{"id":22558,"date":"2018-07-21T22:11:09","date_gmt":"2018-07-22T02:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=22558"},"modified":"2018-07-21T22:11:09","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T02:11:09","slug":"gino-hernandez-the-real-million-dollar-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/07\/21\/gino-hernandez-the-real-million-dollar-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Gino Hernandez: The Real Million Dollar Man"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Gino Hernandez<\/strong> is unfortunately not a commonly dropped name in 2018. Even more unfortunately, when it is, it&#8217;s usually due to his untimely demise and the conspiracy theories surrounding it. The goal of this piece is to shine a light on the forgotten side of Gino: his tremendous body of work, as well as his status as the &#8216;real&#8217; million dollar man of wrestling.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22573\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/6182701_114657743399.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"381\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/6182701_114657743399.jpg 381w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/6182701_114657743399-233x300.jpg 233w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/6182701_114657743399-326x420.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The man known to us as Gino Hernandez was born Charles Eugene Wolfe, Jr. He didn&#8217;t know his biological father and he was later adopted by Luis Hernandez. This made Gino a second-generation superstar, as his stepfather was a wrestler in the 1940s and 1950s as <strong>El Medico<\/strong>. After Luis&#8217; sudden death in 1972, Gino decided he was going to become a wrestler in his father&#8217;s honor. He attempted to drop out of high school to start immediately, however his mother and a recurring figure in his life, <strong>Paul Boesch<\/strong>, convinced him to finish school. Gino was trained by the great <strong>Jose Lothario\u00a0<\/strong>(whose other notable student is <strong>Shawn Michaels<\/strong>). Under Lothario&#8217;s tutelage, he broke into the wrestling business in 1973.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22567\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/ginojose.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"335\" height=\"260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/ginojose.jpg 335w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/ginojose-300x233.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of the first places Gino made his name was in <strong>Joe Blanchard<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW)<\/strong>. He frequently teamed with his mentor, before later turning on Jose and aligning himself as a heel with manager <strong>Gary Hart<\/strong>. This feud culminated here in a hair versus hair match, where Gino&#8217;s signature locks were first shaved off. This feud would pop up later in Gino&#8217;s career, as a blood feud in Paul Boesch&#8217;s <strong>Houston Wrestling<\/strong> in the late 1970s.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"GINO HERNANDEZ VS JOSE LOTHARIO (TEXAS DEATH CAGE MATCH)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/voTIaHQxcZY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Gino&#8217;s next notable program in SCW was the formation of the team known as the <strong>Dynamic Duo<\/strong>\u00a0with (a pre-Horseman) <strong>Tully Blanchard<\/strong> in 1982. After a remarkable run studded with Southwest Tag Team Championships, they were set to feud after their split in 1983; however, it did not materialize. After one match against each other, Gino abruptly left SCW and the wrestling business. Not much is known or at least documented to be known about Gino&#8217;s time away from wrestling.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chris Adams &amp; Gino Hernandez vs Kerry &amp; Kevin Von Erich\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WGR4chT6v-Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He returned to the business in 1984 and also began to work for <strong>World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW)<\/strong>. He reformed the Dynamic Duo, this time with <strong>&#8220;Gentleman&#8221; Chris Adams<\/strong>, to great success. The Hernandez\/Adams team feuded with the famed <strong>Von Erichs<\/strong>, Kevin and Kerry. This feud also culminated in a hair versus hair match in October of 1985. Following this loss, eventually, the Dynamic Duo imploded. Gino left Adams high and dry during a tag team bout on Christmas Day 1985. Unlike his schism with Tully, this feud would see some action. The former partners squared off on January 27, 1986, in a \u2018Freebird Hair Cream&#8217; match. The point of this gimmick was to get this &#8220;hair loss cream&#8221; on your opponent&#8217;s head. A great heel that he was, Gino squirted his former friend in the face and &#8220;blinded&#8221; him.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22572\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/ginohernandezchrisadams2_zps2pqcmlz2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"410\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/ginohernandezchrisadams2_zps2pqcmlz2.jpg 410w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/ginohernandezchrisadams2_zps2pqcmlz2-275x300.jpg 275w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/07\/ginohernandezchrisadams2_zps2pqcmlz2-384x420.jpg 384w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, this would be the abrupt end to the feud and soon, of Gino himself. He no-showed several shows he was booked on, which raised concerns about his well-being. Gino Hernandez was found dead in his apartment on February 4, 1986, he was just 28 years old. Gino&#8217;s legacy will be his excellent work as a heel and his fast-paced lifestyle. Gino had lived life in the fast lane &#8211; his friend <strong>Bruce Prichard<\/strong> has stated on numerous occasions that had Gino lived, he could have taken <strong>Ted DiBiase<\/strong>&#8216;s place as the <strong>Million Dollar Man<\/strong> character. As evidence of this, Gino was buried in a platinum casket, with bottles of champagne and his American Express card.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gino Hernandez Death Announcement\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-7vjNWQQ4VQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tully Blanchard on Gino Hernandez Death\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A1Mtfgo_hlg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gino Hernandez is unfortunately not a commonly dropped name in 2018. Even more unfortunately, when it is, it&#8217;s usually due to his untimely demise and the conspiracy theories surrounding it. The goal of this piece is to shine a light on the forgotten side of Gino: his tremendous body of work, as well as his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2695,"featured_media":22571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,547,6],"tags":[2409,3104,3100,3102,3103,3101,1610],"class_list":["post-22558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-in-memorium","category-north-america","tag-bruce-prichard","tag-dynamic-duo","tag-gino-hernandez","tag-houston-wrestling","tag-jose-lothario","tag-million-dollar-man","tag-wccw"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2695"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}