Carlito's WWE Contract Expires, Officially Making Him A Free Agent

It's pretty cool to be a free agent. Carlito would know, as his WWE contract has officially expired.

PWInsider broke the news early Saturday that the apple-loving ex-member of the Judgement Day is officially on the free agent market. PWInsider also confirmed that WWE had removed Carlito from their internal roster just days before his departure, though exactly when this change happened is unclear.

Fans have been expecting this departure since early June, when news about Carlito's expiring WWE contract hit news cycles. As the days counted down towards Carlito's contract expiration, the former mid-card staple was quietly removed from television, and the Judgement Day's many segments during "WWE Raw" suddenly became a little less cool without Carlito's presence in the background or during matches.

After a run in the early 2000s that saw him claim the Intercontinental and United States Championship, Carlito returned to WWE at Backlash 2023, and he immediately aligned himself with the LWO. Things turned sour on April 26, 2024 episode of "WWE SmackDown," when the veteran was exposed for orchestrating backstage attack on fellow LWO member Dragon Lee. Shortly after feuding with the LWO, Carlito transferred from "SmackDown" to "WWE Raw," and began to associate himself with The Judgement Day. During his time with The Judgement Day, Carlito would often be seen eating apples in the background of Judgement Day segments, or running mid-match interference for Finn Balor, J.D. McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio. Just before his departure, Carlito visited his father's promotion in Puerto Rico, and dethroned Ray Gonzalez to win the WWC Puerto Rico Championship.

Despite his new free agency, it is highly unlikely that Carlito will jump to AEW or other rival promotions, as he is expressly "loyal" to WWE. Unless Carlito keeps his promise to "reappear again in 13 years," the chances of him appearing on television for another promotion are slim.