Carly Colón Carlos Edwin " Carly " Colón Jr . ( February 21 , 1979 ) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito . He belongs to a wrestling family , being the son of Carlos Colón Sr . , who introduced him to wrestling . His mother was born in Canada , which grants him Canadian citizenship . Colón debuted in his father ' s promotion , the World Wrestling Council ( WWC ) , eventually winning the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship 15 times , and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship once . During the early years of his career , he made appearances for the X Wrestling Federation and Funking Conservatory , winning his first international championship for the second . In his native Puerto Rico , he is known as both Carly Colón and Carlito . In 2003 , Colón signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) , working for the promotion until 2010 . He worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) for sixteen months , mostly wrestling in tag team matches while making appearances in WWC . On October 7 , 2004 , Colón made his debut performing on the main event of SmackDown ! as Carlito Caribbean Cool . Colón is a former WWE United States Champion and WWE Intercontinental Champion and has been part of both the Raw and SmackDown brands . He is the only wrestler to win a championship on two separate debuts in WWE and the second Puerto Rican to become Intercontinental Champion after Pedro Morales . At WrestleMania XXV , Colón and his brother , Eddie Colón , became the only tag team to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship . Early and personal life . Colón was born in the Santurce district of the capital of Puerto Rico , San Juan . He is son of retired wrestler and promoter Carlos Colón , Sr . and his wife , Nancy . Colón was the first of four siblings , a group that also includes fellow wrestlers Eddie Colón and Stacy Colón , both of whom have performed in the World Wrestling Council . A second sister , Melissa did not enter the wrestling business . Other members of Colón ' s family have also been involved in the World Wrestling Council ; his uncle José Colón and cousin Orlando Colón have been involved in several angles within the company . On April 18 , 2009 , Colón was retroactively granted the Canadian citizenship following a series of amends to the Canadian nationality law . This revision automatically granted the distinction to all the first generation individuals born abroad . The revision only required a single Canadian parent , a demand that Colón met through his maternal bloodline . Between 1991 and 1997 , Colón attended the Jesuit Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola , from which he graduated . Unsatisfied with his physical conditioning , he began attending a gym as an 11 - year - old . Despite this , Colón has stated that he did not intend to become a wrestler at first and only did so as sport . It was not until completing his college education that he decided to train , after noticing that his condition was on par with the wrestlers despite his age . However , despite this Colón initially expected to retire within ten years and run a private business . He admits that during this initial stage , he received peer pressure to match the accomplishments of his father . Colón ' s decision to sign with World Wrestling Entertainment was a controversial one among the Puerto Rican wrestling community . He was criticized by the locals , labeled as someone who had " sold out " his Puerto Rican wrestling traditions over for the " flash and flair " of the American company . Colón spoke of this in an interview with " The Sun " in which he stated " I did not care about what they thought . I ' ve always dreamed of working for the WWE when I was young , and I took that chance when it came " . Professional wrestling career . World Wrestling Council ( 1999 – 2003 ) . In November 1999 , Colón began working in the World Wrestling Council as a cameraman , then known by his actual nickname " Carly " , being subtly introduced to the television programming . Soon after his first appearance , the promotion ' s main heel ( or villainous ) wrestler , Ray Gonzalez , took an interest in him after learning his identity . After weeks of being pestered , Colón responded by punching González , which resulted in a beat - down by the dominant heel stable , La Familia del Milenio . At Aniversario 1999 , Colón interrupted a match between González and Colón , Sr . , aiding his father by interrupting while wielding a shovel , which became his trademark weapon early in his career . The feud between Colón Sr . and González continued , with him interferring on his father ' s behalf . The final match of this feud concluded in the same manner that the first Aniversario encounter . Soon after , vignettes depicting him training with Isaac Rosario began airing in WWC ' s show , Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre . Colón made his in - ring debut in January 2000 by defeating Félix Tapia , a jobber and member of La Familia . He was immediately booked in a major push , defeating almost the entirety of the heel locker room during the following two weeks . Despite being active for less than three months , he earned the support of the WWC fanbase . On January 29 , 2000 , Colón defeated González to become the youngest wrestler to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship . Following his victory , he was engulfed by fans and carried to the locker room by the Ejercíto de la Justicia , the main fan - favorite stable in the promotion . González