Regarding Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com noted that Velasquez’s knee was worse than expected going into the match and the belief is that he needs surgery. Meltzer added that “the idea was always for a short match, with the Paul Heyman style Goldberg match lay out of big moves, but with Velasquez’s knee in such bad shape, they changed it to a match where nothing much happened.”
The match was rated a negative star by Meltzer and received criticism from fans on social media:
This an embarrassment? Cain wins in an actual fight blood flying everywhere brock spinning around doing the ballerina and getting devastated on the ground, Here in fake as fuck WWE brock wins , if this does not scream Fake and unentertaining you must be like under 15. https://t.co/5i5h9BwaPo
— Kyle David (@kyle90530483) 31 October 2019
I already didnt care about Cain Velasquez or who he was or whatever. And I can safely say that after a shitty 2 minute fake dumb MMA fight and having him tap out pretty much immediately. I cant see how anyone anywhere, could give a single fuck about Cain in WWE. #CrownJewel
— Dan Troy (@danieltroy95) 31 October 2019
WWE really had them work a fake MMA fight. UGH. It was so bad. Like, I know Cain is green but he showed some wrestling skill in AAA. He’s capable. This shit they did today was cringy. But, that’s WWE for ya…
— Rock N Roll Ronin (@TheeJesseHelton) 31 October 2019
Watching those awesome Cain Velasquez Lucha Libre matches in AAA and then he signs with WWE to do a one minute fake UFC fight.
WWE is so awful these days they could ruin a wet dream#WWECrownJewel
— Tony Swish (@TonySakich) 31 October 2019
So Cain left mma to go do wrestling, did some lucha shit in Mexico and looked pretty good. But then WWE throws money at him and he goes there and basically has a fake mma match with Brock and gets jobbed out in minutes. Does no actual wrestling moves. Guess payday was legit.
— Chris27 (@ChrisConte27) 31 October 2019