Cain Velazquez Confirms Wrestling Return

Cardio Cain returning to the ring this December.

Aug 1, 2021 August 1st, 2021

Having had a cup of coffee in WWE back in 2019 (and technically into 2020), Cain Velasquez has confirmed he will soon be making his return to pro wrestling with AAA.

During an appearance on the In This Corner podcast, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion revealed he'll be competing for AAA this December.

"I'm doing a show in December for AAA. I love AAA and I'm going to keep doing that right now. I love WWE as well, but I have to develop myself in order for me to go out there. I'm going to keep doing stuff and have fun with it."

Velasquez's in-ring debut took place under the AAA banner, teaming with Cody Rhodes and Psycho Clown at TripleMania XXVII in August 2019 and then having another six-man bout alongside Psycho Clown and Brian Cage the following month. Both matches ended in victories for Velasquez's team.

Cain would show up on WWE television shortly after that second AAA offering, setting up a match against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel 2019. A reported injury issue for Velasquez resulted in that bout lasting barely two minutes, as Lesnar emerged victorious.

Cardio Cain would have one further match in WWE, teaming with Humberto Carrillo to beat the Good Brothers at a Mexico City live event. After six months off WWE TV, Velasquez would be released by the company in April 2020 due to "budget cuts".

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

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