I Am Your Champion

In the wild and woolly world of 1980s Texas Wrestling, the brightest star of all was Gino Hernandez, arch-rival to the legendary Von Erich family. Gino was bombastic, loud-mouthed, underhanded, fast-wheeling, and charming--a character behind the scenes as he was in front of the camera. This first ever full-length biographical examination of his life spans his beginning as a scrappy teenager sneaking backstage during wrestling shows all the way to his mysterious death and the legacy he leaves behind. This work delves deep into the cutthroat politics and tumultuous landscape of Texan professional wrestling, including the career of Houston Wrestling promoter Paul Boesch and the tragedies of the Von Erich family. Photographs from the era accompany this life story of a man who played arrogant, despicable caricatures for the fans of Dallas, playfully concealing a generous and charismatic performer whose greatest love was entertaining.