Carly Colón

Carlos Edwin Colón, Jr. (born on February 21, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito; while on his native Puerto Rico he's known as both Carly and Carlito. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its RAW brand, and occasionally performs in the World Wrestling Council where he has won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship on eleven separate occasions.

Colón started wrestling in the World Wrestling Council, where he won multiple championships. In 2003 he signed a developmental contract with WWE, and proceeded to wrestle on their subsidiary Ohio Valley Wrestling until his debut with WWE. During his time in WWE he has feuded with stars such as John Cena, The Big Show, Ric Flair, Chris Masters, and Randy Orton. He has won the WWE United States Championship and the WWE Intercontinental Championship and has been part of the RAW and SmackDown! brands.

World Wrestling Council (1999-)
Carlos "Carly" Colón started out performing in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council. He had a long feud against Ray Gonzalez which lasted until the departure of Gonzalez from WWC. During this feud they exchanged the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship belt numerous times. Originally his gimmick was that of defender of his father's legacy. When he signed a WWE developmental contract he went to wrestle at OVW as a heel. With this gimmick change from face to heel, he had disagreements (kayfabe) with his father and brother resulting in a feud against his brother Eddie Colón. As his popularity continued to rise, WWC's writers decided for a face angle which prevails until now. As of 2007, he continues to perform there on special occasions. On December 16, 2006, he went on to win the WWC Heavyweight Championship, at WWC's event Lockout where he defeated Jon Heidenreich to win the title. However Carlito was stripped of the belt the same night.

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2003-2004)
In June 2003, Carly Colón signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's training territory on June 2. In OVW, he was briefly managed by Kenny Bolin. On December 15, Carly was placed in a special dark match before RAW where he teamed with Brent Dail to face Bart Gunn and Jim Steele.

During his time in OVW, Colón was still wrestling in WWC. In April 2004, WWE prevented a scheduled match between him and TNA's Abyss, which would have taken place in Puerto Rico.

2004-2005
On October 7, 2004, Colón made his debut on SmackDown! as Carlito Caribbean Cool and defeated John Cena to win the WWE United States Championship. With this he became one of only a few WWE wrestlers who have attained a championship on their debut in WWE. Colón was paired with fellow newcomer Aaron Aguilera (renamed Jesús in a bodyguard role) and thrust into a feud designed to explain Cena's absence during filming of WWE-produced movie The Marine. According to the storyline, the duo perpetrated a knife assault on Cena in a nightclub.

Colón was the United States Champion for a little longer than a month, before suffering a separated shoulder and subsequently losing the title back to Cena. At Survivor Series 2004, Carlito represented Team Angle in a 8-man tag team match against Team Guerrero, but was chased away from the arena by Cena before the match commenced, furthering the feud while not putting Colón in a position to suffer greater injury. While recuperating, Colón had a comical rivalry with SmackDown! general manager Theodore Long where he was made to do several demeaning jobs around the arena, such as selling hot dogs, shoveling snow in the parking lot, or mopping the floor, and in response created a petition to get Long fired from his job.

Carlito made an appearance at WrestleMania 21, interrupting "Piper's Pit". After insulting and attempting to attack both Roddy Piper and his guest, Steve Austin, Carlito received a Stone Cold Stunner. These events resulted in Piper and Carlito facing off at the Friday Madness event in WWC. Piper won the match.

Carlito's appearance on Piper's Pit led to his own interview segment, Carlito's Cabana, starting in April 2005. Carlito went on to feud with The Big Show, after Show turned down an offer to be Carlito's new enforcer on the Cabana. This feud involved Carlito tricking Big Show into eating a poisoned apple and Matt Morgan becoming Carlito's enforcer. Carlito defeated Big Show at Judgement Day 2005 with the help of Matt Morgan. Carlito moved to RAW in the 2005 Draft Lottery, winning the Intercontinental Championship from Shelton Benjamin in his debut match on RAW, thus becoming the first wrestler to win championships in two separate debut matches in WWE.

Carlito would then enter a brand war against SmackDown!. During the beginning of this feud, Carlito announced the discontinuation of Carlito's Cabana. The following month at Survivor Series 2005, Carlito represented Team RAW in a ten man Survivor Series tag team match against Team SmackDown!.

2006
Near the end of 2005, he entered the race for the WWE Championship. After defeating Shelton Benjamin in a New Year's Revolution 2006 qualifying match, he was added to the Elimination Chamber main event match for the WWE title. At the pay-per-view, Carlito eliminated Shawn Michaels, Kane, and Chris Masters, and was left as one of the final two wrestlers remaining, with John Cena. Earlier in the match-up Carlito turned on Chris Masters, with whom he had made an alliance earlier in the night. At the Royal Rumble, Carlito eliminated Masters, this lead to a discussion between the two.

Carlito appeared on a World Wrestling Council show in Carolina, Puerto Rico on March 15, 2006. He defeated Tyson Tomko in a singles match, and hosted Carlito's Cabana with special guests Carlos Colón, Sr. and Victor Jovica. At the end of the show Carlito surprised the crowd with a sudden face turn, defending his father and his brother when they were attacked by the heel stable led by Jovica and Rico Suave.

Despite their past problems, Carlito and Chris Masters began to team up, and entered the race for the World Tag Team Championship, which was then held by Kane and Big Show. At WrestleMania 22, Kane and Big Show defeated Carlito and Masters after Masters inadvertently hit Carlito in the back of the head. After the match, Carlito confronted Chris Masters. For the next few weeks Carlito would embarrass Chris Masters, including spitting in his face, attacking him from behind, and hitting him in the head with a steel chair. Their feud would culminate at Backlash 2006, where Carlito defeated Masters with help from the ropes. Despite Carlito’s heel-like antics, the crowd continued to cheer him, so Carlito turned face.

Carlito, Johnny Nitro, and Shelton Benjamin were then scheduled for a Triple Threat match at Vengeance 2006 for Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship. The match ended when Carlito reversed a neckbreaker attempt by Benjamin into a Backcracker, and Nitro pulled Carlito out of the ring and pinned Benjamin, giving Nitro the win and the Intercontinental title.

Following Vengeance, Carlito began a kayfabe relationship with Trish Stratus. Stratus and Carlito, began a feud with Johnny Nitro and Melina. The two were victorious against Nitro and Melina in a mixed tag team match at Saturday Night's Main Event 2006. Carlito would then feud with Randy Orton when Orton attempted to attack Stratus during a backstage segment. They would face each other at the Unforgiven 2006 PPV and on a later episode of RAW. Carlito would lose both matches. This feud ended with Carlito scoring a pinfall victory over Orton at WWE's annual event Tribute to the Troops. Carlito's relationship with Trish Stratus continued until her retirement in September at Unforgiven 2006. In October 2006 he made a special guest appearance at the 2006 Australian Nickelodeon Kids Choice awards presenting 'Best Actress'. In the final few months of 2006, Carlito would then get back in the race for the Intercontinental Championship with Jeff Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, and Johnny Nitro. At Cyber Sunday 2006, he was voted by the fans over Benjamin and Nitro to challenge Hardy for the title but lost the match.

Carlito's gimmick then had a small change as he has turned into a 'ladies man', first dating WWE Diva Trish Stratus and more recently, Torrie Wilson, who was his storyline girlfriend and manager.

In December, Carlito and Chris Masters were involved in a feud, including Jerry 'The King' Lawler. At the December 16 WWC Event Lockout on Puerto Rico, Carlito defeated Jon Heidenreich, then the WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion, to become the new WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion for the 11th time. However, he was stripped of the belt almost immediately due to his contract with WWE.

2007
Carlito participated in the 2007 Royal Rumble, where he was eliminated by The Great Khali. Soon after the Rumble, Carlito started an angle with Ric Flair, in which Flair berated Carlito for leaving a show early and not watching the main event. Flair went on to claim that Carlito had no heart and no passion and that he does not deserve his spot on the roster. The next week on Raw, Carlito challenged Flair to a match and lost, then teamed with Flair on the following Raw to defeat the team of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. The next week he and Ric Flair were in a Money in the Bank qualifying match which ended in a 'no contest' when The Great Khali interfered, attacking them both. This resulted in the match becoming a triple threat match between Carlito, Ric Flair and Randy Orton; Orton came up with the upper hand in this contest. Carlito was then involved in a Last Chance 10-Man Battle Royal for Edge's spot in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 23. Carlito was in the final three and he got eliminated by Ric Flair; Edge would win eventually.

Carlito expressed dissatisfaction with WWE management in an interview for not having plans to book him to appear at WrestleMania 23 and at their methods for selecting performers to push, making reference to backstage politics. However Carlito did participate in WrestleMania 23 in a Dark match in which he teamed up with Ric Flair against Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero, Flair and Carlito picked up the victory after Carlito applied a Backcracker to Chavo Guerrero. Flair and Carlito faced off against Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch in a number one contender's match for the World Tag Team Championship but were defeated. After some weeks of conflicts Carlito turned on Flair, attacking him during a tag team match against The World's Greatest Tag Team, thus turning heel once again in the process. He subsequently broke up his relationship with Torrie Wilson after accusing her of always taking Flair's side. At Judgment Day 2007, Carlito lost to Flair via Figure 4 leglock.

In wrestling

 * Finishing and signature moves
 * Back Stabber / Back Cracker (Double knee backbreaker)
 * Outward rolling cutter - 2006
 * Overdrive - used until shoulder injury in late 2004
 * Lifting complete shot
 * Top rope backflip evasion over a standing opponent, sometimes leading into the Back Stabber / Back Cracker
 * DDT
 * Double springboard corkscrew senton splash
 * Frankensteiner
 * Running knee lift to the side of the head followed by a clothesline
 * Springboard back elbow strike
 * Springboard moonsault
 * Standing spinebuster - 2004

Championships and accomplishments

 * World Wrestling Entertainment
 * WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
 * WWE United States Championship (1 time)
 * World Wrestling Council
 * WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion (11 times)
 * WWC Tag Team Champion (2 times) - with Eddie Colón (1), and Konnan (1)
 * !Bang!
 * !Bang! Television Championship (1 time)
 * '''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * Ranked #27 in the PWI 500 in 2006.

Personal life
Carly is the son of former World Wrestling Federation wrestler Carlos Colón, the brother of fellow professional wrestler Eddie Colón who was recently signed by WWE, and brother of Stacy Colón who has teamed up with Carlito in a few wrestling matches in the WWC.

His decision to jump to WWE when the opportunity arose was a controversial one among the local 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 WWE. Carlito spoke of this in an interview with the 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".

Carlito's theme music to promote the WWE Wreckless Intent album is, "Quien Soy Yo (Who I Am)" by Kaballon, but he does not use this entrance music. His actual entrance music is called Cool, which was featured on the WWE ThemeAddict: The Music, Vol. 6 CD of 2004.