MR. TITO: Why the WWE Needs the Comedic R-Truth More Than a Serious Ron Killings Character
First of all, I hope that I’m wrong about the column that I’m about to write. I’ve always been a big fan of Ron “R-Truth” Killings. My columns from my early days would indicate that I thought highly of K-Kwik’s potential during his 1999-2001 early WWE run and I was proud of what he blossomed into during TNA as Ron Killings. He was initially pushed as a strong contender in TNA and then spun off into various midcard factions. He returned to the WWE and became R-Truth and somehow began providing some of the BEST comic relief moments with that character.
On RAW this week, R-Truth returned and announced that the silly R-Truth character would be no more, and we’d see Ron Killings instead. He proceeded by cutting off his braids in a sign of officially letting R-Truth go. Reportedly, a condition for his return was to be named “Ron Killings”.
So it seems that we’ll be seeing a serious push for the next year regarding Ron Killings based on the strong fan support received to bring him back.
But that fan support was to bring back the comedic R-Truth character, not a different version of that character who may be used entirely different than their expectations.
And in my opinion, the R-Truth character was the best portion of Ron’s career. He was a solid midcarder who got lost in the shuffled during 1999-2001. Started off as a Main Eventer in TNA, but then they soon demoted him down to the midcard with time. In WWE, his R-Truth took on a life of its own and created lasting memorable moments. Seriously, any time I need a comedic pick-me-up when I’m having a rough day, I just tune into R-Truth’s Royal Rumble appearance where he tried to set up a ladder. It’s legendary, much like R-Truth thinking he was in a Money in the Bank match only to learn that he wasn’t. “This one is on me”.
Sorry, but comedy is difficult to find in pro wrestling. Many have tried to be comedic acts, and many have failed. Majority of the writers on WWE, TNA, or AEW’s staff aren’t good comedy writers or else they’d be elsewhere writing comedy to make MORE money. They can’t, so they settle writing for wrestling instead. R-Truth was so naturally good at it and had the deadpan delivery without ever breaking a smile or a laugh. Furthermore, many funny ideas that he pulled off were HIS ideas, such as pulling out that ladder during the Royal Rumble or many other improvised things that he’s said. All you have to do is observe how the others are cracking up from laughter to see R-Truth’s genius.
My worries is that if Ron is pushed as a serious character as “Ron Killings” and works more matches with that 53 year-old frame, he’ll be susceptible to injury and the push as the serious character will be forgotten. Main injuries with guys 40+ and jacked up include tendons snapping, muscles tearing, or anything within the spinal column going wrong. Pro wrestling is a TOUGH business and with anyone older, you want them to take LESS punishment inside of the ring instead of more of it.
As I’ve always said about the BEAUTY of the Pro Wrestling business is that wrestlers in their 40s and even their 50s can still perform at a high level because of their PERSONALITY and MIC SKILLS that can be on display to HYPE them as still being relevant. If the in-ring skills have diminished, so what? Being a great talker and connecting with fans STILL matters, and thus many greats can still go. CM Punk isn’t getting any younger at 46, but he gets largely over because of his microphone skills and unique personality. I know we all hate Hulk Hogan now, but the guy worked deep into his 40s because he could still cut promos and portray the character. I think Christian is a really effective wrestler who can hype himself up with promos versus in-ring abilities at his age. Sting and the Undertaker had long careers because they were just Sting and the Undertaker. They could work less and still make an impression by showing up.
And here is where I’ll go further… I have a feeling that Ron Killings will be pushed in a serious fashion with a light main event run but then be a serious contender within the upper midcarder.
In my opinion, WWE is too top heavy… The Main Event scene plus the depth in the upper midcard is THICK for the WWE. The depths of the contenders going after the United States Title, Intercontinental Titles, and especially the Tag Titles just aren’t there for the WWE and honestly haven’t been there for decades. Furthermore to my point, WWE is badly lacking in the comedic act department, too. Sorry, but sometimes you need the Bushwackers to come out and give the audience some fun. At its peak, Val Venis was a great act in the midcard. Remember how good Heath Slater made that “I Got Kids” gimmick?
