Charly Caruso Responds to Reported Backstage Heat Before Leaving WWE

Charly Caruso (real name Charly Arnot) is leaving WWE as she accepted a full-time position with ESPN. But was there really backstage heat with her and some WWE Superstars? Caruso recently spoke to Scott Fishman of TV Insider and explained why she is leaving the wrestling promotion.

“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.”

There were reports that Caruso was taken off WWE television because she was showing up late to backstage interviews. It was also reported there were issues with her and WWE Superstars Randy Orton on Sheamus. Caruso was working on Monday Night Raw, delivering backstage interviews, and was the host of the WWE Network show Raw Talk. She was also hosting the kickoff show for pay-per-view events. Along with all that, Caruso was doing work for ESPN, appearing on First Take and co-hosting the podcast First Take, Her Take.

“It was difficult,” Caruso said. “There were days where I would host First Take and go straight to Raw. Those were long days. I was waking up at 6 a.m. doing hair and makeup, getting the show prepared, filming. The turnaround even included getting on a plane to travel wherever I needed to be for Raw. I like to be challenged. It’s what drives me to be the best version of myself. So those were my favorite days. I loved pulling double duty.”

Caruso, who was with WWE for nearly five years, also revealed the one thing in she’s the proudest of during her time with the company. “My best memory was this past year when I was involved in the storyline with Zelina Vega and Angel Garza,” she stated. “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.”