Daniel Cormier’s impending WWE debut would likely not have transpired if not for the actions of Seth Rollins.
Cormier will be at this Saturday’s Extreme Rules Premium Live Event and officiate the Fight Pit match between Rollins and Matt Riddle.
A former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cormier retired from the Octagon in August 2020 at the UFC 252 event.
Talking to Rollins
Cormier had teased joining WWE in 2018, when he had a confrontation with Brock Lesnar, but nothing came of it at the time.
Speaking with ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi, Cormier said that it was Rollins who began talks about him making an appearance (via Fightful.)
“It wasn’t really from the people in charge. It was Seth Rollins, he texted me goes, ‘Real life-fighting in the fight pit and we may be in the market for a special guest referee, would you have any interest in it?’
“So I said, Yeah, I’d be interested in doing it. I think that it’s fun. I think that what you guys have done has been a pleasure to watch.”
Rollins Vs. Riddle will be the first Fight Pit match on WWE’s main roster, after the stipulation was used twice in NXT.
Daniel Cormier: WWE Superstar?
While Cormier is set to be the special guest referee at Extreme Rules, many expect that this is a stepping stone into an in-ring career.
Fans have pointed out that Ken Shamrock, a fellow legend of UFC, also debuted in the WWE (then WWF) in 1997 as a guest referee.
Shamrock officiated the Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart vs. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin I-Quit match from WrestleMania 13, before transitioning into a role as a wrestler.
