Luchador Wrestler Principe Aéreo Dead At 26 After Collapsing In Ring

Principe Aéreo -- a star wrestler in Mexico -- died at 26 years old after collapsing in the ring during a match over the weekend.

The tragic scene all went down Saturday at Arena San Juan Pantitlan in Mexico City during a Mexa Wrestling event.

Principe -- real name Luis Ángel Salazar -- was performing in a tag-team match ... and everything appeared to be going smoothly.

The luchador was hamming it up for the crowd ... and then took two slaps to the chest and a kick to the stomach -- when suddenly he appeared to faint onto the mat.

Video showed his opponent and the in-ring ref immediately knew something was very wrong ... and within minutes, the wrestler was reportedly rushed out of the building by medical personnel.

Sadly, Salazer did not survive ... with MasLucha.com saying an official medical report revealed the wrestler suffered a "ruptured middle cerebral artery."

The wrestling world was shocked by the news ... with Mick Foley tweeting his condolences Sunday.

"Rest in peace Principe," the ex-WWE superstar said.

Other wrestling events in Mexico held moments of applause to honor Salazar -- who had reportedly begun wrestling a decade ago.