The Latest Episodes of INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet
Feb. 11, 2025

Carlito On Bad Bunny, Backlash Return, Beating John Cena In His WWE Debut, Judgement Day

Carlito On Bad Bunny, Backlash Return, Beating John Cena In His WWE Debut, Judgement Day

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Carlito (@Litocolon279) is a professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet at the first-ever INSIGHT LIVE in Indianapolis, IN to discuss the vignettes that built up to his WWE debut, beating John Cena in his first-ever match, the infamous John Cena stabbing storyline, sharing the ring with Roddy Piper and Steve Austin at WrestleMania, how the Backstabber became his finisher, returning to the company at Backlash in Puerto Rico, being a part of The Judgment Day, the right technique to spit an apple and more! Plus, Carlito takes questions from the audience.

Quote I'm thinking about: "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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On what he was told his gimmick would be:

"They said the gimmick would be just he's a cool kind of laid-back guy. That's all they gave me. Well, it's kind of how it is with wrestling. They'll give you certain guidelines or whatever. Then it's up to you to kind of make that character, or end up not making that character."

On the apple spitting technique:

"There’s actually a technique of spitting that people haven't realized. You have to get the right amount of chew, because if you don't chew it enough, when you spit it at someone, it'll just be like big blocks and it'll fall off. If you chew it too much, then it just gets too gooey and it won't spray enough. But if you get it just right the way I do, you get that nice spray that just sticks all over their face and gets in the shirt and their hair. Lovely."

On not being proud of some apple spits:

"There's a couple that I'm ashamed, not ashamed of, but there's a couple of people, especially some females that I remember. Maybe that's why there's no vignettes, because I look a lot of them now and nowadays you're like, Oh, we couldn't get away with that nowadays. The one I did with Maria, you guys know, right? That one wouldn't fly today. And for those who don't know, you'll look it up somewhere. But, yeah, that wouldn't fly these days."

On his storylines with Trish Stratus and Torrie Wilson:

"The thing was that I felt it was a contradiction to what the Carlito character is. Because if think about it, he was always talking about being cool and whatever but he was actually not cool. And then he is always the type of guy that brags about getting all these girls, but then women can't stand him. Then all of a sudden they start putting him with women. It's like well you kind of just throwing the whole Carlito thing away. He's the guy that talks a lot of s***. But people understand Carlito is a heel. He's likable but he's a heel at heart. He's not a good guy. I don't see what redeemable qualities he has. I know people seem to love him, whatever. But that's the problem. They thought, Oh, the people like him. Yeah, they like him. But they like him because he's a certain way, and he's a bad guy. There’s nothing good about Carlito."

On the pop he got at Backlash 2023:

"I wasn't [surprised], just because they'd been wanting to see me back with WWE for years, Something that they always wanted. It was like a perfect storm being in Puerto Rico, a big pay-per-view in Puerto Rico and the world's biggest star with Bad Bunny. Everybody was kind of hoping that I would show up."

On when his music hit:

"Well, they didn't hit it right. Because it starts with the spit and ‘I split the face…’ It just went straight to my music. But luckily people still knew it was my music, and got the reaction it did."

On his return at the 2021 Royal Rumble with no fans:

"It's like Mania, it's one of the big events, it is tradition. When I returned there wasn't a live crowd. It was the big screens or whatever. So now I kind of just enjoy seeing that big crowd, and it's a unique experience. It's a big thing. I was not signed. It was like a one-off. I did one and then went back to doing my thing. I did the Raw after that."

On Carlito’s Cabana:

"I think my first month that I started I got injured. I dislocated my left shoulder, so they wanted to keep me on TV somehow. So they just thought, Okay, we'll do a talking segment with him. And then was great for me, because I could just go out there and act the fool, which is perfect for me. I don't mind that at all. There was no plan, just something to keep you on TV. Well because I was just about a month in, I just beaten Cena. So they didn’t want that to go to waste, I guess."

On beating John Cena in his debut match:

"It was great. I first thought that Cena had pranked me because as soon as I got there he was the nicest guy to me. Went over everything with me, one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Then we get in the ring, the bell rang, and he kicked me in the stomach so hard, that's like, oh, okay I see what's going on here. But that's just the way he worked. And I think that's what he said. He's a strong boy, he hits hard."

On the backstage segment with Ric Flair:

"I get a lot of flack for it. Apparently he was shooting on me or something. People around me were like Oh, you didn't feel it? I didn't see it that way but okay. But I mean, yeah, it was cool. It was cool because I tagged with him for a little bit too. So it was cool having a storyline with and I just saw him."

On being in the ring with Roddy Piper and Steve Austin at WrestleMania 21:

"That was one of those moments you could say that, okay, I'm in here with Piper who I'd known since I was a little kid. And then Austin, I never really met him but of course I knew of him, how big it was. So I knew it was a cool little spot even, because I still couldn't wrestle. I still can't wrestle now [laughs], but back then I couldn’t actually wrestle because I had that shoulder issue. So it was cool to have a nice little spot at WrestleMania 21 with two of the biggest stars of all time."

On what it was like being out there with Piper and Austin:

"I didn’t get nervous, It was one of the things like I can hang with these people. So I never got nervous about having to wrestle Shawn Michaels or something, I'd show that I could hang with them. I didn't get nervous or whatever. I'm gonna show him that I can hang with him." 

On how the backstabber became his finisher:

"That’s back to John Cena again. I remember I used to do that move, and he said man, that's a finisher. You should do it as a finisher. I was like, Yeah, but the guy lands on top of me and I'm taking his weight. I mean, if I got to do this, luckily I don't win a lot, so I don't have to worry about that. But it was his idea. ‘You should do it as a finisher.’ All right, I'll try it out. And then, yeah, so thanks to him that I stuck with it."

On the stabbing John Cena storyline:

"I don't know what the official story is nowadays, they changed it over the years. Apparently, I was at the club and he got stabbed. I don't think it was me that stabbed him, or my my buddy Jesus. I don't think it was Jesus, or maybe it was, I don't know. All I know is it wasn't me. I think somebody at the club [did it]. Luckily, he made a movie during that time too. So we're lucky he didn't get stabbed that badly."

What is Carlito grateful for?

"My health, my family and all the fans."