When Carlito sees Triple H, he sees everything he resents and hates about his career so far.

The Caribbean Superstar will be out to prove a point when he takes on The Game in a one-sided No Disqualification Match this Sunday at Unforgiven. He believes Triple H is “overrated” and only successful whenever he brandishes a sledgehammer. In a match where only he can use any weapon he wants and Triple H cannot, the Caribbean Bad Apple believes he will expose The Cerebral Assassin as a fraud. But more importantly, with stipulations of the dangerous match tilted in his favor, Carlito has a license to target Triple H’s surgically-repaired leg and potentially end his career. By taking out The Game, Carlito could gain the respect he believes he has long deserved.

Carlito made an auspicious debut in 2004 when he defeated future WWE Champion John Cena for the United States Championship. He then followed up with a reign as Intercontinental Champion in 2005.

But those championship glory days seem like they were a long time ago. With the exception of a victory over Cena on Raw last month – which The Champ avenged – main events have been few and far between for the Caribbean Bad Apple. He’s competed in only one WrestleMania in his three years in WWE. He’s been spitting apples and sour grapes. But yet Carlito believes that he, not Triple H, should be considered the measuring stick by which all other Superstars are judged. He thinks that he has been overlooked and that he is entitled to the respect that Triple H has enjoyed for years.

But for Carlito, respect goes beyond his misguided sense of entitlement. He believes respect is his birthright because he is a second-generation Superstar and was born into greatness. And he may have a point. As the son of Caribbean wrestling legend Carlos Colon, Carlito grew up in the business. He watched his father battle fellow legends such as Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody and Abdullah the Butcher in a 30-plus year career. Carlito learned not only from his father, but other greats.

But somewhere along the way, Carlito forgot that he had to work to gain respect.

“I was born into greatness,” he has said. “Even if I just learned it [wrestling] yesterday, I’d still be better than the guys walking around today. … Other people are just jealous because they see Carlito doesn’t have to work as hard as they do to succeed."

And perhaps that’s Carlito’s problem. He’s lazy – something Ric Flair tried to tell him earlier this year when he took him under his wing. Triple H has never been accused of being lazy. He didn’t become The King of Kings overnight. The Game spent years battling and defeating a who’s who of WWE Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. You don’t become a 10-time world champion by only knowing how to weld a sledgehammer.

Unlike Carlito, The Game has always respected the game. Triple H grew up watching and studying wrestling tapes of the all-time greats. And we’re not talking about saying your prayers and eating your vitamins. The Game idolized legends such as Ric Flair and Harley Race. He was trained by the iconic Walter “Killer” Kowalski in Massachusetts. He never fails to pay homage to wrestling’s pioneers. Our fans see that in the way he drops a knee on his foes in a match or occasionally employs the Figure-Four Leglock or Indian Deathlock.

But perhaps the most important thing to remember about Triple H is that he doesn’t take his place in sports-entertainment for granted. His career has been put in jeopardy twice because of torn quads. He knows what it’s like to nearly have his livelihood taken away from him. The Cerebral Assassin is as hungry now as he was the first day he walked into WWE 12 years ago.

Carlito should remember that as he enters his battle with Triple H this Sunday at Unforgiven. If he doesn’t, he won’t be spitting, but will have another bitter pill to swallow.

Will Carlito upset Triple H at Unforgiven? Let us know what you think now.

Get a FREE Undertaker Pendant when you order the Unforgiven 2007 Webcast. Click here for details...