R-Truth defends WWE dropping his Ron Killings persona: It was ‘a selfish move’

R-Truth became WWE’s biggest title contender over the summer, nearly three decades into his professional wrestling career. R-Truth left the company and Ron Killings appeared shortly after. But as quickly as Killings arrived, R-Truth took his place again.

R-Truth portrayed many variations of his character for 28 years. This underlines its longevity. Take “Ron Cena,” for example, the John Cena-inspired character who faced him in Saturday Night’s Main Event, and who appears in the new “Farewell Edition” of WWE 2K25 in honor of Cena’s retirement tour.

On June 1, Killings announced that his contract with WWE had expired. By all indications, this was true. A week later, amid intense fan reactions and behind the scenes supporthe came back, costing Cena and Logan Paul a match against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso at Money in the Bank. His return was met with resounding approval, a feeling that fans’ voices were heard. The following week on Raw, R-Truth cut his hair in a symbolic gesture, claiming that “the truth” had freed him and that he was now Ron Killings.

“The world was looking at me,” R-Truth told CBS Sports of his haircut. “It was the perfect moment, dog. I captured a moment in time.”

It was the first time in a long time that he played a serious character on WWE programming. It was refreshing and exciting, and it quickly disappeared without a trace. The Murders disappeared from television soon after, and within two months he had returned to his longtime comedic gimmick, R-Truth. WWE’s creative team was criticized for abandoning the storyline, but R-Truth says everything worked out the way it should have.

“It went where it was supposed to go,” R-Truth said when explaining why Killings disappeared from television. “Ron Killings created R-Truth. Those hundreds of millions of fans who talked and screamed. They wanted R-Truth back. Ron Killings was the rebel who stood 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 R-Truth’s fandom.

“Ron Killings has been around for years, but people have never come together like this. They did this for R-Truth. You feel me?” Said R-Truth. “I wanted Ron Killings to go where he was supposed to go. He made a statement; he had his eyes on him. When John Cena came back, R-Truth came back. Ron Killings was the cavalry.”

R-Truth went further, suggesting that pursuing Killings would have been a selfish act. After all, according to him, it was R-Truth that fans so feverishly rallied behind following his brief exit from WWE in June.

“I think [Ron Killings] It was a selfish type of deal, more of a selfish decision. I had over 100 million views wanting R-Truth. If the numbers are real, that is their power. »

One thing R-Truth can be proud of is his involvement in Cena’s retirement tour. While neither match stands out, R-Truth is one of the few people, besides undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, who can say he’s faced Cena twice this year. This is a unique honor considering the treasure trove of rivalries Cena has had over his long career.

“I’m tickled pink, dog. I love it,” said Truth, whose character “Ron Cena” appears as a playable character in the new edition of WWE 2K25. “It’s humbling. I feel honored. I feel appreciated. I feel like a lot of fans know our story. People have paid attention to it. There’s so much that goes with it. It’s hard to get a good emotion out of it.”