Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
A WWE wrestler is fired on Sunday and rehired on Saturday. Overwhelming fan backlash to such a decision will do that.
It’s cause and effect.
R-Truth announced on social media that he was released from WWE and thanked the fans for their support.
It had to be a joke, right?
Truth’s character is often confused, and perhaps he believed June 1st was April 1st and the news was merely an ill-timed April Fool’s joke.
The super sleuths in the wrestling media confirmed WWE opted not to renew Truth’s contract, which was set to expire soon. Further reports confirmed that Truth turned down a new contract due to its low salary reduction.
According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE’s parent company, TKO, wanted to lower payroll, and Triple H made the call to not renew R-Truth’s deal, along with the contracts of Carlito and women’s wrestler Valhalla.
Fans understood Carlito and Valhalla being released. Carlito was a background player in The Judgement Day, and Valhalla was even less of a factor in WWE’s onscreen machinations.
However, R-Truth’s release was different. WWE is currently making more money than it ever has. Yet, Triple H chose to cut a revered performer because the company needs to save money? R-Truth’s release didn’t pass the smell test.
It felt out of place. It felt, wrong.
The comedy character Truth crafted over the last several years has firmly endeared him with fans, arguably becoming the most consistently entertaining act on the show.
Truth, who exhibits a hilarity-filled childlike glee regarding John Cena, recently had a featured match with the now villainous turncoat at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Did R-Truth get a big match with Cena as a thank you on the way out for his 18 years of service to the company?
Yes, R-Truth is 53 years old. Yes, he was making a lot of money for someone who didn’t do a lot in the ring due to his comedy gimmick. Yes, some fans loathe comedy with their professional wrestling.
In the six days Truth was gone from WWE, an internet campaign designated #WeWantTruth flooded social media. Rumors ran rampant regarding Truth’s future promotional landing spot as fans reminisced about the most memorable moments of his career.
The trip down memory lane not only celebrated Truth’s comedic genius but also his excellent work as a heel wrestler. Truth’s initial release from WWE in August 2001 led him to TNA upon the promotion’s debut event in June 2002. Truth, then called K-Krush, stormed to the ring and cut a fiery promo on NASCAR drivers Hermie Sadler and Sterling Martin.
“Where has this guy been?” fans excitingly asked, as no one expected such a strong performance from the former K-Kwik (Truth’s first moniker in WWE). While athletically gifted, Kwik was relatively quiet outside of his trademark entrance rap.
The K-Krush name was quickly dropped, and Ron “The Truth” Killings became the top heel in TNA. All roads led to Killings defeating Ken Shamrock to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Killings was the NWA’s first recognized Black world champion in an underrated run of strong performances in and out of the ring.
Killings returned to WWE in 2008 as R-Truth, but fans would have to wait until 2011 to see the unabashed heel wrestler who garnered so much acclaim. Pay-Per-View main events, madly dressing as a Confederate soldier, forming the Awesome Truth tag team with The Miz, and, of course, his imaginary frenemy, Little Jimmy, put him back on the map as a top performer. In 2012, he transitioned into the lovable comedy character who owned the hijinks filled 24/7 Title division.
Just as they did in 2002 and 2011, fans in 2025 wondered where this impressive, serious version of R-Truth had been hiding. Couple the nostalgic deep dive with the social media blitz and fans chanting “We Want Truth” on Raw, NXT, and SmackDown, and it was apparent WWE was set to give one lucky wrestling promotion a new superstar on a silver platter.
In an unprecedented move, WWE looked to walk back their mistake, but the now unemployed Truth reportedly refused to negotiate until WWE President Nick Khan called him personally. A new contract was worked out and Truth is allowed to use his real name, Ron Killings.
R-Truth shocked everyone when he returned to WWE at Money in the Bank. On commentary, Michael Cole made it clear that this was not a one-off appearance and that R-Truth was indeed back in the company. It was by far the biggest news story coming out of the show.
Two days later, he cut a promo on Raw and shockingly proclaimed Ron Killings had arrived. He cut off his dreadlocks and stated, “The truth has set me free.” It was a transformative promo steeped in emotion and frustration.
Killings cutting his hair was a personal reboot of sorts. A message signifying the games are over, and he’s playing for keeps. It also gave chills to those who understand the cultural significance of Black hair. Killings’ dreads were more than just a style choice, but an artistic expression of self that is as celebrated as it is condemned.
An undervalued element of the Raw promo occured when Killings shut down the “WHAT” chants from the Phoenix crowd.
An intense “I wish you would.” brought the infamous chant to an abrupt end. Wrestlers have had difficulty navigating the “WHAT” chants ever since Steve Austin cursed them into existence over two decades ago. Killings essentially threatened to end the entire crowd.
No one believed Killings would jump over the barricade and start throwing hands. The nuanced delivery of the line put the audience on notice, causing them to abandon their regularly scheduled heckling as they were captivated by every syllable he uttered.
The momentum Killings garnered carried over to SmackDown, where he attacked John Cena twice, setting up a match this Friday night. It’s their second clash in thirty days, but calling it a rematch feels weird.
Cena beat the fun-loving R-Truth in short order on Saturday Night’s Main Event. This time, he faces an angry Ron Killings, who looks to force the WWE Champion to put some respect on his name.
While Ron Killings’ “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself” tour is impressing the masses, some are quick to point out the potential problems with abandoning his comedy schtick.
Fans loved the hilarity that ensued with R-Truth so much that they essentially shamed WWE into bringing him back. However, now they’re getting Ron Killings, who is the antithesis of the laughter that made R-Truth a star.
It’s a fair point.
History shows R-Truth with an edge and as a serious title contender is an engaging story.
The match this Friday on SmackDown will answer several questions. A bad match will slow down the Killings bandwagon, while a good match will increase fan enthusiasm.
How the match is received will also depend on how it is booked, which is where the head of WWE creative comes in. Triple H told Ron Killings he no longer valued his comedic contributions when he made the call to release him, only to be overruled and now forced to use him in a featured role.
Another aspect to consider is we don’t know what Ron Killings has as a bell-to-bell main event wrestler. There are two schools of thought considering his age. His body is either worn due to mileage, or Killings might have more in the tank than most since he took less punishment due to his comedy role.
WWE has a real opportunity to throw a monkey wrench into the John Cena retirement tour. While Cody Rhodes is the likely candidate to dethrone Cena for the championship when the smoke clears, who says we can’t have a pitstop along the way.
If the stars align on SmackDown and Cena and Killings have a great match, a third encounter should see Ron Killings win the WWE Championship. Fans would be ecstatic to see Killings as champion because it would be completely unexpected. No one would expect him to have a long reign as champion either, so there would be no complaints if Killings dropped the title back to Cena in short order.
In the current WWE climate, Ron Killings as world champion would make him an even bigger star than he is right now, and Cena’s eventual win to regain the title will give Cena’s heel/retirement run a much-needed shot in the arm with an unexpected 18th title reign. Any other scenario has Triple H leaving money on the table.
And that’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Nothing but the truth.
RingsideLogic.com 