On October 4th, 2019, at Smackdown’s historic ‘20th Anniversary’ first episode on Fox, Cain Velasquez made his headline-grabbing debut on WWE television, facing off with long-time rival Brock Lesnar. However, in his time with the company, he had just a singular, two-minute match. What went wrong, and why is this such an enormous, missed opportunity and failure?
On Paper, A Feud With Brock Lesnar Was Money
Velasquez, similar to Brock, is a legitimate, certified fighter and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. This title alone is enough to cement a place in the professional wrestling world, as so few people make the leap between platforms. Previous combat background and experience is usually acknowledged and respected in wrestling. In many ways, being an established name gave him a head start.
In recent years, Lesnar has been presented as an unstoppable, unbeatable monster, but suddenly the WWE Universe was given someone who had defeated Lesnar in mixed martial arts, scarred his face for life, and put an end to his first run in the UFC.
This was a rivalry that felt real, blurred the lines between fiction and reality, and crossed the border between legit competition and sports entertainment. It was something unique to itself, and that made it feel special. This was something WWE could not have been happier to have the power to book.
There Was Anticipation Despite It Being a Saudi Show
What made it feel less special, however, was a rushed feud, spread over a few weeks, with a minor brawl and a face-off, and a match scheduled for one of WWE’s continuously underwhelming and controversial Saudi Arabia shows.
With these cards constantly being filled with headliners, dream matches and ‘super show downs’, with these events giving us matchups like Goldberg vs The Undertaker, D-Generation X vs The Brothers of Destruction, and Tyson Fury going up against Braun Strowman, it’s no surprise that a match with this drawing power was placed on the 2019 Crown Jewel event.
The contest was for the WWE Championship but given that Velasquez hadn’t wrestled a single match for the company, it dampened some of the integrity of the match. That being said, there was still keen anticipation for this match. To most, Velasquez’s in-ring ability was likely an unknown entity, but to those who kept up would’ve seen his stint in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
Although he was trained in the Lucha Libre style he mixed that with his MMA background to create a truly unique and attractive style of professional wrestling. His size yet surprising agility set him apart from a lot of WWE’s roster – they really had someone special on their hands.
The Match With Lesnar Was Underwhelming And Lackluster
On paper, it seemed logical that WWE would put time and effort into Velasquez, pushing him as a star and contender, giving us a hard-hitting matchup with Lesnar that would solidify him as a mainstay and attraction. What followed, however, was a plodding, two-minute affair which featured mostly clinch-based grappling and a quick submission victory for Lesnar. Whilst it felt like a more realistic fight, it was a shame to see Velasquez not using his full in-ring arsenal.
To be fair though, this was surely just the first chapter of the tale, and there would be much more to come from Cain. Unfortunately, this was the end of the story. Velasquez did not appear on WWE TV ever again, despite rumors of scrapped plans of a Royal Rumble appearance, and he was released in the April of 2020 due to budget cuts.
In hindsight, his run was a waste of time and resources. WWE never truly capitalized on the potentially money-making feud between Lesnar and Velasquez. There was no continuation of his alliance with the Mysterios, no extra cameos on screen, just simply nothing.
Velasquez's Run Was A Waste Of Time
WWE were handed a name with mainstream appeal, someone with genuine passion and interest in the wrestling business, and they squandered it completely. Whether he ended up being the hero to topple Lesnar, or eventually a Lesnar-esque heel with destructive speed and danger for an up-and-coming face to topple, the opportunities and options were endless, yet those options crumbled in two minutes.
WWE has been criticized for not using people correctly, especially with NXT call-ups and incoming names. Whilst it may be difficult to turn someone into a household name, despite time being featured on NXT, Velasquez was already a star, so a lot of the work was already done.
Injuries played their part in keeping Velasquez away, but that doesn’t explain not using him when he was eventually healthy, and not using him as even a manager for the Mysterios, or in another role. This signing was perhaps the biggest misuse of an established name for a long time.