Daniel Cormier opens up about how his involvement at WWE Extreme Rules came together.
As first reported by Ariel Helwani, Cormier will be the guest referee for the Fight Pit Match between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle at the premium live event. WWE confirmed the news on the October 3 episode of WWE RAW, and Cormier appeared on the show via satellite.
Speaking with Marc Raimondi of ESPN MMA, Cormier commented on finally getting involved with WWE. He noted that he has talked with the company over the years, but they struggled to make a right fit.
“It’s crazy right because for years, we’ve spoken about this.,” Cormier said. Do you know how many times I’ve been at post-fight pressers going, I’ve talked to Triple H, I’ve talked to these guys. We never really could find a role that worked. But this made sense. Not only is this program between the two very intense, it’s rooted in something in more. If you keep up with the WWE, you understand that these two guys don’t get along.
“It’s not only in terms of, ‘You’re my enemy in the match.’ No, they don’t get along outside of the ring, so it just made sense. A couple weeks ago, they did a split-screen interview and it kind of paid homage to Jon Jones and I, and I thought to myself, wow, man, that’s some good sh**.”
Cormier than revealed that Rollins himself texted Cormier to gauge his interest in potentially refereeing the match, and he liked the idea. He also noted that he has the same agent as Rollins’ wife, WWE star Becky Lynch.
“It wasn’t really from the people in charge,” Cormier said. “It was Seth Rollins who texted me. He goes hey, Riddle and I are fighting in the Fight Pit and we may be in the market for a special guest referee. Would you have any interest in it?’ 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 and I think it’s gonna be intense. I think that I can add to the story. The reality is, all you’re trying to do is add to the story.
“These guys are the professionals. They’re gonna make magic as they have done on so many occasions. So hopefully I can add a little bit to what they’re doing in there. I said I’d be interested and put him in contact with my agent. It so happens that his wife and I share the same agent, so it worked.”
When asked why now is the right time for him to work with WWE, the UFC legend stated that he has always been a fan, but this match between Riddle and Rollins felt like a fitting way to get involved.
“I think that, you know, I’ve always liked it, I’ve always watched it,” Cormier said. “I’ve always kinda had an eye on how I could play into it. But I think when you look at what they’re doing, this specifically, and there’s a lot of ties to this. Think about this, Matt Riddle’s a former UFC fighter. I’ve got that connection to Rollins from not only me geeking out when he won the championship [at WrestleMania 31], but just texting each other, talking to each other, like support, not only behind closed doors but in the public eye.
“When I would fight, he would always tweet something, and I would do the same. It just made sense. It just felt so real, it feels real. Hearing Seth talk about it, it made me understand that it is real, and I wanted to be a part of it, so it just made sense.
Cormier also noted that he doesn’t know who will win the match, but he’s honored to be a part of it, and he’s looking forward to the show on Saturday.
“I don’t even know the story because they know that I’m a loudmouth and I might tell somebody,” Cormier said. “So I don’t know who’s winning, I don’t know the story, I have no idea of what’s happening in the Fight Pit Match. But what I do know is that it’s gonna be good. I’ve watched those guys fight before. I’ve watched them compete, I’ve watched their matches, and it’s always amazing. So I know that those guys will do great work, and I’m just very honored to be able to be that third person inside the Fight Pit.
“Here’s the deal, it takes a stern guy to referee a match like that. It ain’t gonna be just any normal referee to referee a match in the Fight Pit. So it needed someone that could really lay down the law and is comfortable in that environment. I’m comfortable in that environment. I live in the octagon, I live in the cage, so I’m excited about it.”
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