countered by creating a coalition of wrestlers that had feuded with Colón Sr . in the past , led by Hercules Ayala and Ramón Álvarez . On February 19 , 2000 , Colón dropped the Universal Heavyweight Championship to González , following intervention from Álvarez . This led to a double feud against Álvarez and Ayala , from which he emerged victorious . During this timeframe , he also wrestled One Man Gang , who was involved a storyline where a $ 10 , 000 bounty was placed by La Familia to " end his career " . On July 16 , 2000 , Colón defeated González to recover the championship in the main event of Aniversario , the promotion ' s anniversary event . This was followed with a feud with Curt Hennig , brought in by La Familia , who won the title by pinning him on September 30 , 2000 . Both met in a rematch the following event , with the championship being held - up following a time limit draw . On November 25 , 2000 , Colón recorvered the belt by defeating Hennig in a no - disqualification contest without time limit . On December 3 , 2000 , Colón wrestled " The Botswana Beast " Benjamin Peacock to a double count out . In his next match , he defeated Horace Hogan . González turned on Hennig and brought in Jerry Flynn to recapture the title . Colón won their first encounters , but Flynn won the Universal Heavyweight Championship on February 17 , 2001 . He resumed his feud with González , before migrating to another angle against La Familia ' s main tag team , Thunder and Lightning , composed of Reynaldo " Thunder " Rodríguez and Alex " Lightning " Cruz . Teaming with his father and bother , Eddie Colón , he earned a victory over them . Thunder and Lightning went on to turn on González , who then pursued a partnership with Colón , looking for him in several locations . At Aniversario 2001 : Septiembre Negro , he teamed with González to defeat Thunder and Lightning . However , the partnership was short lived , with González turning on Colón and regaining control of La Familia . On November 13 , 2001 , Colón participated in the television tapings of the X Wrestling Federation . In his only appearance for the promotion , he defeated David Sierra . On December 1 , 2001 , Colón defeated González to win the Universal Heavyweight Championship , restarting the formula of bringing foreign wrestlers to challenge him . His next feud was against Vampiro , winning the first encounters between them , but losing the title in a no - disqualification contest . A rematch ended in a double disqualification , with the belt being held - up after both assaulted the designated referee . To close this rivalry , Colón defeated Vampiro to regain the Universal Heavyweight Championship . On March 16 , 2002 , he teamed with his bother to defeat Thunder and Lightning and win the WWC World Tag Team Championship . Their reign only lasted a day , losing a rematch the following date . He subsequently formed an alliance with Konnan , winning the belts again on March 26 , 2002 , and holding them for nearly three months . After losing the titles back to Thunder and Lightning , Konnan turned on Colón by attacking his sister , Stacy Colón , with a guitar . He dropped the title in the ensuing feud , recovering it back on November 23 , 2002 . To open 2003 , Colón lost the belt to José " Chicky Starr " Laureano , winning it back the following month . On March 15 , 2003 , he lost the championship to Sabu , before recovering it two weeks later . In May 2003 , Colón wrestled in two tryout matches for World Wrestling Entertainment . His opponents were Tommy Dreamer and Jamie Noble , with both contests ending in a loss . Three different reports scouted his performance in a positive manner , with an official offer being made days after the initial appearances . On June 2 , 2003 , Colón signed a developmental contract with WWE , being assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling . He made a final appearance in WWC , winning a match over Mike Awesome at Aniversario 2003 . Following this performance , Colón addressed the crowd and vacated the Universal Heavyweight Championship , with the next titleholder being decided in a tournament following his departure . The staff of WWC ' s main rival , the International Wrestling Association ( IWA ) , was surprised by the event due to the promotion ' s previous association with WWE . They expected the tryout to conclude with the same outcome that the ones that WWE held with their talents ( Germán Figueroa , Ricky Banderas and Andy Anderson ) without any offer being made , deciding to counter the signing ' s impact with a storyline that benefited from it . The following month in the tour to promote the Summer Attitude 2003 event , the IWA began announcing the arrival of the " son of a former world champion " and " legend that is universally recognized " to the promotion , which was heavily implied to be Colón , but actually served as a plot device to introduce David Flair . Before the identity was revealed , his music was played over the sound system , only for the crowd to be told by Savio Vega ( Juan Rivera ) that they should avoid " acting like morons " . World Wrestling Entertainment . Ohio Valley Wrestling ( 2003 – 2004 ) . Upon joining OVW , Colón performed under his nickname of " Carly " . On July 5 , 2003 , he debuted by teaming with Luther Reigns and John Hennigan in a loss to Tank Toland , Johnny Jeter , and Matt Cappotelli . In his first singles appearances , Colón defeated Rob Begeley and Mike Mondo . He teamed with Henningan in a loss to Damien Sandow and Simon Dean , after which the team was dissolved . Hennigan then teamed