Cain Velasquez appears on WWE Smackdown, confronts Brock Lesnar
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez knows how to make an impact. Velasquez was a part of the first UFC card on FOX, the first UFC card on ESPN, and he shocked the sports entertainment world on Friday when he appeared on the first WWE Smackdown show on FOX.
Velasquez has been spending most of his time in the wrestling world and while nothing had been made official on his fighting future, his appearance on Smackdown may indicate both his short and long term future. As Smackdown kicked off their first show on FOX with an appearance from The Rock, the show ended with Velasquez, who was brought out by Rey Mysterio, confronting and attacking Brock Lesnar in a moment that will trigger some UFC memories.
OH MY! @cainmma is here, and he wants #TheBeast @BrockLesnar! 😱😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/TNlssiWblP
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 5, 2019
Upon entering the WWE ring for the very first time, Cain Velasquez got a double leg takedown on Lesnar and threw some punches before the newly-crowned WWE champion, Lesnar, got out of the ring and engaged in a staredown with Velasquez.
WHAT?!?!@cainmma is HERE and he is getting a piece of the NEW #WWEChampion @BrockLesnar!!!! #SmackDown @HeymanHustle @reymysterio pic.twitter.com/wQ7YlW3wdw
— WWE (@WWE) October 5, 2019
Following their encounter, Velasquez and Mysterio spoke with WWE.com and the former UFC heavyweight champion said he was in the WWE to get redemption on Lesnar. The WWE Champion recently attacked Rey Mysterio and his son, so he called on Velasquez to make Lesnar pay.
“I’m here cause Brock knows what he did and it wasn’t right. I saw it. So I’m here to get payback.”
With that simple line from Cain Velasquez, Mysterio would follow up by telling WWE.com that the two are family and he left it at that as the backstage interview ended.
“It’s just plain and simple, I mean, Cain said it all. My son Dominic suffered a beatdown and I suffered a beatdown, and at the end of the day, Cain and me, we’re family.”
This likely sets the stage for a Lesnar-Velasquez matchup in the WWE, something that UFC fans can recall, as it was at UFC 121 when Velasquez beat Lesnar to become the UFC heavyweight champion. Following his appearance on Smackdown, Velasquez’s teammate Daniel Cormier took a shot at Lesnar, reminding everyone what happens when Lesnar comes at Cain Velasquez.
https://twitter.com/dc_mma/status/1180301753511813120
There has been no formal announcement by the WWE that they have come to terms with Cain Velasquez, however it could be just a matter of time. Following his appearance on Smackdown, there were two separate reports, one from ESPN stating that both sides are in advanced talks, and MMA Junkie which is reporting that Velasquez plans to withdraw from the USADA testing pool, which would end his time with the UFC.
