When WWE Superstar R-Truth was briefly released by the company last June, his heart sank. Truth — a beloved wrestler whose infectious humor drew smiles from fans of all ages — was stunned until the WWE universe rallied together for his reinstatement. Within days, their voices were heard. Truth returned to WWE, wrestled John Cena as part of the icon’s retirement tour, and reversed his misfortune.
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“I enjoyed every bit of it from the ‘Roota to the Toota,’ because there’s so much in the middle that we get and learn from that the end part is sweet,” says Truth ahead of WWE’s Season 2 Netflix docuseries, Unreal. “That’s the justification and gratitude we get from it, but in the middle, there’s a lesson to be learned and felt. There are emotions to be dealt with and things to be experienced for it to come out different, right?”
Unreal gives avid viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how WWE programming is put together. For Truth, his dismissal and reinstatement will be a part of their five-episode series, slated to air Jan. 20.
“I was so overwhelmed with so many different feelings and emotions,” remembers Truth, who hasn’t watched the new series. “I had over 100 million people worldwide who cared. It was just overwhelming, and it showed me the power not only in humanity but also in love. It showed who I was, who I am, and who I can be. There was so much that was wrapped up into that. It’s almost like 2Pac, dog — All Eyez on Me. Because there’s so much to come from it.”
For Carl Lamarre’s newest entry of Mic Drops and Elbow Drops, he chats with R-Truth about his Grammy aspirations, unreleased music with John Cena and more. Read the article below.
When you compare your journeys as R-Truth and K-Kwik, where do you think each persona could have benefited from the other?
I think they all benefit from each other because they’re all products of life. They’re all parts of what I’m going through. That’s what makes each character so relatable. K-Kwik was young and inexperienced. You gotta remember I met [wrestling promoter] Jim Crockett in a halfway house. Wrestling saved my life. It was a whole new gift. I wasn’t aware of it, but it was something different for me. I was rapping my music and I’d sing some country songs after that. I was accepted. It was the first time that I was able to be accepted for doing something against the norm and where I come from.
To go to R-Truth, that was made from [myself] Ron Killings, because a lot of people didn’t accept that type of dude with him just being as real as he is — as gutter as he is. He created R-Truth because R-Truth is a lovable guy. He’s charismatic and lights the room up. Everybody can relate to him. Everybody can relate to Ron Killings too because we’ve all been pushed to the side and overlooked. There’s so many characters that are relatable to each and every person, man. I think that’s what made R-Truth and Ron Killings such a relatable item.
When you look back at the Ron Killings era after your release from WWE, do you feel that character was able to live up to his potential or is there a chance we can see that side again?
You will see that side again. Ron Killings is the one that brings it real. Just because it’s real doesn’t make it right, you feel me? Just because you say it doesn’t means that it needs to be said. He’s that borderline [character] of knowing that if we touch the stove, we’re gonna be get burnt, but we still touch it anyway. R-Truth plays with what he’s been dealt. He can take any hand you give him and make something out of it. Life is going to deal you all kinds of hands. I know people that are struggling to pay their bills, but they figure out a way. Life’s about figuring out who you are, how to get what you want, how to get by and be what you wanna be. R-Truth is that guy we can relate to because he pulls from it. He was dealt that.
Along with being a wrestler, you’re a recording artist across both rap and country. How has your in-ring confidence shaped the way you carry yourself on stage and in the booth?
It allows me to listen and read the room. I have performing in my bones from coming up. The cousin of being able to relate is being able to read the room. Our attention span of somebody is seconds. That’s like with wrestling. There’s not too much of a difference between that because each one sets the other up. When you hear, “If you smell…,” you know The Rock is coming out. When you hear the glass break, you know Stone Cold is coming out. So with music and wrestling, they go hand-in-hand. At my concerts now, I tell a whole story. It’s not just me performing, I’m telling you a story of life and something you can take home with you.
When you think about legacy, what would ultimately fulfill you more: a WWE championship run or a Grammy?
Oh wow. That’s dope. Wow. I can’t pick both can’t I?
Nope.
Well, me reading the room right now, a championship run is what I think the people would want to see, but I’m getting me a Grammy. I’m saying that right now: I will get a Grammy. Guarantee I’m getting a Grammy.
Who are some of your dream collaborators on the hip-hop side and the country side?
I definitely want to do something with Jelly Roll.
You know he used to rap too?
Yes! And he didn’t blow up until the country stuff and made the music that made you feel. Alexander King — that’s my dog — he’s the person me and Jelly have in common. He’s the one who gave me the idea to do a country album. Hip-Hop, probably Kodak Black, but I’ll give you a little scoop on something: I want to do something with Future, but I already have something in the can that we’re gonna drop this year with Metro [Boomin]. It’s so hot. Me and Metro already done it.
You and John Cena have shared so many memorable moments in the ring. Has there ever been a time when the two of you talked about crossing paths in the studio on the rap side?
We have and agreed that it would never see the light of day. It’s called “The Jumpoff.”
What’s the story behind it?
So we’d go on these European tours for two weeks, right? This was when The Usos were young and we’d have these things called “The Jumpoff,” where we’d just rap on the bus. Then, I’d tell John, “You should come back and we do a song together.” He said, “All right, cool.” John drove his tourbus down my street and we recorded something in the studio. It’ll never see the light of day.
