Why Carlito Left WWE In 2010, Explained
[ad_1]
Carlito was one of WWE’s most promising superstars, but in 2010, a negative backstage reputation and an ultimatum forced him out of the company.
Carlito is a common name that comes up when WWE fans think about previous performers that deserve another chance. There was a lot of positive buzz from Carlito’s WWE return in the 2021 Royal Rumble match and an appearance the following night on Raw. Unfortunately, rumors of him getting another deal for a longer run ended up being inaccurate.
WWE has not had Carlito on the roster since a forgotten but controversial release back in 2010. Carlito had a few strikes against him with controversy following his name on a few occasions. However, it was a final decision of his own that forced WWE’s hand into releasing him. The entire story of Carlito’s WWE end warrants another look at what caused a promising star to leave in his prime.
Carlito Gained Backstage Heat For His Lack Of Effort
The momentum of Carlito started to stall when the backstage elements played out on the creative side. Reports started to come out that WWE viewed Carlito as being lazy and unmotivated, which is why they slowed down on the idea of him as a future main eventer. Carlito always had good matches and natural charisma, but he never took that extra step needed to become a top name.
Ric Flair running down Carlito for lacking passion in a promo showed what WWE believed since it mirrored all the online reports. Carlito had feuds with Triple H, Flair, and Randy Orton at the tail end of his singles push. The idea of having him work with talents above him in the pecking order didn’t work and ended up causing WWE to lose faith when he didn’t step up.
Carlito saw his opportunities starting to dwindle when WWE lost faith in him turning it around. The United States Championship and Intercontinental Championship reigns from his earlier run ended up being the peak of his entire WWE tenure. Carlito moved from a mid-carder trending to the top to a lower mid-carder with a less reliable job spot.
WWE Gave Carlito An Ultimatum When He Failed A Drug Test
The final few years of Carlito in WWE turned into a confusing time for fans wondering how things fell apart so quickly. WWE placed Carlito in a tag team with his younger brother Primo when he joined the company. Both wrestlers had chemistry growing up together and learning the ropes of the wrestling business from their father, Carlos Colon.
Carlito and Primo had a solid run feuding with The Miz and John Morrison along with a storyline involving the Bella Twins. Unfortunately, WWE was so inconsistent with booking tag team wrestling that it became nearly impossible to get over as a team. Carlito ended up having more backstage issues that reached a boiling point when he violated the wellness policy with a failed drug test.
WWE gave Carlito an ultimatum of either attending rehab to return after the mandated thirty-day suspension or lose his job. Carlito felt this was unfair since many other bigger names failed the test and never had this forced on them. The belief of Carlito was that he wasn’t addicted to anything thus he didn’t need to attend rehab. WWE proved they were not bluffing when releasing Carlito after he made his decision.
Carlito Chose Not To Have A Big Wrestling Career Elsewhere
Most wrestlers of Carlito’s level or even lower pivoted to other promotions after being released by WWE. TNA, Ring of Honor, and New Japan have helped many talents fulfill their potential, get to another level, or just get another shot at success. Carlito didn’t chase any of those promotions and settled on just making independent wrestling dates consistently for the past decade without signing a deal anywhere.
The belief is that Carlito had a financial figure in mind for his booking fee that most promotions didn’t want to pay. This led to mostly shorter-term or one-off companies booking Carlito and other noteworthy names when trying to get buzz from having familiar talent on the show. International promotions became the main calling card for Carlito, especially his father’s promotion in Puerto Rico.
Most American fans have not seen Carlito since his WWE release outside of the Royal Rumble return. WWE booking Carlito for one more match on the following Raw ended his return before they could come to any agreement on a deal. Fans expressed happiness at seeing Carlito back and interest in a longer return, but it wasn’t meant to be. Carlito violating the wellness policy in 2010 and opting to get released over attending rehab remains the end of his time in the mainstream wrestling scene.
[ad_2]
Source link
