'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velazquez signed with WWE in late 2019, before making his debut on the first episode of SmackDown on FOX. Cain Velazquez came out with Rey Mysterio after Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston. Lesnar beat Kofi in a matter of seconds, bringing an end to his 180 day title reign. Velazquez hit the ring and attacked Lesnar, taking him down and unloading on 'The Beast' with rights and lefts.
Velazquez went on to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Crown Jewel 2019. Lesnar beat his former rival in under two minutes. Velazquez's injury-plagued run in WWE ended earlier this year in April when he was released.
Eric Bischoff on Cain Velazquez's WWE release
Eric Bischoff recently gave his thoughts about Cain Velazquez's release from WWE on his podcast 83 Weeks. Bischoff said that Velazquez wasn't "cut out for sports entertainment" and said that he wasn't surprised by the release. Bischoff also said that he felt that Velazquez lacked the larger-than-life presence needed to be a top pro wrestler:
I think the name Cain Velasquez – when you go back and watch his fight with Brock, it would be easy for anyone to get excited about Cain. But unlike Tyson Fury, who was kind of born to be a wrestler – although he happens to be a world champion boxer……you didn’t get a sense that [Cain’s] heart was in it or that he was born for professional wrestling. You got a sense that he was born to kick your ass and he was born for UFC, but he didn’t have that larger-than-life presence or character that you can just sense from someone who really should be in the professional wrestling business. Cain didn’t have it. I wasn’t surprised when he was let go, and I would’ve been more surprised had they kept him around. I just don’t think he was mentally or emotionally cut out for sports entertainment. H/T: 411Mania
Cain Velazquez's run in WWE was short and will go down as a disappointment. In the end, it was probably his injury issues that saw WWE give up on the former UFC star so soon.
