It almost seems as if WWE’s infamous Creative Department is semi-serious about allowing a newer member of the roster to shine. Although it might seem counter to their normal procedures, Carlito Caribbean Cool has been allowed to look smart, capable in the ring, funny, and more experienced than his relatively short WWE career would lead one to believe.
TODAY’S ISSUE: The steady rise of Carlito.
Some would say that any wrestler can be given the correct push, at the right time, and get over with the crowd. Certainly the mad scientist Paul Heyman was able to accentuate the positives and deemphasize the negatives of anyone on his ECW roster, but WWE Creative is not nearly as clever. Therefore, for a performer from “up north” to generate crowd interest in himself these days, he must bring something unique and interesting to the table. Carlos Colon, Jr. does exactly that.
At first the Carlito Caribbean Cool character seemed like a cheap Razor Ramon knock-off, with “spitting apples” being the only interesting twist he offered. But Carlito has really spread his wings since his debut. He won the secondary championships on both brands, each on his first night with that promotion, all the while displaying charisma, skill, and attitude.
Let’s take a look at how well rounded Carlito is:
In-Ring skills? Check. Although he only shows it in small bursts at the moment because he’s worked primarily as the cheating, cowering heel, Carlito can go in the ring. His signature “lung-blower” move that WWE calls a “back-cracker” looks different than anything else on Monday nights, and he’s also pulled out some nice flying moves from time to time. I hope to see him expand his U.S. repertoire, although the “WWE style” can be limiting to guys smaller than 6’4″ and 250 pounds.
Microphone skills? Check. No doubt, CCC can talk. He even hosted his own in-ring talk show segment, Carlito’s Cabana, on both RAW and SmackDown!, and was very entertaining. His mic skills have been a great asset as he’s carried his feud with Chris Masters.
Recognizable catchphrase? Check. We all know that Carlito spits in the face of people who don’t want to be cool. And that? “That’s cool”.
Unique Look? Check. Nobody has hair like the Caribbean One. Even his t-shirt is a bright yellow, quite different from the droves of black t-shirts you see at WWE concession stands. The look of a performer is all part of helping set him apart from his peers, and Carlito stands out from all the rest.
Credibility? Check. Not only did Carlito win the United States Championship his first night on SmackDown!, but he also accomplished a similar feet on Monday night, winning the Intercontinental Championship his first night on RAW. The son of a legendary wrestler and promoter, Carlito grew up in the business. He appears very comfortable in the ring and in front of an audience.
Carlito clearly has the necessary tools to climb the ladder in professional wrestling. He can work, he can talk, and he possesses a unique look and a distinguishable gimmick. Other than politics, there’s no reason he couldn’t hold the world title someday. For those of you thinking his size is a limiting factor, please see Mysterio, Rey: World Heavyweight Champion.
Carlito made one final impression heading into his showdown with Chris Masters this Sunday at Backlash. In front of the vocal London crowd on RAW this week, Carlito hit a couple of solid moves on his opponents, including the “back-cracker” on Benjamin and a nice corkscrew DDT on Striker. It’s interesting that WWE made no bones about placing him on the babyface team along with Charlie Haas and RVD against Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin and Matt Striker. However, Carlito still used classic heel tactics (which the crowd loved) such as preventing Masters from pinning RVD after a huge powerslam, begging off from Masters later in the match, and following up with a well-timed poke in the eye.
While Creative used this match to help establish that Carlito is smart enough to outsmart Masters, they also demonstrated once again Chris Masters’ dreaded Masterlock full nelson submission hold. Carlito only escaped the hold when Haas attacked Masters from behind. Just before RVD scored the pinfall on Benjamin, Carlito got the last word, nailing Masters with a baseball slide dropkick to keep Masters from interfering in the 3 count.
So it seems they’re going to go with “brains versus brawn” this Sunday, which should always be Carlito’s plan of attack. Who cares who the bigger man is? The smarter, more experienced, sneakier wrestler can always beat the slower, less talented big man. That is of course, when Creative is telling an entertaining story.
As a fan of the product, I always hope to see new faces added into the mix. As a fan of Carlito, I hope to see his push roll on. Carlito should move up the ladder after his feud with his former deadweight partner. I’d be stoked if he were somehow the first one to find a way to break the Masterlock at Backlash. With no hope of out muscling Masters, Carlito would obviously have to cheat to do it. And that? That’s cool.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
p.s. – People sometimes say they want to be “alone together” with somebody. Well which one is it, alone or together? You obviously can’t have both.
