R-Truth, or Ron Killings as he’s going by for now, made a huge return during the WWE Money in the Bank main event. He attacked John Cena and cost him the tag match against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. It was a moment that caught the wrestling world by surprise, as Truth was released just days earlier. In the hours since, new details have come out that the situation was real and not a “work.” WWE had an opportunity to publicly do right by an important member of the roster, and would rather play off this as if it were part of a master plan.
First, it is important to recount the details. Truth took to social media to announce his “release.” It wasn’t a release in the sense that most fans know, as in he wasn’t in the middle of a contract and terminated. Instead, he and WWE could not come to terms on a new deal, and his contract was set to expire.
The backlash was swift and loud. Several top names in the WWE and beyond took to social media to talk about Truth’s impact in the business. Fans began to chant “We Want Truth” multiple times during shows throughout the week. John Cena acknowledged the chants, blurting out “You can’t handle the truth” during SmackDown, which was the first moment the situation was even hinted at on screen. It was clear that fans wanted Truth back, and they used their voices both online and in attendance to push the narrative.
Fightful Select and other media outlets revealed a lot of details about the situation. PWInsider reported that Truth’s new deal came together within the last 72 hours. Fightful reported that “Killings ignored many of WWE’s approaches during the week, until Nick Khan took over and called Killings to work out a new deal.” While the exact details of the deal are not known, reports say that this is expected to be a one-year deal, which will bring Truth’s tenure with WWE to a close.
WWE failed to handle the R-Truth situation in the right way
Here’s the thing. It is understandable that a performer’s time with a company comes to an end. Performers age over time, and their abilities degrade. Organizations like the WWE are charged with finding new talent to fill the void. Truth is 53 years old, and no organization in their right mind would book him over the several young talents making their way up the roster.
But where WWE failed in showing Truth the respect he deserves as his tenure with the company comes to a close. Look at how AEW handled Sting’s retirement. Now, it is easy to say that Truth doesn’t deserve the same consideration for Sting, and sure – that’s an opinion one could have. Still, look at how AEW treated Sting as an icon for what he achieved throughout his wrestling career. WWE could have shown Truth more respect for what he achieved both in WWE and beyond.
Truth holds a special place in wrestling history as the first African American to be a recognized NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion. That’s an accolade that people frequently forget thanks to his time span as a comedy act on the WWE roster. He’s picked up a lot of championships and played a lot of different roles over the years. It is time to put some respect on what he achieved.
To make things even worse, WWE is pushing the idea that this situation was all a part of the “story” rather than owning up to the mistake. The promotion has faced several PR mistakes since WrestleMania 41, and this is another of them. “We heard you and we’ve corrected course to show R-Truth the respect he deserves” is a much more powerful statement than “Enjoy the show.” It is insulting to fans and peers alike backstage.
Fightful Select also reported that one veteran said, “I can tell Hunter doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the fans hijacking creative.” Well, this situation is all of WWE’s making, and now everyone will see how much of a booking mind Triple H has for the game. R-Truth deserves this moment, and WWE failed the situation from the very start.