As announced Friday here on the website and on WWE.com, Carlito — real name Carlos Colón — was released from his WWE contract due to his first violation of the company’s Wellness Program and subsequent refusal to enter a rehabilitation facility.
Company sources indicate Colón did not actually fail a drug test. Rather, management felt he was unfit to perform after arriving to the Air Canada Centre on Monday for the evening’s RAW taping. We are still trying to get this confirmed.
As noted, company officials then made the decision to terminate his contract following his subsequent refusal to enter rehab.
Colón, who had been under contract to WWE since 2004, developed a reputation of being a talented performer whose lack of motivation prevented him from rising above mid-card status. He was rumored to have been on the verge of leaving the company for years.
The Puerto Rican native was most recently used as a mentor to NXT Rookie Michael Tarver, who was ousted in the first round of eliminations. He had also teamed up once again with brother Primo, helping Ted DiBiase beat up R-Truth on last week’s RAW.