with Cappotelli winning against Colón and his new partner , Joey Mercury . This team scored a win over Carl Lafon & Mondo , before being dissolved itself . Shortly afterwards , his ring name was changed as to the more formal " Carlos Colón , Jr . " , his actual name . His performance in OVW was intercalated by appearances in dark match es that took place before WWE ' s main shows . On October 14 , 2003 , he teamed with Dean in a dark match loss to Sean O ' Haire and Matt Morgan that preceded " WWE Velocity " . In February 2004 , Colón performed as a heel for the first time in his career by joining Bolin Services , a faction led by Kenny Bolin and completed by Shad Gaspard , Jerome Crony , Demond Thompson , Mike Mondo and fellow Puerto Rican Lourdes Guenard . He was paired with several members of the faction , with his team with Mondo trading wins against the team of Mac Johnson & Seth Skyfire and defeating Adrenaline ( a team composed by Chris Cage and Toland ) twice . His teams with Shad Gaspard and Chris Masters did not meet the same success , losing three consecutive matches , two against Adrenaline and one to The British Knights respectively . Individually , Colón defeated Micah Taylor , but lost to Cappotelli . A trio formed by him , Mondo and Gaspard won a couple of matches over the trios of Skyfire , Mac Johnson , & Demond Thompson and Mike Taylor , Rob Begley & Steve Lewington . However , it also lost to Rod Steele , Mike Taylor & Rob Begley and Mac Johnson , Seth Skyfire , & Big Bad John . The trio wrestled the team of Adrenaline and Wavell Starr to a no contest . While working in OVW , Colón continued to appear in various World Wrestling Council events . Towards the year ' s end , he made sporadic appearances and feuded with the " Dominican Boy " Julio César López over the Universal Heavyweight Championship . Colón won a November encounter by disqualification , which prevented the title from changing hands . He won a rematch on December 20 , 2003 , and held on to the Universal Heavyweight Championship for two weeks , losing it to Abdullah the Butcher at WWC ' s Three Kings Weekend . During this timeframe , Colón also participated in several dark matches prior to " Velocity " and " Sunday Night Heat " , in the first teaming with Brent Dail in a loss to Jim Steele & Mike Barton and on the second losing to Johnny Jeter in singles . WWC scheduled him to wrestle Abyss on April 10 , 2004 , but WWE did not grant the permission to perform at the event , considering that it could be promoted as an interpromotional match against its rival , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Throughout March and May , Colón wrestled in dark matches for both the " RAW " and " SmackDown ! " brands . The outcome of these unofficial presentations were wins over Paul London , Ruffy Silverstein , Wavell Starr and Ricky Reyes , also including losses to Hardcore Holly , Shoichi Funaki , Shannon Moore and Billy Kidman . His work in OVW was a key plot device in WWC ' s main storyline of the year . On May 15 , 2004 , the promotion began a backstage angle where Enrique Cruz told Eddie Colón that Carly Colón was wrestling as a heel in OVW , only for José Rivera , Jr . to dismiss it as " internet gossip " . A subsequent phone conversation between brothers concluded without a direct response on the matter . On June 13 , 2004 , Carly Colón ' s role as a heel was made official in a segment where he told his sister that he was no longer interested in his father or the people of Puerto Rico . Consequently , Eddie Colón traveled to the United States to meet with his brother . Upon arriving to the hotel where Carly Colón was staying , he asked to contact him , but the clerk refused to attend him after receiving the response that " Mr . Colón says that he has no brother " and receiving no response upon knocking on the room door . Eddie Colón was expelled from the hotel and tried to attend his brother ' s training , but he received the same response and was denied access , buying a ticket for an OVW show held that night . After the event ' s start , Carly Colón was shown arriving late and being scolded by Jim Cornette . This skit reflected real conflicts between both . Cornette has stated that during Colón ' s stay in OVW he considered him a very talented performer , capable of doing " great stuff " but only did it when he " was on " due to being used to be treated as " wrestling royalty " in his role of " the boss ' son " . Cornette went on to explain the limited role , saying that : " I didn ' t feature Carlito , because he thought that he was more advanced than the rest of the guys and was cruising . . . But that wasn ' t what I wanted to see " . Colón rebuffed this by saying that " they could have done more " with him in OVW and that the reason no to do it was because " Jim Cornette [ doesn ' t ] like " him . After noticing the hostile fan reaction and witnessing Carly ' s heel tactics from the public , Eddie Colón sneaked and waited by the locker rooms and confronted him , which resulted in a faceoff that concluded with the heel locker jumping him . Upon learning this , Colón Sr . travelled to Kentucky and interrupted an OVW scrimmage , which resulted in Carly Colón asking for his expulsion from the building . This served as setup for a feud between brothers , which saw Carly Colón return to Puerto Rico and mock the fans by stating that they would be " buying PPVs to see [ him ] " and using the recent Puerto Rico national basketball team ' s 19 - point victory over the United States national basketball team to claim that they were " conformists " for celebrating a single win . The first match between brothers headlined Aniversario on August 21 , 2004 . Carly Colón won the match by faking a knee injury and then shoving his sister into Eddie Colón when she entered the ring to help , using the distraction to score the pinfall . Two rematches were held the following month at Fase 3 , the first of which ended in a time limit draw . He lost the rubber match , which concluded with the heel factions assaulting both brothers and Colón , Sr . futilely asking them to join forces . In response to this angle , the IWA began hinting that Colón would be joining a heel stable known as " Capitol Sports " ( borrowing the name that WWC used during the 1970s - 90s ) , which in storyline was being covertly operated by González in cooperation with his " business partners " ( a reference to Colón , Sr . and Jovica ) with the intention of taking over the promotion . In a segment of their television show , the company ran a script where a surprise arrival was announced , which was promoted as " a young wrestler [ . . . ] with a tremendous future in the United States [ . . . ] who has Capitol flowing trough his veins " and with whom González had differences in the past that were overcome when he opened his eyes ( in reference to WWC ' s heel turn ) so that he could " complete " an unspecified task in the invasion . The IWA further mocked Colón in a skit where Savio Vega dismissed this revelation , citing that he had video evidence of a match where Flash Flanagan ( who was active in the promotion performing as " Slash Venom " ) pinned him at OVW . This angle was concluded in a segment where González berated an unknown individual during a call for being unable to appear in a card , claiming that " he [ was ] as mediocre as [ his ] father and brother " . SmackDown ; United States Champion ( 2004 – 2005 ) . In preparation for his debut , the WWE ' s creative team began testing different characters for him to use . The first attempt involved the promotion filing copyrights for the use of " Carlitos Colón " , which is the nickname commonly associated with his father in Puerto Rico . On June 7 , 2004 , Colón wrestled under this name in a dark match , this time losing to Sean Morley . However , later than month the name was modified to " Carlito Colón " and he was given the gimmick of a metrosexual man , originally intending to team him with Rico Constantino upon being promoted . However , this idea was dropped when Constantino was legitimately injured in a match . An afro was introduced to his gimmick during the last week of June , when he lost to Shane Helms in another dark match . As his promotion drew nearer , his team with Mondo lost to Capotelli and alternate partners Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan . However , it also won a match over Capotelli and Steve Lewington . In singles , he was defeated by Elijah Burke . On September 19 , 2004 , he wrestled under the name of " Carlito Caribbean Cool " in a " SmackDown ! " house show and defeated Scotty 2 Hotty . The creative team settled on this character and he wrestled under it in two more dark matches prior to " Velocity " , where he was booked in wins over Moore and Chris Cage . On October 7 , 2004 , Colón made his debut as a heel on " SmackDown ! " as " Carlito Caribbean Cool " ( though later shortened to simply " Carlito " ) , whose gimmick was an apple toting big mouth who would spit apple " in the face of people who don ' t want to be cool " . Carlito defeated John Cena for the United States Championship in his first match on the main roster by using a steel chain to knock out Cena . He immediately entered an undefeated streak of 14 contests , during which he successfully defended the title against Rob Van Dam , Rey Mysterio , Eddie Guerrero and Hardcore Holly , also defeating Shannon Moore in a non - title match . Carlito was then involved in a storyline where his bodyguard Jesús stabbed Cena in a nightclub . Carlito held the United States Championship for forty - two days , losing it back to Cena after suffering a legitimate injury . Carlito made his pay - per - view debut at the 2004 Survivor Series , where he represented Team Angle in an eight - man tag team match against Team Guerrero , but did not actually participate in the event after being chased out of the building by Cena . While Carlito was recovering from an injury , he was involved in a comical angle with " SmackDown ! ' s " general manager , Theodore Long . The storyline consisted of Carlito being forced to do demeaning chores around the arena , such as selling hot dogs , removing snow from parking lots with a shovel and mopping floors . As a result of these actions , Carlito created a petition in support of Long ’ s destitution , but was unsuccessful . On March 26 , 2005 , Colón performed for the first time in six months as Carlito , in a match against his younger brother Eddie Colón during an event in Caguas , Puerto Rico arriving to the stadium in a helicopter and under a massive standing ovation of the thousands of fans gather that night . Carlito made his WrestleMania debut in a non - wrestling role at WrestleMania 21 , in which he interrupted an edition of Rowdy Roddy Piper ' s " Piper ' s Pit " , with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest . This event led to an angle in the World Wrestling Council , where Piper and Carlito were booked to wrestle a match on " Friday Madness " , a special event presented by the company , which Piper won . Following WrestleMania , Carlito created an interview segment entitled " Carlito ’ s Cabana " . Carlito