Report: Cain Velasquez Would Have Been Brought Back To AAA If Not For WWE Ownership

If WWE and Fillip had not purchased Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Cain Velasquez would have reportedly been brought back to the promotion.

That is according to Dave Meltzer, who stated on Wrestling Observer Radio:

"If WWE had not bought AAA, he would already be wrestling for AAA. They didn't leave on the best of terms. I don't think WWE really wants him in the sense of what their goals are. Their goals aren’t like, let’s bring in a Mexican celebrity.

"The AAA people, Dorian Roldan, Konnan, those people that were involved, they love Cain Velasquez. I was pretty much told that if it was Dorian's company, then they would have definitely brought Cain in for big shows because that’s how much they think of him."

Cain Velasquez is a free man once again, having been released from prison on February 15, 2026 after being credited with time served and participation in rehabilitative programmes. Velasquez had been sentenced to five years in prison in March 2025 over a shooting in February 2022, but Velasquez was only expected to spend around one year in jail due to receiving credit for 1,283 days in jail and under house arrest as the case progressed.

Velasquez pleaded no contest to felony attempted murder, assault, and multiple weapons-related charges. This stemmed from Velasquez shooting at a pickup truck which contained Harry Goularte as a passenger during an 11-mile car chase. Goularte has been accused of molesting Velasquez's then-four-year-old son at a daycare facility. The vehicle was being driven by Goularte's stepfather, Paul Bender, who was struck in the arm and torso after Velasquez fired a .40-calibre handgun.

While primarily known for his exploits in UFC, Velasquez transitioned to professional wrestling after he retired from mixed martial arts. This saw Velasquez briefly wrestle for AAA before he signed with WWE. The two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion only had two matches in WWE, including an infamous contest with Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel 2019, before he was released in April 2020.

Velasquez returned to AAA in 2021 and he even wrestled for the company after being charged with attempted murder, teaming with Blue Demon Jr. & Pagano in a win over Black Taurus, Gringo Loco & Sam Adonis in December 2022.