Carlito Comments On WWE Return – “I Didn’t Need A 13-Year Break”
Carlito has opened up about his WWE return after a 13-year absence while admitting that he felt he would be back.
Any WWE fan who watched the company in the Ruthless Aggression era of the mid-2000s will remember Carlito’s first name in the company was Carlito Caribbean Cool. It was eventually shortened to just Carlito while he often said the word “Cool” and was known for eating an apple, which he often spit in his rival’s face.
Carlito made his WWE main roster debut in October 2004 after signing with the company one year earlier. In his first match on Smackdown, Carlito defeated John Cena to become the United States Champion.
During Carlito’s run from 2004 to 2010, Carlito would go on to become an Intercontinental Champion and two-time WWE Tag Team Champion with his brother Primo. Carlito wasn’t a main eventer, but he did get close to that level.
At WWE Backlash this past May in Carlito’s home country of Puerto Rico, he appeared on the show to help the Latino World Order and Bad Bunny fight off The Judgment Day group. Carlito looked to be in the best shape of his life at 44 years old, so he was signed to a WWE contract in June. The company waited for the right time to bring Carlito back.
Last Saturday at WWE Fastlane, Carlito tagged with Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar of the LWO to beat Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits in a six-man tag team match. Carlito pinned Montez Ford after a Backstabber to get the win for his team.
In an interview with The Ringer Wrestling Show’s Cheap Heat podcast, Carlito talked about how he always wanted to be in WWE, but he didn’t want to have a 13-year break.
“I just had this feeling that I would be back (in WWE) somehow. I don’t know how. The reason I think it took so long, I think there was miscommunication between both sides. I thought I had heat with them, they thought they had heat with me and there was just days we didn’t communicate.”
“Sometimes, time goes by and you see things a different way and like I said, I always had love for WWE, I always wanted to be in WWE. It’s just, I needed a break. I didn’t need a 13-year break, but, because even when they would talk to me, they were kind of hesitant.”
Carlito believes people thought he was anti-WWE
As he continued, Carlito spoke about how there was a perception about him that he didn’t like WWE for some reason.
“They thought I was anti-WWE, you know what I mean? I’m like, no, it’s not that. I don’t do the go backstage and say hi to everyone. It looks like you’re looking for a job so I don’t do that, you know what I mean? My résumé is out there. I don’t wanna be anywhere where they don’t want me. So I was like, my résumé’s out there.”
“If you want me, I’m here but, so I think they took that kind of just as he wants nothing to do with us. I’m glad that we were finally able to sit down and air everything (out) and show there’s love on both sides I think.”
Now that he is officially part of the WWE Smackdown roster, Carlito was featured in a backstage interview on the October 13th episode of the blue brand’s show. Carlito was confronted by Bobby Lashley, which led to Carlito challenging Lashley to a match. Lashley turned that down while The Street Profits attacked Carlito from behind. Later in the show, it was announced that Santos Escobar of the LWO would face Montez Ford next week, so perhaps Carlito will be involved in that to try to get some revenge.