then entered a feud with The Big Show after a spot where Show refused an offer to work in an enforcer role for Carlito . This feud involved Carlito tricking Show into eating a poisoned apple , and Matt Morgan becoming Carlito ' s enforcer . This feud ended with Carlito defeating Show at Judgment Day . Raw ; Intercontinental Champion ( 2005 – 2008 ) . Carlito was drafted to the " Raw " brand in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery , where he defeated Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Championship in his debut match for the brand . He then lost the Intercontinental title to Ric Flair at Unforgiven . Towards the end of 2005 , Carlito was involved in a brand rivalry which led to him discontinuing " Carlito ' s Cabana " . The angle concluded with Carlito wrestling for " Team Raw " against " Team SmackDown ! " in a ten - man tag team match at the Survivor Series . In late 2005 , Carlito was added to angles involving the WWE Championship . After defeating Shelton Benjamin in a qualifying match , Carlito was added to the main event at New Year ' s Revolution in early 2006 , the Elimination Chamber match . He was one of the final two wrestlers remaining , after eliminating Kane , Chris Masters and Shawn Michaels . He then lost the match to John Cena . Carlito appeared in another World Wrestling Council show that took place on March 15 , 2006 in Carolina , Puerto Rico . He defeated Tyson Tomko , and he hosted an edition of " Carlito ' s Cabana " with Victor Jovica and Carlos Colón . Following New Year ' s Revolution , Carlito and Chris Masters joined forces as a tag team . Together they competed against Big Show and Kane for the World Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 22 . Carlito and Masters lost when Masters accidentally attacked Carlito . Following the match , Carlito confronted Masters , igniting a feud between them . Carlito began showing signs of a face turn when he attacked Chris Masters after his " Masterlock Challenge " the next night on Raw . This storyline came to a conclusion at Backlash , where Carlito defeated Masters via an illegal assist from the ropes . At Vengeance , Carlito fought in a Triple Threat match against Shelton Benjamin and Johnny Nitro for Benjamin ' s Intercontinental title . Nitro won the match after pulling Carlito outside of the ring and pinning him . Following Vengeance , Carlito began an on - screen relationship with Trish Stratus , turning face as a result . He also engaged in a short feud with Johnny Nitro and Melina , which ended after Carlito and Stratus defeated Nitro and Melina in a mixed tag team match at Saturday Night ' s Main Event . Carlito next feuded with Randy Orton , following a spot where Orton attempted to attack Stratus during a backstage segment . The two wrestlers were booked for a match at Unforgiven and a rematch on " Raw " ; Orton won both matches . The feud concluded in a match at WWE ’ s annual " Tribute to the Troops " event , where Carlito won by pinfall . The angle involving Carlito ' s relationship with Trish Stratus lasted until Stratus ' retirement from wrestling following Unforgiven . In the final months of 2006 , Carlito competed in several matches involving the Intercontinental Championship . His involvement in this angle ended at Cyber Sunday 2006 , after being elected by the fans to face Jeff Hardy for the championship . Carlito , however , lost the match . During this time period Carlito ' s gimmick underwent a slight change and was sold as a " ladies man " , eventually getting involved in another fictional relationship with Torrie Wilson . During this time , Colón was present at Lockout , a special event presented by the World Wrestling Council that took place on December 16 , 2006 . At this event , he defeated Jon Heidenreich to become Universal Heavyweight Champion , but was stripped of the championship minutes later . Carlito participated in the 2007 Royal Rumble , where he was eliminated by The Great Khali . Following the Royal Rumble , Carlito started a feud with Ric Flair , in which Flair insulted Carlito for leaving a show early by claiming that he had no heart , no passion and was undeserving of his spot on the roster . After Carlito challenged and lost to Flair in a match , they were booked as a tag team , with Flair serving as a mentor to Carlito . The team was involved in a Money in the Bank qualifying match which was declared a " no contest " after The Great Khali interfered . This led to a triple threat match the following week which included and was won by Randy Orton . Prior to the WrestleMania 23 , Colón expressed dissatisfaction with WWE management in an interview for not having plans to book him to appear at the pay - per - view and criticized their methods for selecting performers to push , making reference to backstage politics . Carlito , however , did participate in a dark match at WrestleMania , winning in a tag team match with Flair as his partner against the team of Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms . The team also lost a number one contender ' s match for the World Tag Team Championship against Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch . Carlito turned on Flair after the loss , which turned him heel again . Their feud ended with a match at Judgment Day , where Carlito lost to Flair by submission . Colón appeared in the World Wrestling Council ' s Aniversario 2007 event where he faced Scott Hall , who retook his WWE gimmick , Razor Ramon , for the first time since leaving the promotion in 1996 . As a way to promote the match , Hall claimed that the " Carlito