Do you remember that there were three former UFC Champions in WWE at the same time? Cain Velasquez’s appearance was more than just a blinked and you missed it a moment as he was prominently featured following his shocking debut in the company at the 20th Smackdown Anniversary. Originally, Velasquez started making a name for himself around the wrestling circuit as the former UFC World Heavyweight Champion’s career in MMA was essentially over. However, Velasquez was gaining steam on the independent scene and there had been rumors that All Elite Wrestling was interested in the former UFC star. Ultimately, WWE made him an offer that he simply couldn’t refuse, and Velasquez was immediately thrust into the main event scene against Brock Lesnar.
Now, let’s be clear, Velasquez was one of the toughest guys on the planet. This is the guy that ended Lesnar’s title reign in the UFC! However, the MMA-turned-wrestling star has never been known for his personality. You feel a star presence when Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar are inside of the ring. You get that presence with Matt Riddle and Shyna Baszler as well – former UFC fighters as well; however, that aura was never felt anytime Velasquez stepped into the ring. Guys like Conor McGregor or Colby Covington would excel in the professional wrestling world because their personas are perfect for the WWE landscape. This was the man that effectively knocked out Brock Lesnar, yet he never felt like a threat inside of a WWE ring. It didn’t help that the “Beast Incarnate” was fresh off a squash victory over Kofi Kingston, which people weren’t too pleased about. It robbed Kofi of a possible redemption journey in favor of a UFC fighter with some name recognition.
The man that stood out during the Lesnar/Velasquez feud was Rey Mysterio, who showcased his tremendous mic skills. Of course, the entire blame isn’t on the former UFC Heavyweight Champion as the company has this annoying habit of never deviating from their typical formula. WWE is a promo-based company, first and foremost. In order to truly connect with the crowd, mic skills and character are more important than wrestling ability. That’s actually true in sports in general. Conor McGregor is such a mainstream sensation because of his big personality. Granted, it helped that he was one of the greatest fighters of this generation, but his personality is what ultimately broke him through. Compare McGregor to Demetrious Johnson, a former UFC Flyweight Champion who held that prestigious belt for five years, yet Johnson never even came close to reaching the mainstream levels that McGregor did. Johnson is a nice guy. Nothing wrong with that, but he didn’t have the eccentric personality that people gravitate towards. Same thing Velasquez, he just doesn’t have that big personality. On the surface, the company was wise to give him a talker, but the issues remain that Velasquez just wasn’t charisma enough.
Talking was never Brock Lesnar’s strength. Paul Heyman did most of the mic work for the former Universal Champion, but there was always an exciting and intimidating factor with Lesnar that still made him standout as a star. Instead of adjusting to Velasquez’s strengths, which would’ve been backstage promos and videos that would’ve brought some personality out of Velasquez, the company stuck to the script and Velasquez was worse off for it. In addition, the former UFC star just isn’t on the level of Ronda Rousey or Brock Lesnar when it comes mainstream. That means that a good portion of the WWE fans had absolutely no idea who Cain Velasquez was. In theory, the idea of the man who beat Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight title challenging for the top belt in WWE is an exciting one, but the WWE fans needed to understand who Cain Velasquez is and they simply didn’t have a clue. The company showed a couple of videos that highlight Velasquez’s knockout power, but it simply wasn’t enough.
Worse yet, when the championship match finally happened, it was a quick dud. Velasquez wasn’t able to showcase to the fans why he deserved to be in a wrestling ring. Understandably, the former UFC star was injured going in, so it makes sense that it was kept short, but WWE rushed into a match that didn’t need to happen so quickly. There needed to be a longer development of Velasquez’s character before he got the opportunity to step up against Lesnar. Slowly building up his name on the card then Lesnar and Cain could’ve fought sometime late the following year. It’s just like when Santino Marella won the Intercontinental title in his first match on RAW. The audience didn’t gravitate to him instantly because they didn’t know who was. This was a case of a push that happened way too soon.
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