Ex-UFC champion Cain Velasquez on his release from WWE: 'I understand that it is business'

Ex-UFC champion Cain Velasquez made his in-ring debut in WWE during the WWE SmackDown’s Premier on Fox in 2019. However, after only a handful of appearances, he was released from his contract with the wrestling company in 2020. He was released from his WWE contract in April last year after the COVID-19 virus hit the entire globe, which resulted in many stars getting dropped. While speaking about his WWE stint on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the two-time UFC champion expressed that he feels he let his fans down during his time at WWE.

Explaining the reason behind his release from WWE on The MMA Hour, Velasquez said, “Primarily it was because of COVID. They had to just drop a lot of the roster in order to just keep their core guys in. I just wasn't developed enough. I really needed to sit down and practice that style of wrestling for a while and develop a lot more. That wasn't the case, it was more of...I just didn't get to develop in that way”. He explained that once COVID-19 kicked in, WWE started dropping stars from their roster as they wanted to keep their top guys. 

'I understand that it is business': Cian Velasquez

Speaking about WWE’s decision to keep only the core guys with them, Velasquez added, “They just needed me to develop a lot more and I wasn't there yet. They really couldn't use me in that way. They weren't using me enough and they were paying me too much, so they had to let me go. I understand. It's business”. He also spoke about his short stint at WWE by admitting that he feels it wasn’t meant for him to be at WWE, however, he went ahead and gained the experience by knowing how things work at WWE. 

Velasquez made his WWE debut during SmackDown’s premiere on FOX, where he was involved in a feud with Brock Lesnar. He fought again with Lesnar during the WWE Crown Jewel 2019, in a similar fight that took place during the UFC 121 fight in October 2010, where Velasquez emerged as the winner. Velasquez currently appears on AAA Lucha Libre, where he will make his next appearance by teaming up with Psycho Clown and Pagano to fight against Escorpion, Taurus, and a mystery opponent at AAA TripleMania Regia.

(Image: wwe.com)