Caribbean Cool " character was an imitation of him , giving it the nickname " Mini Razor " . Colón defeated Ramon with his " Back Stabber " finisher , in a match that included interference by the then - Universal Heavyweight Champion Apolo . All three were involved in a three - way match for the title the following day , which concluded with Ramon pinning Apolo . Following his feud with Flair he was involved in angles with The Sandman and Triple H . He then lost to Triple H at Unforgiven 2007 in a no disqualification match where the no disqualification rule only applied to Carlito . In late 2007 , Colón requested his release from the WWE as he was unhappy with the direction of his character . Following a meeting with Vince McMahon , however , he was convinced to stay . On December 10 , 2007 , he was featured in a ladder match at the " Raw 15th Anniversary " against Jeff Hardy for the WWE Intercontinental Championship , which Hardy won . Carlito defeated Cody Rhodes to qualify for the money in the bank ladder match at Wrestlemania 24 . He failed to win at the event . Carlito then formed a tag team with Santino Marella . The team was placed in several matches involving the World Tag Team Championship , twice being named the number one contenders ; however , they lost the relevant championship matches . The Colóns , Unified Tag Team Championship ( 2008 – 2010 ) . As part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft , Carlito was drafted back to the SmackDown brand . After the draft , he asked for a vacation , using this time to attend his father ' s official retirement ceremonies at " Aniversario 2008 " , where he also wrestled against Ray Gonzalez . On September 12 , he re - debuted on the brand turning face , forming a tag team with his brother , Primo . They defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder in the match to gain their first victory as a team . Two weeks later , both teams competed in a title match , with The Colóns winning to become tag team champions . Subsequently , Carlito and Primo entered a feud with World Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz . At WrestleMania XXV , The Colóns defeated Miz and Morrison in a tag team unification match , becoming the first team to simultaneously hold both sets of the company ' s Tag Team Championships since their creation . On April 15 , 2009 , both Carlito and Primo were drafted back to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft . At The Bash , the duo dropped the Unified Tag Team Titles to Edge and Chris Jericho in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match also involving Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes . Carlito and Primo invoked their rematch clause the next night on Raw , but were unsuccessful . On the July 6 episode of " Raw " , following their loss to Edge and Jericho , Carlito turned heel by attacking Primo . At Night of Champions , Carlito challenged for the United States Championship in a Six - Pack Challenge , which also involved Primo , but neither of them were able to win the title . On the August 3 episode of " Raw " , Carlito defeated Primo to end their feud . On the August 13 episode of " WWE Superstars " , Carlito teamed with Rosa Mendes to defeat Kofi Kingston and Mickie James . Mendes would then become Carlito ' s manager until she was traded to the " ECW " brand in September . After a two - month hiatus , on the November 30 episode of " Raw " , Carlito returned to confront John Cena , after Cena challenged Sheamus to come out to the ring , telling him everyone on the roster were tired of him and that Sheamus was their representative of what the roster believed and then tried to spit apple in Cena ' s face , which led to him getting hit with Cena ' s finisher , the Attitude Adjustment . The following week , Carlito was defeated by Cena . In February 2010 , Carlito was announced as one of the eight WWE Pros for the first season of " WWE NXT " . On the February 22 episode of " Raw " , Carlito was defeated by Christian in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match . The next night on " WWE NXT " , Carlito teamed with his NXT Rookie Michael Tarver in a losing effort against Christian and his NXT Rookie Heath Slater . On the May 2 episode of " WWE Superstars " , during his match with Primo , Carlito would stop the match and told Primo they shouldn ' t fight when the crowd cheers for two brothers to fight each other . Primo would agree and reunite with his brother , turning heel in the process . On the May 10 episode of " Raw " , Carlito and Primo attacked R - Truth for Ted DiBiase , who paid them afterwards . On May 21 , Colón was released due to a violation of the WWE Wellness Program and refusal to attend a rehabilitation facility for a reported addiction to pain killers . International and independent circuit ( 2010 ) . Following his release , Colón began accepting dates to work for independent promotions . The first promotion to include him in its roster was World Wrestling Today . Colón challenged for the heavyweight titles of Big Time Wrestling , Coastal Championship Wrestling , Canadian Wrestling ' s Elite , International Wrestling Cartel and Crossfire Wrestling , but either lost these matches or won by count out . He made short tours for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Syndicate , NWA Southwest , World Wrestling Association , Border City Wrestling , National Wrestling Superstars , Vendetta Pro Wrestling and the Canadian National Wrestling Alliance , scoring wins over the likes of Shane Douglas and Gangrel . On August 7 , 2010 , he made