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Alongside developing its own "home-grown" stars, AEW has also employed a number of ex-WWE names since its foundation year. This has led viewers to often expect the Tony Khan-led company to promptly hire wrestlers who have been released by or departed from the sports entertainment juggernaut, or, in the case of Carlito, wrestlers whose contracts are not renewed.
Indeed, quite a few performers who once competed in WWE are currently thriving in All Elite Wrestling - for instance, Jon Moxley, Ricochet, Toni Storm, Mercedes Mone, and Swerve Strickland, to name only a few examples. As his current deal with the Triple H-led company is about to expire in two weeks, Carlito could be considering jumping ship to the Jacksonville-based promotion.
As such, let us consider three programs for the multi-time champion if he were to debut in AEW.
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#1: Carlito could conduct business with The Hurt Syndicate
Despite being one of the most popular acts in WWE at the time, The Hurt Business unfortunately suffered from inconsistent and flawed booking decisions, and as a result, they were never able to fully take off in the promotion as a unit. By 2024, all three of its original members - Shelton Benjamin, MVP, and Bobby Lashley - had left the company. By the end of that year, the trio had reunited in AEW, now going by the name The Hurt Syndicate.
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MVP, Benjamin, and Lashley have been dominating the All Elite roster since their debut. The Standard of Excellence and The All Mighty currently hold the promotion's tag team titles. Lashley, on his part, even holds a victory over former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland. Benjamin, on the other hand, had an impressive showing at last year's Continental Classic, finishing the tournament with six points in the Blue League.
The members of The Syndicate are avowedly hungry for competition. If he signs with All Elite Wrestling, Carlito could arrive and step up to the fearsome stable. He has ample history with MVP, Benjamin, and Lashley to draw from, having competed against all three men during their shared time in WWE and elsewhere. Such an angle would also allow The Caribbean Bad Apple to feud with MJF, whom the veteran has praised in past interviews.
The Wolf of Wrestling was recently initiated into The Hurt Syndicate. If Carlito opts to antagonize the faction, MVP and company could decide to make an example out of him, or deploy Friedman to do the same.
#2: Carlito can take on Christian Cage and The Patriarchy
Christian Cage has been doing what many believe to be some of the best heel work of his career right now in All Elite Wrestling. The Instant Classic tapped into his vicious side ever since turning on "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry almost three years ago. Since then, he has amassed a number of followers, including the currently-recovering Luchasaurus, up-and-comer Nick Wayne, and his mother Shayna, and more recently Kip Sabian.
While tensions have been simmering lately between the self-proclaimed Patriarch and his "son" The Prodigy, the two could find common ground if they are confronted or challenged by Carlito (if the latter inks a deal with AEW, that is). The Puerto Rican grappler has shared the ring with Christian on several occasions, although it was the erstwhile Captain Charisma who had come out on top in most of their bouts.
Determined to change their tally, Carlito could call Cage out to a singles match on AEW television. This could lead to the former United States Champion engaging in a feud with all the members of The Patriarchy. Such a storyline could also witness the involvement of Carlito's father, the legendary Carlos Colon himself, considering Christian's notorious habit of insulting his rivals' families on air.
#3: Carlito might debut in AEW's sister-promotion
Over three years ago, on Dynamite, AEW CEO Tony Khan revealed that he had purchased Ring of Honor. Since then, the company has served as a sister-promotion to All Elite Wrestling, featuring a mix of talent from the All Elite roster and elsewhere. Although the brand has come under some criticism over its lacklustre booking and presentation, it does afford a number of performers a platform to hone their craft.
Stars like Athena and Billie Starkz, Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara, Johnny TV, MxM Collection, and more have kept their skills sharp in ROH even when they are not being utilized on AEW programming. Were he to sign with All Elite Wrestling, Carlito would have the opportunity to compete in Ring of Honor under Tony Khan's management for the very first time in his career.
Even if he could not be booked as a staple of AEW television, Carlito could regularly wrestle in ROH. He could also make appearances in promotions like CMLL, NJPW, RevPro, and so on, owing to the working partnerships they share with All Elite Wrestling.
