Backstage News On Who Is Under WWE's El Grande Americano Mask With Chad Gable Injured

The elusive El Grande Americano made an appearance on this week's "WWE Raw," but the man behind the mask seemed quite different from the one who appeared in previous months. Which WWE star portrayed the masked star on this week's show?

One of WWE's worst-kept secrets is that El Grande Americano is actually Chad Gable, but it seems that the man behind the mask on this week's "Raw" was in fact not Gable, but Ludwig Kaiser, as per "PWInsider." One clear giveaway that the new El Grande Americano is not Chad Gable is that he is noticeably taller than the previous version of the character, i.e., Gable. Kaiser has been absent from WWE television for a few months, with his last match on WWE television coming in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Gable, who had appeared alongside American Made just seconds earlier on "Raw," left the screen, citing an injury. This is the usual ruse that Gable and American Made pull off, which explains why Gable and El Grande Americano were never seen together on-screen. But this time around, Gable was not the man in the mask. Gable, it seems, will be off WWE television for a while, with recent reports claiming that he is currently nursing a shoulder injury and he will have surgery this month. His absence means that the WWE Speed title, currently held by El Grande Americano, will be defended by Kaiser going forward, "PWInsider" reports.

It remains to be seen how WWE will proceed with the El Grande Americano storyline in Gable's absence, with one potential angle being the continuation of the mystery surrounding El Grande Americano's true identity, as American Made seems to know who the new El Grande Americano is. Gable entrusted the leadership of the group to Ivy Nile in his absence.