If you go back into history, the biggest wrestling promotions had GREAT midcard acts. They all did, as it engaged wrestling fans to watch the ENTIRE show versus just catching the main event scene.
Right now, it’s an absolute chore to watch 2-3 hours of RAW or Smackdown on Netflix. Why? Because the midcard SUCKS… Gunther’s IC Title run was a total unicorn, but other than that, nobody has cared about who held or was contending for the IC or US Titles. That’s a FACT. The Tag Team division has sucked for 20 years in the WWE. Vince McMahon saw tag team wrestlers as a cost issue (more wrestlers per match, plus injuries take out 2 wrestlers) and it seems that TKO have continued that philosophy. And honestly, the Women’s Division is total hit or miss… It’s very top heavy with talent there too, as the mid to lower card of that division is very weak, but even the top tier ladies don’t always draw or perform well.
Like I said, go back into history… The biggest BOOMS with wrestling promotions featured a strong Main Event scene complemented with a GREAT Midcard scene.
NWA Mid-Atlantic – 1980s
Strong main event scene with Ric Flair, Dusty, and others at the top with a LOADED tag team scene. Lots of younger wrestlers fighting over various midcard titles, too, who would go on to do big things in the business.
WWE – Hulkamania Era – 1980s and early 1990s
Hulk Hogan versus the world at the top (Andre, Piper, Macho), but that midcard was LOADED. So many great tag teams to name and that Intercontinental Title felt special. If you won that, you were next tier and ready for the main event eventually.
WCW – 1996-1997
I’d argue this as the most loaded roster ever. Main Event scene had great veterans with a great New World Order Storyline. But look at the insane depths of talent that easily filled every 2-3 hours of Nitro with excitement each week. WCW signed a bunch of free agents from veterans, raiding Mexico, raiding ECW, and through a partnership with New Japan. Every title had set contenders and everybody was satisfied. Then, they created the Cruiserweight Division and blew our socks off with something new in the midcard.
WWE Attitude Era
Stone Cold, the Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart briefly, Undertaker, Kane… These were incredibly strong main eventers but fresh ones at the top as well. But the midcard was incredibly fun, as the IC Title was kept strong until 1999 when its reigns became inflated. Not to worry, as the Tag Team scene got incredibly hot with the New Age Outlaws adding much needed personality to the division while teams like Hardys, Edge/Christian, and Dudleys added pure in-ring excitement. Then, WWE’s roster gained amazing midcard depth with Jericho, Angle, the Radicalz, and others joining.
I would argue that the 2020s “Bloodline Era” was strongest through 2023 when Roman Reigns was world champion and the Usos were Tag Champs. You had clearly defined paths to the gold and it was defined by excellence. Everyone chasing those guys made for a stronger WWE during 2022-2023 and in my opinion, the WWE may be running off of fumes from that timeframe because the Tag Team division since 2023 has SUCKED without the Usos ruling it as a tag team.
2010s had issues throughout its decade, but it had fun peak moments such as Usos vs. New Day killing it on tag team matches, Dusty/Cody versus the Shield, and the top stars of the women’s division adding to the excitement, here or there. R-Truth’s comedic moments stuck out because the midcard around him wasn’t that good… However with the 2010s, I’d argue that the Main Event scene was WEAK because of an overpushed babyface with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar being too dominant. Thus, the entire WWE suffered during the 2010s because the midcard was weak and the main event scene was especially weak.
Vince McMahon’s “attempts” at juvenile comedy during the 2010s was embarrassing. That’s the Pro Wrestling Jesus that you want to return to the WWE? Vince and his fart humor, along with all of the NDAs that may need to be signed from abusing women? Is that what you want, Vince marks?
Look at your current midcard champions and their contenders…
I personally like Dominick Mysterio and root him on… I’m mostly OK with his elevation and promotion, but I just don’t know if he can leap to the main event after this reign. He seems more of a permanent midcard act, but I’ve been wrong on him before… But who is he feuding with? Just seems to be other permanent midcarders who are moving horizontally and will be for a while.
