Crowd Cheers Cain Velasquez in First Wrestling Appearance Since Arrest
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Former UFC and WWE star Cain Velasquez returned to the pro wrestling scene for the first time in nine-months since his arrest. The former UFC champion wrestled at a Lucha Libre AAA event in Arizona and the crowd was unanimously cheering for Velasquez, according to spectators.
Velasquez wrestled on the campus of Arizona State, his alma mater, and won in a six-man tag team match. Velasquez won the match for his team via pinfall. Throughout the match, Velasquez was met with loud rounds of applause and standing ovations. Following the match, Velasquez took to the mic to speak directly to his fans.
“Thank you. To be here, in front of you guys, right now, it’s a dream come true. I truly appreciate it all, what you guys have always done supporting me [and] my family. Thank you, guys, forever. My heart is happy to be here with you guys. I will always continue to fight forever. Keep going up forever. Thank you, guys.”
Velasquez was charged with a first-degree attempted murder charge in February after chasing down a car and shooting into it, when it was transporting a man who Velasquez claims molested his son in daycare. The bullet hit the man’s stepfather who was also in the car. In court in March, he was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of assault with a firearm, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and one count of carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony. He was then denied bail which led to attorneys gathering letters from people at the UFC including owner Dana White in support of Velasquez. There was a plea hearing in May and once again Velasquez was denied bail for the second time. Then in July, he filed a petition to be immediately released on bond or at a hearing in a superior court.
In August, he pled not guilty to all of those charges. He was granted bail on a $1 million bond in November. Velasquez was placed under house arrest as he awaits trial.
In order to wrestle at the show in Arizona, he was granted permission from the court and was allowed to take off his ankle monitoring device. In order to travel, he had to be accompanied by private police.
Velasquez is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion and defeated WWE and UFC legend Brock Lesnar to win his second UFC heavyweight championship. Velasquez officially stopped his MMA career to focus on pro wrestling in 2019. Velasquez was on the first episode of WWE Smackdown on Fox in 2019. He wrestled Brock Lesnar for the WWE championship in Saudi Arabia. He was then released at the height of the pandemic in April of 2020. He was released due to budget cuts from the Covid pandemic.
For more on the shooting incident and high speed chase that led to his arrest, check out League of Justice’s coverage HERE.
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