During a candid appearance on the Refin’ It Up podcast, former WWE star Carlito opened up about past contract negotiations with the company, including two failed attempts to bring him back—one in 2015 and another following his return at the 2021 Royal Rumble.
Carlito, a former Intercontinental and United States Champion, revealed that WWE offered him a contract in 2015, but the deal was far below expectations. “During that time, they offered me a contract but they low-balled me. I think it was 2015. They low-balled me and then, they didn’t even take a counter-offer. They didn’t even call me for the counter-offer,” Carlito explained. “I said, ‘Alright, then, you can go fornicate yourself.’ ‘Well, alright, okay.’”
Following his surprise return in the 2021 Royal Rumble, Carlito said WWE offered him a Legends contract—but he wasn’t impressed by either the terms or the delivery method.
“They offered me a Legends contract, and it was just a terrible — I gave it to my lawyer, he goes, ‘Bro, don’t even sign this,’” Carlito continued. “And it was (Mark) Carrano, and he didn’t even call me. This time was by text. So I was like, ‘Okay, I see how serious this is.’ I was like, ‘Alright, thanks buddy,’ and I kept it professional again. I said, ‘No, thank you. I have to pass.’”
Carlito eventually made his full-time WWE return in 2023 as part of the LWO faction on SmackDown, but his remarks offer rare insight into how rocky his previous dealings with the company had been.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more updates on Carlito and all things WWE.
