Rey Mysterio WrestleMania 41 Injury Revealed After Last-Minute Match Removal

WrestleMania 41 got an unexpected shake-up before the opening bell, as Rey Mysterio officially pulled himself from his scheduled bout against El Grande Americano—and now we know why.

During the Countdown to WrestleMania pre-show, Mysterio made the announcement himself. “As of right now, I don’t have the clearance to be able to compete,” he told the live audience. But the lucha legend didn’t leave fans hanging. “There is a replacement. That replacement is Rey Fenix!”

And just like that, the WrestleMania stage belonged to someone new. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed the real reason behind the decision: “It was a groin. You were right.” Bryan Alvarez, who’d earlier speculated on the injury, added, “So what happened with Rey is we got the report that he got hurt at SmackDown, and he was helped to the back, so everyone immediately thought it had to be a knee injury.”

But after reviewing the footage, Alvarez pinpointed the moment during Friday’s SmackDown when Mysterio was pulled from the ring by Julius Creed. “He landed flat on his back, but as soon as he landed, he grabbed, like, towards his groin. And they immediately cut to the next thing. He never got up.”

Meltzer explained that while Mysterio initially believed he could power through the pain, medical evaluations told a different story. “He thought he was going to be able to make the match… and then I heard this morning that, no, he’s not going to be able to go.”

With Mysterio ruled out, Rey Fenix made his WrestleMania debut, stepping up against El Grande Americano. While Fenix didn’t score the win, he delivered a fast-paced, jaw-dropping performance in front of a global audience. WWE hasn’t confirmed how long Mysterio will be sidelined, but for now, the Hall of Famer is on the shelf.

Do you think Rey Fenix should get another shot on the main roster after this WrestleMania performance? Or was El Grande Americano just too strong of a debut force? Sound off in the comments below.