Cain Velasquez On Wanting To Work With AEW Over WWE, His UFC Future, Wrestling Vs. MMA
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez recently spoke with ESPN following his big pro wrestling debut at AAA's TripleMania XXVII event in August. He will return to the ring for AAA at their big "Lucha Invades NY" event at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, teaming with Impact World Champion Brian Cage and Psycho Clown vs. Los Mercenarios (Rey Escorpión, Texano Jr., Taurus).
Velasquez was asked if a run with AEW or WWE appeals to him, and he said AEW seems to be on the path that he's more interested in. Cain recently confirmed talks with both promotions, and trained at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando last year.
"I love them both," Cain said of AEW and WWE. "I think obviously WWE is the powerhouse. They've had the biggest stars come from there and it's the most watched wrestling in the U.S. for sure. I love the backstories and the drama, but their wrestling to me — I like more of the lucha stuff. I like the athleticism, and we do see some in WWE, but as far as wrestling goes, it's not my favorite organization just as far as the wrestling.
"I think AEW is doing some great stuff. I like the talent that they've brought in. They have a mix of lucha, which I think is pretty cool, and something fans are really liking these days. They're doing a great job in giving the fans what they want as far as the wrestling and I love that they're doing that. I like them both for what they are, but I love the way AEW is going, the path they are going. I see big things for them in the future. ... If I can, I'd love to do something with them."
Regarding his MMA future, Cain said he's not done yet. He was asked about the UFC heavyweight division and he said he wants to get back into it.
"I want to get back into it," he said of the UFC heavyweight division. "I'm doing one more event in October for AAA and after that I can focus on what I want to do as far as the fighting goes. I never really picked an opponent, I don't really care. I think every guy has his own set of dangers, which I like. Each guy has his own puzzle and you try to figure it out. I'd be happy with fighting anyone. After the obligation is done, and say I don't have anything else come up wrestling-wise that would steer me away from fighting, then I'm still going to fight. Ultimately, it's what I love to do as well."
Cain was also asked what's the harder training session when you're starting – pro wrestling or MMA.
"They're both very similar," he responded. "I would say MMA is a lot more taxing, depending on what you're doing. You have to be mentally attentive to do both. As far as the moves and what you're doing — I would say even more so in wrestling. Your mental aspect of it needs to be sharp. You need to be moving. You need to be reacting to another move. Then you need to take a pause after you do a move and get the crowd into it. It's a different form of fighting, whereas in MMA you have your offensive moves and your defensive moves. It's a lot of action. You're just doing what you're doing and that's it. You don't focus on the crowd at all. You don't give them anything until you're done and finished and you've won. Then you give them something."