John Cena could not have been a better first opponent for Carlito when the “cool” Superstar made his WWE debut in 2004.
Upon arriving at SmackDown, Carlito goaded Cena into a U.S. Championship title defense and (thanks to some cheating,) Carlito would win the title in his debut match.
Speaking on a recent edition of the “Cheap Heat” podcast, Carlito reflected on his debut victory over the future ‘Greatest of All Time.’ He said,
“To win a championship on my first night was crazy… you had to deal with people in the back who were like, ‘Oh, you’re the next whatever’ but I had dealt with it before and knew how to conduct myself.
“And Cena couldn’t have been a greater partner; he helped me out a lot. I thought he was ribbing me because he was so nice to me during the day, and when we locked up … that first kick to the stomach … I was like, ‘I see what’s going on here.’ But hey, he just hits that hard [laughs].”
After being drafted to RAW in 2005, Carlito would prove his title win was no fluke as he would capture the Intercontinental Championship in his first match with the red brand.
