Former WWE champion sends message ahead of first SmackDown match in more than a decade

A former champion in WWE has delivered a message ahead of his first match on SmackDown in over a decade.

Carlito made his return to the company earlier this year at Backlash in Puerto Rico. The veteran helped Bad Bunny and LWO during the premium live event but didn't appear again in the promotion for months after.

At WWE Fastlane, Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits were scheduled to battle Rey Mysterio and the LWO. However, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins attacked LWO's Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro ahead of the match. The former United States Champion returned during the match at Fastlane to even the odds and helped guide LWO to a victory at the premium live event.

Ahead of tonight's edition of SmackDown, the LWO member delivered a warning before his first singles match on the blue brand in over a decade. He will be facing Bobby Lashley tonight and had the following to say to him ahead of their match:

"Carlito's first match on SmackDown in 13 years. And Bobby Lashley, you are not going to ruin that. A lot has changed, and you are going to find that out tonight. One thing that hasn't changed, Bobby Lashley is not cool," he said.

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WWE legend shares honest thoughts about Carlito

Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell recently gave his honest opinion on Carlito after he made his return to the company.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk show, Dutch Mantell shared his thoughts on the veteran superstar. Mantell noted that the 44-year-old star has been presented as a midcard talent since making his return at Fastlane last month in Indianapolis.

"You said he felt 'mid-card'? You know why he felt mid-card? Because he is mid-card. That's exactly why he felt like that because they didn't really; they just showed him a little issue with him and the Profits, and that's it." [27:30 – 27:52]

You can check out the full video below:

Carlito got a tremendous reaction at Backlash and at Fastlane as well. It will be interesting to see if the promotion has anything substantial planned for the former Intercontinental Champion in the weeks ahead on WWE SmackDown.

Have you enjoyed Bobby Lashley's pairing with The Street Profits so far? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.