R-Truth Headcanon

When superstars like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, and The Rock debuted, you might not have been able to predict their entire career trajectory but you had a pretty good idea where they were going to end up and how successful they were going to be.

I don't think anyone who saw Memphis era K-Krush, or even Smackdown era R-Truth could have predicted he'd be in the world title scene in two different companies, spend time as a beloved heel, or that his last ten years would involve him being everyone's favorite airheaded wrestler. But he did all that and more.

Hopefully, he'll pop up back in TNA or AEW for a nostalgia run before he retires for good but, for right now,* it looks like his wrestling days may be over, so please enjoy this series of episodes. Each is between 55 and 94 minutes and features some of his best promos be they the intensely serious TNA speeches or the ridiculous skits with The Judgment Day in WWE.

I will miss every aspect of R-Truth's characters. Except, possibly, the 24/7 championship.

* - this post was made in the week between when R Truth was released from WWE and when WWE rehired him , leading to what will hopefully be an eventful additional season of R Truth as an edgy and more focused wrestler than we'd previously seen him in WWE

101. Get Rowdy (1999-2001)  
 
Our introduction to R-Truth comes from his brief stint in NWA’s Memphis territory. After a couple of matches he gets snatched away by WWE. This is not the hilarious comedy wrestler WWE fans came to know and love, This was an athletic rapper who did a lot of acrobatics in and outside of the ring. He looks like he’s headed up the mid-card but he got cut during the middle of the dreaded WWE/WCW/ECE InVasion storyline.
We also see our first R-Truth Intergender match. It’s going to be years before we see another but the prototype here was a blast.
 
1. AJ Styles (NWA Champ) vs R-Truth (as K-Krush) from NWA Wildside 11.06.1999.

2. R-Truth (as K-Krush) vs Brian Christopher (as Grandmaster Sexay) from Memphis Championship Wrestling 02.19.2000.

3. Road Dogg and R-Truth (as K-Kwik) vs The Radicalz from Smackdown 11.16.2000.

4. Taz & Kaientai vs R-Truth (as K-Kwik) and Too Cool from Raw Is War 01.15.2001.

5. R-Truth (as K-Kwik) vs Taz from Sunday Night Heat 1.21.2001.

6. Matt Hardy (WWE European Champ) vs R-Truth (as K-Kwik) from Smackdown 06.14.2001.

​7. Jacqueline and R-Truth (as K-Kwik) vs Haku and Ivory from Jakked 06.16.2001.
 
MAIN EVENT: BILLY KIDMAN (WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMP) vs R-TRUTH (as K-KWIK) from SUNDAY NIGHT HEAT 07.15.2001

102. The Killings Field  (2002-2003)
 
R-Truth’s run in TNA can be divided into thirds, this first third reintroduces him to the NWA and then puts the belt on him, as he is easily the best TNA-era NWA champion until AJ Styles. His run had a few flat matches but that was due to booking, not his talent. He puts on some bangers here, including the last-ever good Scott Hall match, which was also the first good Scott Hall match in years. The ending is bad because lol, Vince Russo, but again that’s a problem of this entire TNA-era
 
1. R-Truth (as K-Krush) vs Norman Smiley at TNA #5.

2. Ken Shamrock (NWA Champ) vs R-Truth (as K-Krush) at TNA #8.

3. R-Truth (as Ron Killings)(NWA Champ) vs Lo Ki at TNA #15.

​4. R-Truth (as Ron Killings)(NWA Champ) vs Scott Hall at TNA #19.

​MAIN EVENT: R-TRUTH (as RON KILLINGS)(NWA CHAMP) vs JEFF JARRETT at TNA #22

103. 3 Live Kru (2003, 2004)
 
Part two of Truth’s TNA run is almost entirely filled with multi-man matches including his run with Konnan and Road Dogg (as BG James) as 3 Live Kru.
 
1. R-Truth (as The Truth) vs Elix Skipper at TNA #39.

2. David Young, Disco Inferno, and Simon Diamond (NWA Tag Champs) vs 3 Live Kru at TNA #64.

3. 3 Live Kru vs America’s Most Wanted vs The Gathering vs David Young & Disco Inferno vs Ekmo & Sonny Sakai at TNA #71.

4. AJ Styles (NWA Champ) vs Chris Harris vs Raven vs R-Truth (as The Truth) in a Deadly Draw Match at TNA #98.

​MAIN EVENT: R-TRUTH (as The Truth)(NWA CHAMP) vs AJ STYLES vs CHRIS HARRIS vs JEFF JARRETT vs RAVEN in a KING OF THE MOUNTAIN MATCH

104. Team Truth (2006, 2007)
 
The end of Truth’s TNA run was more multi-man madness but with more of a center on him as a character. And, in the end, we see him team with future New Day member, Xavier Woods (as Consequences Creed) in his debut match.
 
1. Abyss, America’s Most Wanted & Jeff Jarrett vs Rhyno, R-Truth (as The Truth) & The Dudley Boyz (as Team 3D) at Destination X 2006.

2. AJ Styles, Rhyno, R-Truth (as The Truth), & Sting vs America’s Most Wanted, Jeff Jarrett & Scott Steiner at Lockdown 2006.

​3. LAX vs R-Truth (as The Truth) & Sonjay Dutt at Victory Road 2006.
 
MAIN EVENT: R-TRUTH (as THE TRUTH) and XAVIER WOODS (as CONSEQUENCES CREED)(NWA TAG CHAMPS) vs AJ STYLES & TOMKO at BOUND FOR GLORY 2007

105. Little Jimmys (2011)
 
Truth came back to the WWE in 2008. He had some fun, short matches on Smackdown but his career really picked back up in 2011, when he went full-heel, full-comedy, and began a feud with John Cena.
 
