10 Rubbish WWE Singles Runs You Totally Don’t Remember
4. Cain Velazquez (2019)
Remember this?
SmackDown's debut on FOX was newsworthy for two reasons. First, Brock Lesnar squashed Kofi Kingston to become WWE Champ. Second, company creative then immediately followed up on that heartbreak by feeding fans ex-UFC man Cain Velasquez as their new babyface hopeful. To say people were bummed out would be a massive understatement.
Then, Cain marched onto Crown Jewel for a Saudi payday and lost to Brock in a mediocre (at best) pay-per-view opener. He'd be gone by April due to budget cuts anyway, but WWE sh*t the bed when booking Velasquez in the first place. How could he go on credibly as a badass hero after looking like a complete loser?!
A former UFC Heavyweight Champion rocking up onto WWE TV would turn heads today, especially now both companies are under the same umbrella. In 2019, it felt a little out of place and unsatisfying after Kofi had been brushed to one side like an unwanted Christmas pressie.