"I wasn't expecting them to remember me" - Carlito reacts following his WWE return at Royal Rumble 2021

Carlito returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble after a gap of almost ten years. Coming in at #8, the former WWE United States Champion lasted over eight minutes before being eliminated by Elias.

The WWE Universe waits with bated breath for the Royal Rumble event to witness surprise returns from legendary Superstars and Hall of Famers. This year's Royal Rumble was no different as it included some surprise returns in both the men's and women's Rumble match.

After not appearing at WWE RAW Legends Night despite being advertised, Carlito satiated the expectations of the WWE Universe by appearing at No. 8.

Following his elimination from the match, Carlito reflected on his return to WWE. Carlito said that he was not expecting the WWE Universe to remember him after all these years and that he was really humbled with all the responses that he received from them.

Man, it's crazy, you know? after being more than ten years being away. I wasn't expecting, you know, for them to receive me and for them to remember me. So, it's really humbling to receive that kind of response all these years after.

He also added that it was not the same wrestling inside the ThunderDome without the live audience but said that being in a WWE ring is "like nothing else in the world."

Carlito closed off the interview by saying that it felt great to meet a lot of new faces inside the locker room, along with those from his time during the Ruthless Aggression era.

Carlito at the 2021 Royal Rumble

As mentioned earlier, Carlito entered the men's Royal Rumble at No. 8 to a massive pop from the ThunderDome spectators and had a face-off with SmackDown Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura inside the ring, who snatched Caribbean Cool's apple from his hand.

COOL. 😏🍎#RoyalRumble @ShinsukeN @litocolon279 pic.twitter.com/xqZ0b9958W

— WWE (@WWE) February 1, 2021

Carlito lasted for over eight minutes in the match before getting eliminated by Elias. The 41-year-old looked to be in great shape, and it remains to be seen if he will appear on WWE TV in the near future or if it was a one-night only appearance.