his debut in Lucha Libre USA ' s live shows , wrestling as " Carlitos " . On December 2010 , Carlito participated in Inoki Genome Federation in Japan , where he was pinned by Japanese superstar Kendo Kashin . In February 2011 , NWA Southwest in Texas booked Carlito in a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Adam Pearce . On March 4 , 2011 , Colón , billed as Carlito Caribbean Cool , made his debut for the Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración ( AAA ) , defeating Decnnis , Jack Evans and Ozz in a four – way match to advance to the " Rey de Reyes " tournament finals at the Rey de Reyes pay - per - view . In the finals of the tournament , Carlito was defeated by Extreme Tiger . On October 31 , 2011 , he was booked for the Halloween Lucha Tour event held in Matamoros , Tamaulipas , in which he tagged with Chavo Guerrero and Rikishi Phatu to face Mil Mascaras , Dos Caras and Cassandro . They repeated the match the following two days in different locations , but replaced Cassandro with El Hijo de Canek . On February 4 , 2012 , Colón continued his international tour by appeareing on the World Wrestling Fan Xperience ( WWFX ) Champions Showcase Tour in Manila , Philippines , where he wrestled under his LLUSA name in a win over Snitsky . Colón won Family Wrestling Entertainment ' s Heavyweight Championship on October 6 , 2012 , in main event of House of Hardcore ' s first show , defeating previous champions Tommy Dreamer and Mike Knox in a three - way match . On October 26 , 2012 , he made a one - night appearance for Wrestling New Classic ( WNC ) in Japan , losing to Tajiri in the first round of the WNC Championship tournament . In March 2013 , Colón won the Millennium Wrestling Federation ' s Undisputed Championship . He had previously performed for the promotion , mostly in matches involving Benny Jux ( David Bentubo ) between 2011 and 2012 . On June 21 , 2013 , he dropped the FWE Heavyweight Championship to John Hennigan . The following day , Colón defeated Mike Bennett in the House of Hardcore . In July 2013 , he made a one - night appearance for All American Wrestling by headlining the promotion ' s Scars and Stripes event , in which Keith Walker was booked as the winner On October 12 , 2013 , Colón lost to Dreamer in the first round of the FWE Open Weight Grand Prix . On September 6 , 2013 , he made his debut for the World Wrestling League marking the first time that he performed for another Puerto Rico - based promotion . In his first appearance , Colón defeated established Mexican performers Blue Demon , Jr . and La Parka II . Two days later , he lost a rematch by submission . Colón was one of the first wrestlers to perform in Qatar Pro Wrestling , the first promotion in this Arabian state . On November 9 , 2013 , he and Rosita defeated Tara and Stevie Richards at House of Hardcore 3 . At Wrestling Alliance Revolution ' s Super Leyendas del Ring , Colón won a three - way match for the WAR World Heavyweight Championship . On November 30 , 2013 , at WrestleCade , Carlito was defeated by Matt Hardy for the WrestleCade championship . On December 7 , 2013 , he wrestled at First Wrestling Society ' s Amo Del Hexágono winning the 1WS World Heavyweight Championship . Moments later , his first contender was confirmed to be Ken Shamrock , who was abandoning a four - year retirement . On March 7 , 2014 , Colón returned to WWL , joining Chavo Guerrero and Fuerza Guerrera in a 3 - on - 3 match against Juventud Guerrera , Octagon and Ricky Marvin , where his team lost by disqualification . Two days later , he participated in a three - way match for José " Monster Pain " Torres ' s WWL World Heavyweight Championship , but was not involved in the outcome after the champion pinned Guerrero . Colón was a member of the International Wrestling Federation ' s inaugural roster , where he debuted with a win over Willie Mack . He lost the WAR World Heavyweight Championship to Pablo Marquez on April 19 , 2014 , as part of CCW ' s Spring Breakout . Return to WWC ( 2010 – present ) . On July 11 , 2010 , Colón was booked in a match called " The Three Faces of Fear " at WWC ' s Aniversario 2010 which also involved Booker T . The concept of this contest was that he would face three unknown adversaries successively . Colón also performed on a second date of this event , working under a " tweener " concept , representing a morally ambiguous team without clear allegiance . He returned to WWC on September 25 , 2010 at the " Septiembre Negro " event , where he defeated " El Triple Mega Campeón " Ricky Banderas . On November 27 , 2010 , Colón defeated Shelton Benjamin to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship at the Crossfire event . He made his first title defense against Banderas at WWC ' s last show of the year — Lockout . On January 8 , 2011 , Colón lost the Universal Heavyweight Championship to Banderas , following interference from Shane Sewell . On June 4 , 2011 , Carlito returned to WWC and defeated Steve Corino to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship for the thirteenth time . On July 17 , 2011 at Aniversario 2011 Carlito made his first defense of the title against Abyss . In this event , Savio Vega cut a promo pursuing a feud as part of the first interpromotional angle between WWC and the International Wrestling Association . However , this cooperation was stalled due to differences between the administration of both promotions , remaining fruitless for the rest of the year . On October 28 , 2011 , Colón returned to WWC first to join his brother and wrestled Gilbert Cruz and his cousin