For those who know, professional wrestling is more entertainment than true sport and R Truth epitomized that every time he made it to the ring.
Unfortunately, the curtain has dropped on Truth as he recently announced WWE would not renew his contract, letting the comedy wrestler walk after 20 years with the promotion, including being a staple since 2008.
Now, to the average person, the name R Truth doesn’t mean much. Even those who have never watched a minute of WWE or pro wrestling at least know the names Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), John Cena, and Hulk Hogan.
While Truth never really gained that mainstream success those crossover stars, he still deserves to be discussed with them because he understood what pro wrestling is: entertainment.
For many, that entertainment could be the athleticism in the ring and the storytelling that comes with it. For Truth, that meant making the audience laugh whenever he made an entrance.
In a lot of ways, he was the break that made the crowd laugh between bigger matches. That said, it didn’t take him long to become a mainstay who elevated all portions of WWE programming.
That push put him in the same circles as some of the company’s biggest names. Given when Truth was in WWE, he constantly rubbed shoulders with John Cena.
One of the best gimmicks Truth exhibited was calling Cena his childhood hero despite being five years older than his idol. It was ridiculous and the crowd ate it up.
That was Truth’s biggest strength. He could turn the most ridiculous situations into comedy gold. This isn’t easy to do in a form of entertainment that already asks the audience to suspend its disbelief.
The audience rarely rejected him. Many called him “a national treasure that needed to be protected at all costs.” It wasn’t just the comedy that got him that moniker.
Just when the audience thought R Truth was there just to make them laugh, he would put on an athletic match or a strong promo, a feat cemented in his Total Nonstop Action (TNA) from 2002-07.
Recently, Truth was in a high-profile feud with Cena that culminated in a May 24 match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This drew large support and helped further Cena’s push as a heel/bad guy.
Now, the fact of the matter is that Truth isn’t getting any younger. It’s hard to believe the man is 53 years old and still pushing the limits of comedy wrestling.
That said, he never outgrew his welcome and the backlash to his releasing has been swift and furious. It’s hard to generate that type of support, but Truth did it.
There’s a lot of questions on where he can go next. TNA is a popular option, especially with WWE having a deal with TNA that allows talent to appear on each promotion’s shows. All Elite Wrestling is always an option too.
Still, it’s worth noting that R Truth’s WWE run is the stuff of legends, something that doesn’t fit the mold of the other faces of the company.
Truth shows that wrestling is a lot of different things, making it hard to specify what type of entertainment it truly is.
He will be truly missed among the WWE fans. Here’s hoping we see him back on TV somewhere soon.
Have you ever heard of R Truth? What was his impact on WWE and professional wrestling? Where do you think he goes next? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: WWE (via Pro Football Network)
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