Carlito was on the WWE main roster between 2004 and 2010, after spending about a year in the development federation called 'Ohio Valley Wrestling'. During his tenure in the Stamford company, the Puerto Rican wrestler has had several satisfactions, having held the Intercontinental title, the US champion belt and various tag team awards along with friend Primo. After nearly 11 years away from WWE, he made a surprise appearance at the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble.
Later, he joined forces with Jeff Hardy to defeat Elias and Jaxson Ryker on Monday Night Raw. Interviewed by James Romero for 'Wrestling Shoot', the 42-year-old revealed that he himself asked for his release from the federation, not happy with the turn his character had taken.
Carlito worked for WWE between 2003 and 2010
"I had asked for my release from WWE at least three times" - said Carlito. "Once I realized they weren't going to let me go, I thought then it was time to have some fun. I've been looking for any way to annoy the management and force them to fire me. It was a kind of personal satisfaction, I had no intention of sitting there taking all their humiliations. Looking back, I must admit that my goal was perhaps a bit immature. If it were possible for me to go back to that era, I would do things differently. Those last two years have been a blast for me ”- he added. Earlier this year, Hall of Famer Jim Ross called Carlito's approach to this business 'lazy' and 'immature'.
“I felt like I was their hostage. They didn't use me properly, but at the same time, they didn't want to let me go. Everyone thought I didn't have a passion for wrestling, but in reality, it was the opposite. I should have found a way to improve to manage my anger and frustration, but I invite you to put myself in my shoes” - he commented. The Puerto Rican star worked for WWE between 2003 and 2010. His most notable accomplishments include winning the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship and the WWE and World Tag Team Championships (w/Primo). James Romero of Wrestling Shoot Interviews asked Carlito whether he experienced any problems with Triple H backstage. The 42-year-old revealed he heard rumors that Triple H might not like him, but the NXT founder never said anything bad to his face: “I don’t know, I can’t speak on it,” Carlito said. “I’d always heard second-hand stuff that he didn’t like me and all that stuff, but to my face, he was always cool. I never had a bad [conversation with him]. I only judge people by… I can’t judge people by second-hand stuff, I can only judge them by how I interact with them. I’d heard stuff but he was always cool to me. People always ask me for dirt on him. I don’t know, he was always cool to me.”