs] I was afraid then,
very afraid,
780
00:35:17,593 --> 00:35:19,643
'cause I haven't talked
about it all these years...
781
00:35:19,682 --> 00:35:21,822
'cause I, I got tired of
looking over my shoulder
782
00:35:21,858 --> 00:35:23,898
every time I walked
out the apartment,
783
00:35:23,947 --> 00:35:26,907
and I been living
like that ever since.
784
00:35:26,950 --> 00:35:30,170
Nobody should have
to live like that.
785
00:35:30,215 --> 00:35:32,475
Took a lot of my
life away from me.
786
00:35:32,521 --> 00:35:36,531
And now, you know, 77,
where do I go from here?
787
00:35:36,569 --> 00:35:37,789
♪
788
00:35:37,831 --> 00:35:41,011
It's too much secrecy,
too much lying.
789
00:35:41,051 --> 00:35:43,051
Too much deceit.
790
00:35:43,097 --> 00:35:45,967
I truly believe he's not
here today because of the
791
00:35:46,013 --> 00:35:48,363
people he chose
to be around.
792
00:35:48,407 --> 00:35:52,537
I have nothing to lose 'cause
I've already lost part of it.
793
00:35:52,585 --> 00:35:54,625
You know, you can't take
any more away from me
794
00:35:54,674 --> 00:35:57,074
than you already have.
795
00:35:57,111 --> 00:36:01,421
All we really want
is just an answer.
796
00:36:01,463 --> 00:36:03,903
Shortly after Gino's
family told their story,
797
00:36:03,944 --> 00:36:06,904
producers contacted
John Royal by phone.
798
00:36:06,947 --> 00:36:09,907
He had recently served a
30-year prison term
799
00:36:09,950 --> 00:36:11,690
for trafficking cocaine.
800
00:36:11,734 --> 00:36:15,004
What follows is their
recorded conversation.
801
00:36:15,042 --> 00:36:17,612
PRODUCER: We're doing a
documentary about Gino and
802
00:36:17,653 --> 00:36:20,093
we've been talking a lot
with his family,
803
00:36:20,134 --> 00:36:22,184
and your name has come up a
couple of times 'cause
804
00:36:22,223 --> 00:36:24,533
you were close
friends with Gino.
805
00:36:24,573 --> 00:36:26,533
Gino's mother had
told us a story,
806
00:36:26,575 --> 00:36:31,055
a time when you approached
her and had told her
807
00:36:31,101 --> 00:36:32,841
that you were gonna
pay for the funeral,
808
00:36:32,886 --> 00:36:34,016
is that true?
809
00:36:36,281 --> 00:36:37,761
I think you had also
said that Gino had
810
00:36:37,804 --> 00:36:39,204
owed you a lot of money.
811
00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:40,680
Is that something that you
had said to her as well?
812
00:36:46,116 --> 00:36:48,986
PRODUCER: Right.
813
00:36:49,032 --> 00:36:51,172
Well, that's really
good to know.
814
00:36:55,082 --> 00:37:00,002
♪
815
00:37:00,043 --> 00:37:03,793
PRODUCER: Had you ever heard
any rumors about, you know,
816
00:37:03,830 --> 00:37:08,700
Gino's death not being something
that was accidental? Like...
817
00:37:08,748 --> 00:37:09,838
JOHN: No.
818
00:37:15,842 --> 00:37:18,112
PRODUCER: Right.
819
00:37:43,652 --> 00:37:45,612
In addition to
John Royal's story,
820
00:37:45,654 --> 00:37:48,534
a former drug trafficker who
asked to remain anonymous
821
00:37:48,570 --> 00:37:52,180
has come forward with
his version of events.
822
00:37:52,226 --> 00:37:54,746
[distorted] Yeah, I really want
to remain anonymous.
823
00:37:54,794 --> 00:37:57,064
This was 30 years ago
and I'm not really here
824
00:37:57,100 --> 00:37:59,580
to sugarcoat anything.
I wanted to tell the truth.
825
00:37:59,625 --> 00:38:01,315
You know, I would like to
set the record straight for
826
00:38:01,366 --> 00:38:05,066
the people who are concerned
about Gino's demise.
827
00:38:05,108 --> 00:38:07,888
PRODUCER: I wanted you to hear
first what he had to say
828
00:38:07,937 --> 00:38:11,157
about... about him and
about, and about everything.
829
00:38:11,201 --> 00:38:12,991
Thank you very much.
I'm sorry.
830
00:38:13,029 --> 00:38:16,029
It's okay. I know this is--
831
00:38:16,076 --> 00:38:20,246
When you wait this long,
32 years...
832
00:38:20,298 --> 00:38:23,868
♪
833
00:38:23,910 --> 00:38:26,130
And yes, I miss him.
