Dutch Mantell discloses the insane reason why legendary 51-year-old heel refused to work with Carlito (Exclusive)

Carlito recently made his triumphant return to WWE as a full-time superstar. While he has made a handful of one-off appearances, this is his first proper run in WWE in nine years. Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell revealed the insane story about why a legendary heel didn't want to work with Carlito.

On the latest episode of Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell recalled the returning star's early days in the World Wrestling Council (WWC), a promotion partly owned by his father Carlos Colon Sr. He detailed the angle that got the former US Champion his start - which involved saving his father from a beatdown by Dutch Mantell and legendary heel Ray Gonzalez - who is now 51 years old.

Dutch Mantell told host SP3 that even after Ray Gonzalez lost a match to Carlos Colon, the fanatical local fans nearly beat him to death on his way back:

"I remember Ray Gonzalez came back, he was my top heel. He doesn't cuss or anything but he went, 'F- this!'. He said 'I ain't doing it no more. I'm not doing it. I'm not touching that kid anymore'. Because the people were fanatical about it. They loved [Carlito]. So the first time we went outside with it and this was 'Three Kings Day' - we sold out the big stadium and they [fans] almost beat Ray Gonzalez to death on the way back. And he lost the match! And they beat the crap out of him. He said, 'I ain't doing it again.I'm not doing it anymore'. But we had good business with him. Carlito is very good. Because he broke into the business, he understands the business. And I like Carlito's style. He doesn't get too excited, he eats the apple and spits it out. I've never seen that angle but it works for him." [From 07:23 to 08:29]

You can watch the full video below:

Carlito sent a message on Twitter after his WWE return

Fans were thrilled to see the return of the former Intercontinental Champion, who came back a bit late but just on time to help the LWO beat Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits.

Breaking his silence after his return to WWE at Fastlane 2023, he simply said, "It's good to be back home."

He is expected to be on SmackDown as a new member of LWO, and it will be interesting to see how WWE goes about handling him - as the focus seems to be on Rey Mysterio as the present and the face of the LWO, while Santos Escobar is being positioned as a future star.

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