So Cain Velasquez is officially out of the WWE payroll.
This is coming after an abysmal showdown against Brock Lesner, which lasted for only 88 seconds with Lesner picking a submission win. Fans were left fuming at the lackluster performance at Crown Jewel, Saudi Arabia.
The 37-year-old is said to have been let off as part of the company’s budget cuts due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He was sacked alongside the likes of Kurt Angle, Rusev, and Drake Maverick, amongst others. A move to the UFC will no doubt be considered, even though the financial implications of competing at the top level of UFC are already tight as it is according to Betway Online, with an exclusive contract with Reebok making it harder for fighters to make extra money.
Before officially signing up with the WWE, the former UFC champion was famous for his two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion titles, and the first win scored after defeating Lesnar at UFC 121 in 2010. Following his loss to Francis Ngannou in February 2019, he then chose to switch to professional wrestling.
Velasquez made his WWE’s debut on SmackDown on Fox in October 2019, where he played backup for Rey Mysterio, who was having a feud with Lesnar at the time. Right after defeating Lesnar in his debut fight, the two were set to have a rematch at Crown Jewel, Valesquez’s first WWE match.
It does look like a bit knee injury may have influenced the decision to drop Velasques swiftly and neatly at Crown Jewel. However, it was announced in February that Velasquez went through a regular knee scope and had since been working out of the WWE Performance Center up in Orlando, Florida, waiting for his next match.
However, since his loss to Lesner, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion who signed a multi-year deal is yet to make an appearance on any WWE shows.
According to pro wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer, speaking in the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, he said: “They haven’t used him since Saudi Arabia. He was on a giant contract, so yeah, that’s pretty much it. It was a multi-year deal. Just like everyone else, he signed a giant deal, and one of the things about those deals is they have the right to cut people.”
Meltzer continued: “I mean, I can see it because obviously, the only thing they wanted to do was so Brock Lesnar could get his win and they could have a celebrity for Saudi Arabia. After that, he was going to be in the Royal Rumble, and then for whatever reason, they decided against it, and they haven’t even thought about him since. He worked a show in Mexico City, but that was it. I haven’t heard of him. He wasn’t down in Orlando training or anything as far as I know, not lately anyway. So that’s pretty much it.”
There are no indications yet if Velasquez would return to the USADA testing pool for a likely return to the UFC according to Betway, or whether he intends to stick around in the wrestling business for a different promotion. However, gathered that there are speculations that Velasquez might sign up with Bellator owing to their penchant for fighters with a big following in other promotions.
The bigger bet, though, is that he may ultimately compete in the squared circle again when the time is right.
