Ex-WWE Champion Blasts Company For “Ignorance”
WWE faces criticism from an ex-employee.
The United States Champion Carlito departed the Stamford-based company in June 2025 after his contract expired and was not renewed by the promotion. He announced the decision on social media, expressing gratitude to fans but admitting there was little communication or closure before his release. Carlito had returned to the promotion in 2023 as part of The Judgment Day, but his comeback run was brief and marked by a reduction in in-ring action.
WWE Doesn’t Understand The Latino Market, Says Carlito
Carlito recently had an interview with Molusco TV, where he strongly criticized World Wrestling Entertainment for its lack of understanding of the Latino market and audience. He explained that even Vince McMahon admitted to not fully grasping Latino culture, stating the company often sees Mexican and Puerto Rican audiences as mutually exclusive rather than part of a larger, interconnected community.
“What I’ve been saying for years — even back when I told Vince — WWE doesn’t know the Latino market. People think because Vince is the owner, he’s in control of everything, but even he told me, ‘That’s the problem. We don’t know Latinos. We don’t know the culture.’ WWE thinks if it’s Mexico, it’s just Mexicans. If it’s Puerto Rico, it’s only Puerto Ricans. They don’t get how it all mixes, how diverse our culture really is, especially in wrestling.
Carlito emphasized that the Latino wrestling audience is deeply diverse and unified, but the company’s creative and managerial teams lack Latin representation and knowledge, resulting in missed opportunities. He said he tried to educate them about the richness of Latino fan culture and the importance of storylines that resonate beyond national identity.
They still don’t understand the Latino audience. They are ignorant of the Latino experience. I think they thought in Mexico, Mexicans only care about Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans only care about Puerto Ricans. They don’t understand the connection Latinos have. We are very regional in that sense. They’re ignorant of the Latino market because they don’t have anyone who writes Latino, they don’t have Latino bosses. They don’t really understand the market.
Carlito believes that had the Triple H-led promotion listened and taken the right steps, including their partnerships with AAA, the impact could have been monumental, not just limited to wrestlers like Dominik Mysterio. However, decisions were not in his control, leaving valuable projects unrealized and their approach still far from authentic engagement with Latino fans.
I tried to explain it to them, but it was out of my control. If it had happened, it would have been huge. Forget if it was with Dominik or not — it would have been something big. With AAA, I speak the language, they know me, I worked with them a couple of times. But like I said, it was out of my control, so what can we do?”
Elsewhere in a past interview, Carlito expressed his disappointment with WWE for dropping him from The Judgement Day so abruptly. He felt it was very disrespectful to the fans as they didn’t get to see him finish his storyline.
H/T to Ringside News