Like Jacob Fatu with the United States Title and he should be a main eventer. But for a while, pushing Austin Theory and LA Knight for those roles. Guys look like a million bucks, but lack that connective tissue to fans and they seem a tad selfish about themselves inside the ring (just see what happened at Royal Rumble with Knight). But I’d argue that Fatu is way too strong for that title and would seriously have credibility issues with anyone defeating him for the title, just as I have with Bron Breakker or Gunther losing the IC Title.
Like Street Profits, but they’ve got nobody great to work with… New Day is fun, but same thing on their end, just no fun or vibrant tag teams to challenge them.
Women… Sorry, but Tiffany Stratton just isn’t holding up as Women’s Champion. I think her potential is there, but maybe a few more years of seasoning were needed before making her a champion. Maybe a proven run with the newer midcard US/IC women’s titles? That Wrestlemania 41 match with Charlotte was bad, even if Charlotte was possibly sandbagging the match. Furthermore, quit trying to shove the same Charlotte entitled person and character down our throats. Give us variety, especially when there are more talented ladies on the roster to push instead (Becky, Bianca, Rhea, etc.). I know that Iyo Sky is talented inside the ring and a Triple H favorite, but outside of the ropes, the personality, charm, and mic skills are not there to connect to fans as a top star. Same sentiments go for the smaller Zelina Vega. Online loves her, but online fans aren’t the majority. Until you get the Women’s world titles and tag teams over first, don’t consider creating more titles like the US or IC Title for the women as well.
R-Truth was seriously in a class of his own… He could miss weeks at a time and then suddenly appear in a backstage segment to make it the moment of the night. Remember when he was wanting to be a part of the Judgment Day? His stuff on looking for “Dom and Nick” Mysterio were hilarious and it consumed easy backstage segments that didn’t require any hard scripts or anything physical.
Sorry, but I see value in comedy acts… Full Blooded Italians were hilarious in ECW, coming out to N-Trance’s Stayin’ Alive theme music and having Tracy Smothers claim he from the “Nashville section of Italy”. Bushwackers were never serious in WWE, but when they came out, the fans loved them… Everybody did those arm movements and loved the battering ram finisher. They NEVER won the Tag Titles in WWE, yet they were always great to fill those syndicated shows. One of the best comedy acts ever was the Honky Tonk Man, but he was there to draw heat. HTM was a freakin’ Elvis impersonator as a wrestling character and they used that to draw in fans who wanted him to be defeated.
THAT SAID… If wrestling fans disagree with me about R-Truth versus Ron Killings, then they need to support Ron Killings 100%.
– Buy ALL of his merchandise
– Buy his theme music
– Like and share any social media post or video that Ron Killings is in
– Buy tickets to the brand that Ron Killings belongs to and cheer loudly (buy his merchandise at the event, too)
– When watching live shows, be sure not to change the channel or shut off streaming segments where Ron Killings appears
Oh, you don’t like that I’m suggesting to spend your hard earned cash? Well, is it any different on how people support NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL teams? Caitlin Clark for WNBA? Any musician or movie star? Or how about this? Do you like a content creator on YouTube or other streaming platforms? Have you ever supported them on Patreon? You’re likely already doing something to support an entertainer… So how is that any different with Ron Killings?
Go ahead and make my day by proving me wrong… If you disagree with my stance that Ron should remain the comedic R-Truth rather than the serious Ron Killings character, then show your support and work with other fans to grow that support.
However, my opinion is pretty sound that WWE’s midcard is their company’s weakness and shall hurt in the future when the Main Eventers begin to retire and nobody in the midcard has been developed properly to assume their positions of drawing power.
BUT – If I were WWE, I’d utilize Ron Killings’s services to TEACH other wrestlers in the midcard to DO MORE WITH LESS. The reason Ron is able to work at 53 years-old is because he didn’t have to kill himself with high risk moves and could get over simply with his personality, charisma, and promo skills. Personally, I hope that Ron’s deal involves 1-2 more years of working while transitioning into a trainer or even a member of the creative team. Why not? The guy is a comedic genius who has contributed his own ideas to get himself over.
Regardless, I’m happy that he’s back with the WWE and getting paid again. Good for him, no matter what happens next.