WWE Rumors: Former Champion Reportedly Set To Appear In Royal Rumble Match Following 11-Year Hiatus
According to a new report from PWInsider.com, Carlito is reportedly backstage at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view tonight, and he’s scheduled to be a surprise entrant in the titular men’s Battle Royale match. Furthermore, the veteran is also going to be at tomorrow’s Monday Night Raw to try out as a producer.
Carlito left WWE in 2010, only to return once in 2014 to induct his father into the Hall of Fame. As The Inquisitr reported, he was reportedly offered the chance to rejoin the promotion in 2016 in the lead up to the brand split. In the end, he supposedly turned down the offer after officials offered him the same pay as talents signed to developmental contracts.
As the PWinsider.com report highlighted, however, the former Intercontinental Champion and his family have done some business with WWE in recent years. Vince McMahon’s company purchased the library of the World Wrestling Council — which is owned by Carlito’s family — a few years ago. Both parties have also shown more interest in working with each other lately.
PWInsider.com noted that Carlito was offered the chance to appear at the recent Monday Night Raw “Legend’s Night.” It is believed that he turned down the offer because he didn’t want to travel so far during a pandemic for a cameo appearance. The latest development suggests that officials have bigger plans in mind for him this time around at least.
Carlito’s proposed deal — a Royal Rumble appearance followed by the transition into a possible backstage role — is similar to MVP’s agreement with the company upon his return last year.
The former United States Champion was initially set to retire after a few weeks of competing again. However, his performances were so impressive that he agreed to remain an on-screen performer, and he’s currently riding high on the red brand as the leader of the Hurt Business faction.
It remains to be seen if Carlito will wrestle for a while should he return at the Royal Rumble. The former superstar arguably has some unfinished business as a performer, though he might also be keen to focus on the next stage of his career.
Carlito was once tipped for big things during his previous run. As The Inquisitr previously documented, Jim Ross said that he could have been a top main eventer, but he was too “lazy” and unmotivated to put the work in. The Hall of Famer was a fan of his work regardless, but claimed that Carlito was more interested in women than wrestling.
