In his first interview since his WWE contract was not renewed, Carlito has opened up about his recent two-year run with the company, offering candid reflections on his time with The Judgment Day, creative challenges, and his relationship with Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, the former Intercontinental Champion revealed that the comedic role he played within the faction was entirely his creation. Despite being regularly featured on TV, Carlito said he was often left to carve out a spot for himself in weekly scripts.
“That was… all my ideas,” Carlito said. “Because I took literally nothing and I made something with it… They would come to me and say, ‘We don’t really have anything for you here’… So I just took the script and found where I could fit in. And every week, it was like, ‘Just hand me the thing and I’ll do what I do.’”
Carlito’s effort to stand out clearly resonated with fans, but backstage support was a different story. He offered a frank assessment of Triple H’s view of his character.
“Hunter is not a fan of Carlito,” he admitted. “I think, personally, he likes me. But I think he never was a big fan of the character.”
Before signing his two-year deal in 2023, Carlito said he was aware of this dynamic but accepted it, noting that age likely factored into the company’s long-term decisions.
Still, Carlito had praise for the modern WWE locker room, which he said was dramatically improved compared to his first run in the 2000s.
“It was weird, showing up to work happy,” he joked. “Triple H cleaned out the old-school bullsh*t… And AEW helped too, because now WWE knows they can’t bully talent anymore.”
The only regret he expressed was how abruptly his WWE run ended—without a proper sendoff or storyline closure.
“They could have told me… at least let me finish out the story for The Judgment Day, so they can keep on going. I think it’s a disrespect to the fans when somebody just drops storylines.”
Despite the disappointment, Carlito reflected on the run positively.
“I had a blast those last two years,” he said. “No regrets.”
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more interviews and updates on Carlito’s next chapter post-WWE.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
