WWE let Carlito and other veterans leave for one simple reason, Vince Russo says (Exclusive)

Carlito announced on June 1 that he had been let go by WWE. Vince Russo, the company's former head writer, believes the former Judgment Day member's departure sums up WWE's approach to business.

In sports, many teams rely on ticket sales and player transfers to make money. WWE, by contrast, frequently cuts its roster budget by releasing wrestlers or allowing them to leave when their contracts expire. The company also brings in huge sums through television deals with broadcasters around the world.

Russo discussed the situation with host Dr. Chris Featherstone and former WWE star EC3 on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws. He claimed WWE's higher-ups think they can do whatever they want because lucrative TV contracts have already been agreed.

"This is kinda what the WWE is doing," Russo said. "'Let's get rid of the Carlitos. We've got all this other NXT talent coming up.' But here's the difference. They don't have to worry about a rebuild because the check's already cashed, and they're not depending on house shows. They're not depending on people to go to house shows. Bro, they need to sell out SmackDown and freaking RAW and whatever the PLE [premium live event] is. That is it." [5:47 – 6:18]

Watch the video above to hear Russo highlight one major difference between current-day WWE and the Attitude Era.

Vince Russo on the consequences of WWE's TV contracts

In January, WWE RAW moved to Netflix in a 10-year, $5 billion deal. The company also airs programs on The CW, Peacock, USA Network, and several other television stations and online platforms.

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Comparing the situation to baseball, Vince Russo argued that WWE is not under pressure to deliver results due to the financial security of TV deals:

"That is the difference, bro, whereas a Major League [Baseball] team knows, 'Bro, attendance is gonna go down. We gotta bite the bullet for like two or three years until we build this back up.' Bro, they [WWE] are getting paid the same amount of money. Nothing changes for them, man." [6:19 – 6:36]

In the same video, Russo explained why Shawn Michaels must get tougher with WWE's up-and-coming talents in NXT.

Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video if you use Vince Russo's quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart