Carlito burst onto the WWE scene in most impressive fashion. In his debut match, he got a crack at the United States Championship against John Cena on an edition of SmackDown. Just four days after defeating Booker T for the United States Championship, Cena had to put his belt back on the line against the newcomer. Carlito let his intelligence do the talking for him, as he took Cena’s chain and used it as a weapon, knocking the champion out and getting the pinfall. This was only the beginning of what would go on to become a biter and bloody rivalry.