Rey Mysterio confirmed that the injury that prevented him from competing in his scheduled match at WrestleMania 41 was a groin injury. The injury occurred during the go-home edition of WWE SmackDown, the Friday before the event.
On that episode of SmackDown, Mysterio teamed with Rey Fenix and Dragon Lee in a six-man tag team match, securing a victory over American Made (Chad Gable, Julius Creed, & Brutus Creed). Due to this injury, Rey Fenix stepped in as a last-minute replacement for the WWE Hall of Famer in his scheduled WrestleMania 41 match against El Grande Americano.
El Grande Americano ultimately won this impromptu bout. PWInsider reported that WWE had plans for a special, nostalgic entrance for Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 41, similar of his signature leaping entrance from the stage.
However, this plan was scrapped due to Mysterio’s groin injury on SmackDown. The report also noted that Fenix received significant praise from within WWE for his willingness and performance in stepping up on very short notice to fill Mysterio’s spot.
