Upon being called up from OVW, Carlito's first main roster feud was with the hot new US Champion on the scene, a certain John Cena. After defeating John in his first televised match - using his own chain to knock him out - the dastardly heel embarked upon an undefeated streak. Cena, naturally, came back for revenge. Then, in a storyline regularly cited as one of the most uncomfortable of the era, John was "stabbed" in a Boston nightclub by Carlito's bodyguard, a musclebound heavy by the name of Jesus (Aaron Aguilera). It was one of those angles with uncomfortable allusions to real-life violence, and cut far too close to the bone for many. This was done to excuse Cena while he went off and filmed The Marine, but Cena recovered before long (of course he did) and beat Carlito to win back his title, before downing Jesus at Armageddon 2004.
