R-Truth became WWE’s biggest headline over the summer, nearly three decades into his professional wrestling career. R-Truth left the company, and Ron Killings emerged shortly after. But just as quickly as Killings arrived, R-Truth again took his place.
R-Truth has portrayed numerous variations of his character over 28 years. It underscores his longevity. Take “Ron Cena,” for example, the John Cena-inspired character that wrestled him at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and appears in WWE 2K25’s new “Farewell Edition” honoring Cena’s retirement tour.
On June 1, Killings announced that his WWE contract had expired. By all indications, it was true. One week later, amid intense fan backlash and backstage support, he returned, costing Cena and Logan Paul a match against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso at Money in the Bank. His comeback was met with roaring approval, a sense that the fans’ voices were heard. The next week on Raw, R-Truth cut his hair in a symbolic gesture, claiming that “the truth” had set him free, and he was now Ron Killings.
“I had the world watching me,” R-Truth told CBS Sports about cutting his hair. “That was the perfect moment, dog. I seized a moment in time.”
It was the first time in a long time that he had portrayed a serious character on WWE programming. It was refreshing and exciting, and it quickly disappeared without a trace. Killings disappeared from television not long after, and within two months, he had reverted to his long-time comedic R-Truth gimmick. WWE’s creative team received criticism for abandoning the storyline, but R-Truth claims everything played out as it should have.
“It went where it was supposed to,” R-Truth said when discussing why Killings disappeared from TV. “Ron Killings created R-Truth. Those hundreds of millions of fans who spoke and up-roared. They wanted R-Truth back. Ron Killings was the rebellious one who spoke up for R-Truth.”
R-Truth argued that Ron “The Truth” Killings, an extension of himself that he portrayed before returning to WWE in 2008, never garnered the fandom that R-Truth did.
“Ron Killings has been around for years, but people had never come together in lockstep like that. They did that for R-Truth. You feel me?” R-Truth said. “I wanted Ron Killings to go where he was supposed to go. He made a statement; he had eyes on him. When John Cena came back, R-Truth came back. Ron Killings was the cavalry.”
R-Truth went one step further, suggesting that pressing forward with Killings would have been a selfish act. After all, according to him, it was R-Truth that fans so feverishly rallied behind after his brief WWE exit in June.
“I think [Ron Killings] was a selfish-type deal, more of a selfish move. I had more than 100 million views that wanted R-Truth. If numbers are real, that was the power of numbers.”
One thing R-Truth can take pride in his how involved he’s been in Cena’s retirement tour. Though neither match stands out, R-Truth is one of the rare people, along with undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, who can say he’s wrestled Cena twice this year. It’s a unique honor considering the treasure trove of rivalries Cena’s had in his long career.
“I’m tickled pink, dog. I love it,” said Truth, whose “Ron Cena” character appears as a playable character in the new edition of WWE 2K25. “It’s a humbling thing. I feel honored. I feel appreciated. I feel like a lot of fans know the history we’ve had. People have paid attention. There are so many things that go around with that. It’s hard to pick one good emotion out of it.”
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