I pray for him every day.
834
00:38:26,173 --> 00:38:28,353
I talk to him.
She knows that.
835
00:38:28,393 --> 00:38:30,443
I get up at 4 o'clock
every morning.
836
00:38:30,482 --> 00:38:33,572
- She was up this morning.
- Yeah, never miss a day.
837
00:38:33,615 --> 00:38:36,965
- She prayed for two hours.
- Yeah, I do that.
838
00:38:37,010 --> 00:38:38,580
Okay, let me know
when you're ready.
839
00:38:38,620 --> 00:38:41,710
- Okay. I'm ready.
- Okay.
840
00:38:41,754 --> 00:38:43,234
ANONYMOUS: There's nothing
I can gain from this.
841
00:38:43,277 --> 00:38:45,187
I'm only doing this because
I don't want Gino's family
842
00:38:45,235 --> 00:38:46,925
to worry one more minute.
843
00:38:46,976 --> 00:38:48,976
If they've been worried for
30 years, they worried,
844
00:38:49,022 --> 00:38:53,682
you know, 29 years and
364 days too long.
845
00:38:53,722 --> 00:38:56,332
I met Gino through some
of the other people in the group
846
00:38:56,377 --> 00:38:58,337
and we got
to be good friends.
847
00:38:58,379 --> 00:39:00,769
This was the 80s and
disco was popular,
848
00:39:00,816 --> 00:39:05,816
and the cocaine and drugs were
all just a part of that culture,
849
00:39:05,865 --> 00:39:07,945
and we kind of saw the
opportunity to get
850
00:39:07,997 --> 00:39:09,777
involved in selling drugs.
851
00:39:09,825 --> 00:39:11,825
And, one of the guys
in the group had...
852
00:39:11,871 --> 00:39:13,441
cultivated a connection.
853
00:39:13,481 --> 00:39:16,221
He would bring it in and
he would give us each
854
00:39:16,266 --> 00:39:19,046
a certain amount of it,
and not many people know
855
00:39:19,095 --> 00:39:20,395
that Gino was involved in this.
856
00:39:20,445 --> 00:39:21,915
He was a
professional wrestler,
857
00:39:21,968 --> 00:39:24,358
and he saw us starting
to make some money and
858
00:39:24,405 --> 00:39:26,225
he thought it'd be a good
opportunity for him.
859
00:39:26,276 --> 00:39:28,626
He didn't make a lot of money
as a wrestler and it was
860
00:39:28,670 --> 00:39:30,890
basically just a way for some
young guys to make some money,
861
00:39:30,933 --> 00:39:33,153
and it was just something
that everybody was
862
00:39:33,196 --> 00:39:34,846
kind of doing in
that period of time.
863
00:39:34,894 --> 00:39:38,424
Do you remember giving a
eulogy at Gino's funeral?
864
00:39:41,074 --> 00:39:43,084
Do you remember
what you said?
865
00:39:43,119 --> 00:39:45,469
I know it was a
long time ago.
866
00:39:52,955 --> 00:39:55,385
It's a great line...
867
00:40:20,853 --> 00:40:23,553
ANONYMOUS: Unfortunately,
I felt like Gino started off
868
00:40:23,595 --> 00:40:25,765
recreationally using the drugs,
869
00:40:25,814 --> 00:40:27,514
and I think the drugs
got hold of him.
870
00:40:27,555 --> 00:40:29,505
And, of course,
we were all, you know,
871
00:40:29,557 --> 00:40:31,647
super concerned because
we were in a business that
872
00:40:31,690 --> 00:40:33,820
we knew could get us in a
lot trouble even though
873
00:40:33,866 --> 00:40:35,866
we weren't gangsters, or...
874
00:40:35,911 --> 00:40:38,481
At the same time, I don't
think we saw a cop behind
875
00:40:38,523 --> 00:40:42,793
every bush like Gino seemed to
do in the last part of his life.
876
00:40:42,831 --> 00:40:45,091
Just knowing Gino, I would
imagine that he probably
877
00:40:45,138 --> 00:40:47,488
went to a club and probably
drank a lot of alcohol,
878
00:40:47,532 --> 00:40:49,492
and he probably came
back to his apartment,
879
00:40:49,534 --> 00:40:51,364
overdosed on drugs,
and died of a
880
00:40:51,405 --> 00:40:52,965
combination of
drugs and alcohol.
881
00:41:06,551 --> 00:41:08,641
I don't know Gino's family,
but I would speak to them
882
00:41:08,683 --> 00:41:12,383
directly and say, do not
be concerned about anything
883
00:41:12,426 --> 00:41:15,646
that happened to Gino.
It was, basically,
884
00:41:15,690 --> 00:41:18,260
just a situation of his
own doing, unfortunately.
