Charly Caruso Denies Having Any Backstage Heat Before Her WWE Departure

Days after it was announced that Charly Caruso (real name Charly Arnolt) would be leaving WWE for a full-time position at ESPN, the former on-screen personality gave an interview with TV Insider’s Scott Fishman. Weeks prior to Caruso’s announcement, reports popped up that she was being taken off pay-per-view kickoff shows, Raw Talk and backstage interviews due to backstage heat and reportedly being late for several interviews. Caruso denied there being any issues between herself and the company.

“There is always going to be chatter,” she said. “The contract was coming up. Instead of renewing, I’m moving on. Everyone is going to have their own opinions regardless. I never had any issues while I was at WWE. Nothing bad happened. As far as I’m concerned, I’m leaving on a positive note and beginning what I believe to be the next step in my career.”

Elsewhere in the interview, she was asked what aspect of her run with WWE she was most proud of.

“My best memory was this past year when I was involved in the storyline with Zelina Vega and Angel Garza,” Caruso said. “That was the most involved in a storyline I’ve ever been. It was fun and different from what I was doing on a weekly basis. I loved that I was able to do a little bit of acting rather than just asking questions. I wish it could have been taken further than it was. WWE went in a different direction, but I had a blast before it ended.”

She also discussed how members of the WWE roster reacted once she stopped show up for television.

“Once I stopped coming to WWE shows a few weeks ago, knowing this move was imminent, I had a lot of people reaching out,” she said. “I couldn’t tell them yet until ESPN made the announcement. Now that it’s out, everyone has been so excited for me. The biggest thing I’ve heard within WWE is, ‘You deserve it.’ People know how passionate I am about my career. They know it’s a great thing for me, as much as it sucks not being able to see everyone every week. I know my relationship with friends will not be severed. Nia Jax and I have already tentatively planned a girls trip.”

With Caruso gone, Kayla Braxton has stepped into the role of kickoff show host, while Kevin Patrick now doubles as a backstage announcer along with Sarah Schreiber and a co-host of Raw Talk with R-Truth.