TEMPE, Ariz. – Nearly a month ago, Cain Velasquez sat behind bars. Saturday, he did a Hurricanrana and the crowd went nuts.
A former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar, Velasquez returned to the wrestling ring for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
Velasquez, 40, partook in a six-man tag team match with partners Pagano and Blue Demon Jr. against opponents Taurus, Sam Adonis and Gringo Loco. The event took place at newly constructed Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University, Velasquez’s alma mater.
“Thank you. To be here in front of you guys, right now – it’s a dream come true,” Velasquez said when he addressed the crowd prior to his match. “I truly appreciate all that you guys have always done supporting me (and) my family. Thank you guys forever. 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.”
The match stretched approximately 20 minutes and Velasquez was the one who scored the pin fall to win for his team. Over the course of the match, Velasquez showed his signature big man athleticism – but no more so than when he leaped off the top rope outside of the ring and onto all five of the other wrestlers who stood beneath.
Life was perhaps a little bit normal for him for the first time since February when he was arrested and later charged with a handful of felonies, including attempted murder. Velasquez allegedly pursued and shot at a man accused of molestation of Velasquez’s 4-year-old son at a daycare.
The match was allowed to take place after a Santa Clara (Calif.) County judge granted Velasquez bail of $1 million with additional stipulations, including house containment – but then waved those stipulations temporarily on a work-release basis.
Velasquez will return to court Dec. 28 and is expected to declare council ahead of a trial expected to begin sometime in 2023. It is unclear if he plans to wrestle again in the near future.
Harry Goularte, the man Velasquez allegedly shot at, faces one felony charge of lewd acts with a child. Goularte is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing Jan. 17.
Check out highlights of Velasquez’s wrestling match in the video above.