885
00:41:18,301 --> 00:41:20,171
I know that's hard to hear
because I know you loved him
886
00:41:20,216 --> 00:41:21,866
and I loved him, too, but...
887
00:41:21,914 --> 00:41:23,484
If you're concerned
about anything,
888
00:41:23,524 --> 00:41:26,884
you should put that at rest
because you've worried for
889
00:41:26,919 --> 00:41:28,359
30 years and I can
absolutely tell you
890
00:41:28,398 --> 00:41:30,178
there's nothing to worry about.
891
00:41:30,226 --> 00:41:34,136
♪
892
00:41:34,187 --> 00:41:39,447
I can't take
those years back.
893
00:41:39,497 --> 00:41:44,327
But I still have
my daughter. And...
894
00:41:44,371 --> 00:41:46,851
it's just nice to know
that we don't have
895
00:41:46,895 --> 00:41:50,805
anything to worry about.
896
00:41:50,856 --> 00:41:53,546
Not anymore.
897
00:41:53,598 --> 00:41:57,858
And I thank you
very much for this.
898
00:41:57,906 --> 00:41:59,556
[sniffles]
899
00:41:59,604 --> 00:42:03,264
I want to believe that
it was a tragic accident.
900
00:42:03,303 --> 00:42:08,793
I want to believe that...
[sighs]
901
00:42:08,830 --> 00:42:11,350
Somehow, some way...
902
00:42:11,398 --> 00:42:14,658
Um... he made a mistake.
903
00:42:14,706 --> 00:42:16,576
That's what I
want to believe.
904
00:42:16,621 --> 00:42:20,231
I'm the type of person,
I can forgive anybody.
905
00:42:20,276 --> 00:42:25,366
You know?
Yes, I forgive John Royal.
906
00:42:25,412 --> 00:42:28,762
I forgive anybody that I
thought the wrong way,
907
00:42:28,807 --> 00:42:31,417
but I didn't
know any different.
908
00:42:31,461 --> 00:42:35,511
Had nobody tell me,
outright.
909
00:42:35,553 --> 00:42:38,563
Watching my grandma,
she, she's lived a sad life.
910
00:42:38,599 --> 00:42:40,819
I mean, she's gone through
things and lived through things
911
00:42:40,862 --> 00:42:43,522
that no mother
should ever have to.
912
00:42:43,561 --> 00:42:46,091
And sometimes you look
at her and you think, wow,
913
00:42:46,128 --> 00:42:48,568
you know, you can't believe that
she walked that walk and
914
00:42:48,609 --> 00:42:50,179
that she's
still smiling today.
915
00:42:50,219 --> 00:42:52,739
But she is, you know,
and that's I think
916
00:42:52,787 --> 00:42:55,617
the piece of life that goes on.
917
00:42:55,660 --> 00:42:59,010
But now I know,
there's nothing to be afraid of.
918
00:42:59,054 --> 00:43:02,674
Nothing.
I feel so good.
919
00:43:02,710 --> 00:43:04,890
I could even
have a margarita.
920
00:43:04,930 --> 00:43:07,590
LANA: All right!
PRODUCER: [laughs]
921
00:43:07,628 --> 00:43:09,888
The legacy of Gino Hernandez,
unfortunately,
922
00:43:09,935 --> 00:43:12,625
he wasn't around long
enough to create one of those.
923
00:43:12,677 --> 00:43:16,767
I would like to see 'em put
Gino into the Hall of Fame.
924
00:43:16,811 --> 00:43:19,421
I think Gino was that good.
925
00:43:19,466 --> 00:43:22,376
I want him to be remembered
for the person that he was.
926
00:43:22,425 --> 00:43:24,685
♪
927
00:43:24,732 --> 00:43:28,132
And he made me,
as his mother, very, very proud.
928
00:43:28,170 --> 00:43:30,870
I hear a lot that I
look like my dad.
929
00:43:30,912 --> 00:43:33,612
My mom used to say,
"You look like your dad.
930
00:43:33,654 --> 00:43:35,314
You talk like your dad."
931
00:43:35,351 --> 00:43:37,791
It's smooth sailing
from here on out!
932
00:43:37,832 --> 00:43:40,572
I have 5 children.
I have 2 girls and 3 boys.
933
00:43:40,618 --> 00:43:44,358
And you see little pieces of
each of them in him
934
00:43:44,404 --> 00:43:46,804
through those videos;
that's what's cool to watch.
935
00:43:46,841 --> 00:43:49,711
With you guys
here and doing this, it's,
936
00:43:49,757 --> 00:43:55,417
it's kind of like I finally get
my, my peace at heart.
937
00:43:55,458 --> 00:43:57,418
And I thank you for that.
938
00:43:57,460 --> 00:43:59,510
♪