By ERIC BLUM

WWE legend Rey Mysterio will no longer be competing at WrestleMania 41 against El Grande Americano due to a legitimate groin injury suffered on SmackDown! less than 24 hours ago. 

Mysterio was competing in a six-man tag team match with partners Rey Fenix and Dragon Lee against the American Made trio of Chad Gable, Julius Creed, and Brutus Creed on Friday night. 

In the middle of the match, Julius Creed hit a move outside the ring on Mysterio, with him laying in pain on the barricade for the final few minutes of the match with no involvement. 

Mysterio was carried off-screen by WWE referees with his status up in the air until about 90 minutes before the start of the show. 

Mysterio also announced fellow luchador, Fenix, will be taking his place against El Grande Americano on Saturday night’s show. 

Fenix, who debuted with the company last month after making the switch from rival All Elite Wrestling, was not previously scheduled to wrestle on WWE’s biggest show of the year. 

Rey Mysterio will no longer be competing at WrestleMania 41 against El Grande Americano

Rey Mysterio will no longer be competing at WrestleMania 41 against El Grande Americano

Mysterio suffered a legitimate groin injury during SmackDown on Friday night in Las Vegas

Mysterio suffered a legitimate groin injury during SmackDown on Friday night in Las Vegas

Taking Mysterio's place is recent WWE signee Rey Fenix, who made the switch from rival AEW

Taking Mysterio’s place is recent WWE signee Rey Fenix, who made the switch from rival AEW

El Grande Americano is the lucha-libre alter ego of Gable, with him and others in American Made refusing to acknowledge they are the same person.  

Gable has competed at WrestleMania multiple times before, most notably in 2019, when he completed a German suplex on 6-foot-8, 386-pound Braun Strowman. 

Mysterio, 50, is considered the greatest luchador of all-time, with his son, Dominik Mysterio, also competing on the card. 

Dominik is in the four-way Intercontinental Title match alongside fellow luchador Penta, Bron Breakker, and Finn Balor. 

The severity of Mysterio’s groin injury and how long he will be out of action are not clear. 

Rey Mysterio has been based full-time with an American promotion since 1996 and is the smallest wrestler to ever be a WWE world champion at 5-foot-6. 

:
Reason why Rey Mysterio isn’t competing at WrestleMania revealed as WWE icon pulls out hours before event

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk