Getting drafted to another WWE brand might seem like a routine part of the business, but Carlito says the company used to keep some wrestlers completely in the dark about their futures. And it wasn’t necessarily because WWE wanted to mess with anybody’s life — it was because management didn’t want its plans getting leaked.
During an appearance on the Hitting the Turnbuckle Podcast, Carlito was asked whether WWE informed him ahead of time when he was being moved between RAW and SmackDown. He confirmed that he personally received advance notice, but explained that other wrestlers weren’t always so lucky.
“I was told prior, yeah.”
The former Intercontinental Champion explained that changing brands was a much bigger deal behind the scenes than fans might realize. Wrestlers had to deal with different travel schedules, changes to their social circles, and sometimes even being separated from their significant others.
“Yeah, everything changes. Yeah, your travel especially back then when there was a lot more travel.”
“Uh you travel Remember your travels changes, your friends or at least the people you hang out with is going to change.”
Carlito pointed out that the situation could become particularly complicated for couples working in WWE. If one person was sent to RAW and the other to SmackDown, their entire weekly routine could suddenly change.
“Uh so yeah, a lot a lot goes into it and then some you know, some if there were couples, sometimes they’d be on different shows or just see at home you’d have your different structures of you know and then now you have to change all that.”
“So that that would that was for some people that was a big change.”
Things got even more interesting when Carlito explained why WWE sometimes chose not to inform wrestlers about their draft status until their names were announced on television. According to Carlito, wrestling news websites were becoming increasingly influential during that period, and WWE was determined to stop major surprises from getting out ahead of time.
“Well back then too that’s when like the the everything was starting to get on the dirt sheets too a lot so that’s when they were trying to keep everything in house so they a lot of time they didn’t tell a lot of people anything.”
Carlito defended the company’s approach, explaining that keeping information from its own roster wasn’t intended to punish anybody. WWE simply wanted to protect its plans from leaking before they happened on television.
“I think that was the point now yeah it wasn’t to be cruel it was just to keep it anything from getting out.”
WWE’s approach to sharing information has varied over the years. As Ringside News previously covered, some wrestlers received advance notice of their brand assignments during the 2024 WWE Draft, while others have described learning about major career changes at the last minute.
Carlito’s comments show just how far WWE was willing to go to protect surprises, even when those decisions affected the personal lives of its own talent. Keeping the draft secret might have made for better television, but it also meant some wrestlers had to deal with life-changing news at the same time as everybody watching at home.
Do you think WWE was justified in keeping draft decisions secret to prevent leaks, or should wrestlers always be informed ahead of time when their careers and travel schedules are about to change? Share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
