Fansided

Cain Velasquez makes his WWE debut on Friday Night SmackDown

By Cedric Welton

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Cain Velasquez celebrates his victory over Travis Browne during the UFC 200 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Cain Velasquez celebrates his victory over Travis Browne during the UFC 200 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez made his WWE debut on Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.

It’s no longer a rumor: former UFC star Cain Velasquez made his debut on WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX. Velasquez appeared after the main event and attacked the new WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar. Needless to say, these two men have a history in the UFC, which is why WWE wasted no time in signing him.

A Former two-time Heavyweight UFC Champion, Velasquez, is now the latest martial artist to trade the Octagon for the squared circle. Velasquez was victorious in his pro wrestling debut on August 3 at AAA’s Triplemania in Mexico City. Velasquez is a household name with the fans in Mexico and was undoubtedly the biggest draw of the event. He participated in a six-man tag match, teaming with Psycho Clown and Cody Rhodes, all of which would lead to speculation he was a lock to sign with AEW.

Cain is a lifelong fan of pro-wrestling and had been transitioning to the sport for some time, most notably spending time at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando in July 2018. He follows an elite list of crossovers who have had success in wrestling such as Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler. His name brand alone is enough to carry weight along this new journey. It should come as no surprise that a Lesnar versus Velazquez storyline was appealing to WWE on such a monumental night.

Velasquez was long considered the best heavyweight in UFC history, despite his career being plagued by injuries. Exciting as this appearance is for fight and wrestling fans, his fighting career is far from over. In December of 2018 Velasquez signed a four-fight deal with UFC. His most recent contest from this contract saw him take a TKO defeat to Francis Nngannou in 26 seconds at UFC Phoenix on February 1.

Velasquez will be in the Octagon again in the future. In the meantime, he gets the opportunity to partake in a lifelong dream. After a few successful performances with AAA, he definitely turned heads. WWE won the bidding war for a huge name and seemingly the media headlines for this historic week in wrestling.

With Lesnar now champion on the blue brand, Velasquez’s fans could see him take a trip to “Suplex City.” Velasquez defeated Lesnar nearly a decade ago in the Octagon. Now that Lesnar is officially done with fighting, seeing these two in the squared circle only makes sense. WWE has been in search of its next big Mexican star for some time and it’s fair to say they may have nailed one. The next chapter for Velasquez could include a WrestleMania moment against the Beast Incarnate.

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