WWE News: Carlito Comments On His Future With Company Following ‘Royal Rumble’ Return

On the most recent edition of Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast, Carlito touched on the topic of his return to WWE after an 11-year absence, where he competed in the titular main event of this year’s Royal Rumble. The veteran wrestler also commented on the possibility of signing a new contract with the company after his surprise return close to two weeks ago.

As quoted by Sportskeeda on Thursday, Carlito told Graves that he isn’t sure at the moment whether he wants to sign a contract with Vince McMahon’s promotion, but he would “love to be back” if the conditions are “right.” He added that he was satisfied with how his recent appearances with the company had gone, saying that his objective was to “take a breather” after his 2010 release and come back when he’s ready.

“I feel like I already did what I wanted to do. End things on a better note. If I came back, my goal was to be a better Carlito, be a better performer in my own way, and be a better person too.”

In addition, Carlito admitted to Graves that during his first WWE run, which ended in 2010, he was an angry individual who didn’t know the source of his anger. However, he explained that he has matured as a person in the decade since he was let go and that his release turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Aside from his spot in the men’s Royal Rumble match, where he entered eighth and lasted eight minutes before getting eliminated by Elias, Carlito also wrestled a tag team match on the February 1 edition of Monday Night Raw, where he partnered with Jeff Hardy in a victorious effort against Elias and Jaxson Ryker.

According to a previous report from Sportskeeda, rumors had been swirling regarding the chances of Carlito inking a deal with WWE following his well-received comeback appearance. Reports also suggested that the 41-year-old grappler was put on a three-week trial. As noted, MVP — who notably made a full-time return to the company in 2020 shortly after that year’s Royal Rumble — was supposedly instrumental in convincing officials to give his fellow veteran a shot.

Carlito was not the only Ruthless Aggression Era mainstay to make a surprise appearance at the men’s Royal Rumble match. Christian, who had been retired for the past seven years, was one of the contest’s final four competitors, and as his longtime best friend Edge recently suggested, there’s a chance the two of them may reunite as a tag team in the near future.