Orlando Colón , before successfully defending the Universal Heavyweight Championship against Masters the following night . On November 11 , 2011 , he won a rematch . At WWC ' s Euphoria 2012 , he wrestled in a rematch against Banderas , which was left inconclusive when a video depicting Vega was shown in the titantron , draining the time limit . Colón dropped the Universal Heavyweight Championship to Gilbert at Noche de Campeones 2012 , failing to win it back in a rematch held at Camino a la Gloria . In this event , he also aided Ray González , which resulted in both receiving an invitation to join La Nueva Familia , a recreation of La Familia del Milenio , proposed by Félix " Barrabás " López . González refused this approach , claiming that it was returning to the past . On May 12 , 2012 , Colón also declined the invitation by spitting an apple in López ' s face , who countered by ordering Thunder and Lightning to ambush both him and González during a number one contendership match . At Aniversario 2012 , Colón and González defeated Thunder and Lightning , unmasking them for the first time in their career . They teamed once again , but lost a rematch by disqualification . At Septiembre Negro , a third and final encounter was set in a liberation match . Colón was the one to be handcuffed to the ring apron , turning on González upon being released and assaulting Carlos Colón , Sr . when he tried to interfere . During the following weeks , vignettes aired where he berated members of his own family , eventually being confronted by José Huertas González . On October 7 , 2012 , Savio Vega reappeared in Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre , issuing yet another challenge . However , this time Colón backfired with a challenge of his own , inviting Vega to a special edition of Carlito ' s Cabana . The edition of Carlito ' s Cabana that featured Vega took place on October 14 , 2012 . In the segment , both traded insults and it finished with the security removing Vega when he tried to assault Colón after the former spat an apple in his face . At Halloween Wrestling Xtravaganza he was disqualified , assaulting his opponent after his father , who served as special referee , did not allow Huertas González to use his finisher . At Honor vs . Traición , Colón unsuccessfully challenged Ray González for the Universal Heavyweight Championship . A Hair vs . Hair rematch was immediately scheduled for Lockout , which will feature a guest referee elected by popular vote between Vega and Huertas González . The following night marked the first time that Colón participated in a match where his father was among his opponents , but he avoided facing him directly , instead requesting a tag and only entering later to pin González . During this time frame , an angle began in which Colón began pursuing the ownership of WWC . This led to the creation of the Carlito Caribbean Company ( CCC ) , which acquired power when Rivera defeated Victor Jovica following a Huertas González heel turn to force him to sell WWC ' s stocks . Despite Rivera ' s involvement as a favored heel , Colón was booked in a spot where the new CCC management turned on him . The ownership of WWC was to be decided in a match between Huertas González and Colón , Sr . held on June 29 , 2013 , at Summer Madness in which CCC lost its bid . In the same event , Colón faced Rivera for the first time , dominating throughout the match but losing after being sprayed in the face with " green mist " . On July 13 , 2013 , he won a rematch by countering this same tactic . On August 18 , 2013 , Colón issued an open challenge for Aniversario 40 , calling himself a " Puerto Rican icon " . The following week the challenge was accepted by Sting , a former WCW and TNA world heavyweight champion commonly known as " The Icon " . When Colón was preparing to finish the match with the " Back Stabber " , a masked wrestler known as Rey Fénix intervened and costed him the match . Since that mask was usually worn by Ray González , he began pursuing a match against him . On November 16 , 2013 , Colón defeated Fénix in a Hair vs . Mask match that served as the main event of Crossfire . However , when Rey Fénix unmasked , he was Ricky Santana instead of González . At Lockout 2013 , Colón defeated Germán Figueroa but lost to Rivera , who was now wrestling under a character known as " TNT " . After losing two consecutive matches to Ray González , he was able to win a tag team match where he joined Huertas González . However , after the event was over his partner turned on him , forcing a face switch and beginning a new feud . He joined Ray González to win the first match of this storyline . Afterwards , Huertas González challenged Colón to place his hair on the line , but was ignored on several occasions . The wager became official following the outcome of a match that made it mandatory . On March 30 , 2014 , Colón defeated Huertas González in a one - sided bet match , remaining undefeated in matches where his hair was at risk . After Carlos Colón , Sr . was announced as a member of the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame Class , he participated in two homages held by WWC . On April 6 , 2014 , Colón joined the other members of the family during the official induction ceremony . On July 19 , 2014 , Carlito defeated TNT to win his first WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship . On October 10 , 2014 , Colón lost the title against Gilbert . On January 24 , 2015 , at Hora de la Verdad , Carly Colón defeated Mighty Ursus and Ray González to win the WWC Universal Championship .