1. R-Truth vs Dolph Ziggler from Raw 04.18.2011.

2. R-Truth vs John Morrison from Raw 04.18.2011.

3. R-Truth vs John Cena from Raw 04.18.2011.
​
4. R-Truth vs John Morrison from Raw 04.25.2011
 
MAIN EVENT: JOHN CENA (WWE CHAMP) vs R-TRUTH from RAW 05.30.2011

106. The Truth Has Set Me Free (2011)
 
2011 was easily Truth’s best year in wrestling. There are a lot of skits in this era but they’re worth it. Truth was gold on the mic, and his brief time near the top of the WWE is worth several episodes to truly appreciate his genius.
 
1. Awesome Truth vs John Cena & Alex Riley from Raw 06.06.2011.
​
2. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs R-Truth at Capitol Punishment 2011.
 
MAIN EVENT: ELIMINATION MATCH
Alex-Riley, John Cena & Randy Orton vs Christian, The Miz & Randy Orton from Raw 06.20.2011

107. Awesome Truth (2011)
 
The fun Easter Egg of this episode is that the opening match is the setup for CM Punk’s pipebomb, while the main event match doesn’t have R-Truth in, but he makes a major impact.
 
1. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs R-Truth in a Tables Match from Raw 06.27.2011.

2. John Morrison, Kofi Kingston & Rey Mysterio vs Alberto Del Rio, The Miz & R-Truth at Summerslam 2011.

​3. R-Truth vs CM Punk from Raw 09.05.2011.
 
MAIN EVENT: ALBERTO DEL RIO vs CM PUNK vs JOHN CENA in HELL IN A CELL at HELL IN A CELL 2011

108. Trouble In Paradise (2011, 2012)

When The Awesome Truth implodes, R-Truth hits a lull in his career until he forms another tag team with future world champion, Kofi Kingston. They have a brief but fun run as tag champs here.
 
1. John Cena & The Rock vs Awesome Truth at Survivor Series 2011.

2. R-Truth vs The Miz from Raw 01.23. 2012.

3. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs Epico & Primo from Raw 02.20.2012.

​4. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (WWE Tag Champs)  vs Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler at Over The Limit 2012.
 
MAIN EVENT: KOFI KINGSTON & R-TRUTH (WWE TAG CHAMPS) vs TEAM HELL NO at NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS 2012

109. R-Truth Is For The Children (2012-2016)

This is peak clueless R-Truth. After some charming matches from the short-lived but entertaining kids' WWE show, Saturday Morning Slam, R-Truth begins cutting promos for matches he isn't in, and preparing for the wrong sort of match when he is actually booked in them.
 
1. William Regal vs R-Truth from Saturday Morning Slam #13.

2. R-Truth vs Cesaro from Saturday Morning Slam #33.

3. R-Truth & Xavier Woods vs The Real Americans at a House Show 03.28.2013.
 
MAIN EVENT: THE MIZ & MIZDOW vs DOLPH ZIGGLER & R-TRUTH (as R-ZIGGLER) from SMACKDOWN 09.24.2014

110. US Champ 24/7 (2019)

I think everyone was pleasantly surprised at R-Truth's second run as the US Champ. He was only in five title matches but they were all excellent. Then he spent more time than anyone as the 24/7champ. That was less excellent but occasionally fun.
 
1. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE US Champ) vs R-Truth from Smackdown 01.29.2019.

2. R-Truth (WWE US Champ) vs Rusev from Smackdown 01.29.2019.

3. R-Truth (WWE US Champ) vs Andrade vs Rey Mysterio from Smackdown 02.26.2019.

4. R-Truth (WWE US Champ) vs Andrade vs Rey Mysterio vs Samoa Joe from Smackdown 03.05.2019.

​5. Samoa Joe (WWE US Champ) vs Andrade vs Rey Mysterio vs R-Truth at Fastlane 2019.
 
MAIN EVENT: R-TRUTH’S BEST OF 24/7 TITLE MATCHES

111. No Judgment Day (2020-2024)

R-Truth really wanted to be in Judgment Day. Judgment Day really didn't want anything to do with R-Truth. This was basically a re-tread of his run with Goldust as The Golden Truth but the jokes here were funnier and the matches better, so we skipped over The Golden Truth entirely to get to this superior storyline.
 
1. R-Truth vs JD McDonogh in a Miracle On 34th Street Fight from Raw 12.18.2023.

2. Awesome Truth vs Judgment Day from Raw 01.01.2024.

3. The Miz vs JD McDonough from Raw 01.08.2024.

​4. Awesome Truth vs Judgment Day from Raw 01.15.2024.
 
MAIN EVENT: ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH 2024.

112. The Ron Cena Retirement Tour (2024, 2025)

This seems to be the end of R-Truth's WWE wrestling career. Once he wrapped up his Judgment Day story with the surprise title run as part of the reunited Awesome Truth, he disappeared for a while, resurfacing to try and take down WWE Champ, John Cena. It looked to be a reigniting of R-Truth's character but, alas, he was let go by WWE shortly after his shot at the WWE title.
 
1. Awesome Truth & #DIY vs Judgment Day from Raw 02.19.2024,

2. Six Pack Ladder Match For The WWE Smackdown Tag Championship.
A-Town Down Under vs Awesome Truth vs #DIY vs Judgement Day vs New Catch Republic vs New Day at Wrestlemania 40.

3. Awesome Truth (WWE Smackdown Tag Champs) vs #DIY from Raw 04.22.2024.

4.Awesome Truth (WWE Smackdown Tag Champs) vs Judgement Day from Raw 06.24.2024.
 
MAIN EVENT: JOHN CENA (WWE CHAMP) VS R-TRUTH (as RON CENA) in a SURPRISE TITLE VS CAREER MATCH from SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT 05.24.2025