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Former WWE Superstar Carlito has revealed he purposely tried to get himself fired at the end of his seven-year run with the company.
The 42-year-old performed on WWE’s main roster between 2004 and 2010 after spending a year in the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental system. He won the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship, and the WWE and World Tag Team Championships (w/Primo) during that time.
Speaking to James Romero of Wrestling Shoot Interviews, Carlito said he asked for his release due to frustrations with the direction of his character. After the requests were repeatedly denied, he deliberately upset WWE’s higher-ups in an attempt to get fired.
“I’d asked for my release about three times,” Carlito said. “Once I realized they weren’t gonna release me, I’m like, ‘Alright, if you’re not gonna fire me, I might as well have some fun with it.’ So I would find ways to make the office annoyed or get myself fired. That was kind of my own entertainment because they weren’t gonna use me, so I kind of felt like, ‘Well, if you’re not gonna use me, I’m not gonna just sit around.’ So that was kind of my goal, which looking back is very immature on my part. If I could go back, I’d do things differently. That was kind of my entertainment those last couple of years.”
After almost 11 years away from WWE, Carlito made a surprise appearance as an entrant in the 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble match. He also joined forces with Jeff Hardy to defeat Elias and Jaxson Ryker one night later on RAW.
Carlito dismisses claims he had no passion
Earlier this year, former WWE executive Jim Ross used the words “lazy” and “unmotivated” to describe Carlito’s approach to the wrestling business.
The Puerto Rican star insisted he was passionate about wrestling, but he found it “very frustrating” when he missed out on opportunities to perform.
“You feel held hostage,” Carlito added. “They’re not gonna use you, they’re not gonna let you go. What are you gonna do? It’s funny because they thought I had no passion, but it was actually kind of the opposite. I didn’t want to go out there and just do nothing or just sit around in the back, so it was very frustrating. I should have found a better way to channel my anger management [laughs].”
Carlito also said in the interview that WWE legend Shawn Michaels thought he was “too nonchalant.” The two-time Hall of Famer even told Carlito to his face that he did not like him.
Please credit WSI - Wrestling Shoot Interviews and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
