Former Intercontinental Champion recalls WWE nixing his return on RAW for Royal Rumble appearance 

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Carlito has revealed that he was initially supposed to return to the company on RAW Legends in January last year, but the plans were changed.

The star was released from his contract in May 2010 due to a violation of the WWE Wellness Program and subsequent refusal to go to rehab. He has collided with major stars such as John Cena, Ric Flair, and Triple H during his career. He was a surprise entrant in the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match in the ThunderDome. He came in at the 8th spot but was eliminated by Elias.

During a recent appearance on the K & S WrestleFest virtual signing, Carlito stated that there were plans for him to return much sooner on RAW that year, but WWE decided it'd be best if he made his comeback in the Rumble instead.

"I was supposed to do the Legends Night a couple of weeks before that and then they canceled me and said, ‘No, we’d rather have you in the Rumble’ [...] Yeah, it was great. What sucked was people [fans] not being there. People don’t even know if I exist now… So yeah, it would have been cool to be in front of a WWE crowd again but, other than that, it was pretty fun," he said. (H/T POST Wrestling)

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Carlito on why his WWE return last year was so brief

After his unsuccessful stint at the Royal Rumble, the former United States Champion made his in-ring return on RAW the following night. He teamed up with Jeff Hardy to take on Elias and Jaxson Ryker on the red brand.

Speaking on The Angle podcast, Carlito explained why his return didn't last very long.

“It was just the Rumble. Then I think the day before the Rumble they said, ‘Can you do RAW too?’ ‘Yeah, sure, whatever you guys need.’ So, yeah, I did RAW the following night, and that’s all we talked about. Just RAW and the Rumble.”

The Rated-R Superstar Edge won the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match. He faced Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns in a triple-threat match at WrestleMania 37 for the Universal Championship, albeit unsuccessfully.

Would you like to see Carlito have another run in the company? Sound off in the comments below!