WWE Rumors: Former Heavyweight Champion has backstage heat after Brock Lesnar match (Exclusive)

Speaking on the latest episode of Sportskeeda’s Dropkick DiSKussions podcast, Tom Colohue told host Korey Gunz that Cain Velasquez is “not the most popular man right now with WWE management” following his match against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel.

The nine-years-in-the-making match between the former UFC rivals lasted just 88 seconds, with Lesnar picking up the victory in emphatic style by making his opponent submit to the Kimura Lock.

Colohue reported that Velasquez did not tell WWE about the severity of his knee injury heading into his debut in Saudi Arabia, which caused some issues backstage for the two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion.

“The Cain Velasquez match, in particular, was a confusing one. Cain Velasquez, of course, was brought in for big money, didn’t really inform them of his injury, to my knowledge, properly and it caused a few problems backstage. He’s not the most popular man right now with WWE management and I suspect that’s why we’re not really seeing any more push for him to return.”

Listen to the full discussion about Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez from the 24:30 mark of the video below.

Cain Velasquez’s WWE career so far

The first episode of SmackDown on FOX ended with Lesnar winning the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston in nine seconds.

Following the match, Rey Mysterio appeared on the stage area and introduced Velasquez to WWE television for the first time. The former MMA star immediately took down Lesnar and began to brawl with the man who he defeated in a UFC octagon nine years earlier.

Four weeks later, WWE’s next event in Saudi Arabia, Crown Jewel, revolved around Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman and Lesnar vs. Velasquez (WWE Championship).

As it turned out, the WWE Championship encounter ended in a quick victory for Lesnar, who went on to continue his feud with Velasquez’s friend, Rey Mysterio, in the weeks that followed the pay-per-view.