.jpg) R-Truth in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ronnie Aaron Killings[6] (1972-01-19)January 19, 1972 (age 53) |
Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Website | theofficialronkillings |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | K. Malik Shabaz[1] K-Kwik K-Krush Ron Killings R-Truth[2] R–Ziggler |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Charlotte, North Carolina[2] |
| Trained by | Chris Hamrick[3] George South[3] Italian Stallion[3] Manny Fernandez[4][3] |
| Debut | March 15, 1997[4][5] |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels |
|
Musical artist | |
Ronnie Aaron Killings[6] (born January 19, 1972) is an Americanprofessional wrestler.[7] He is signed toWWE, where he performs on theSmackDownbrand under thering nameR-Truth.
Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) asK-Kwik from 1998 to 2001, forming a team with"Road Dogg" Jesse James, and winning theWWF Hardcore Championship twice. After his release in 2002, he joinedJeff Jarrett's new promotionTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). AsRon "The Truth" Killings, he headlinednumerouspay-per-view (PPV) events and won theNWA World Heavyweight Championship twice, being the first African-American titleholder. He also formed3 Live Kru with BG James (formerly Road Dogg) andKonnan and the trio held theNWA World Tag Team Championship twice. Killings establishedTeam Pacman with football playerAdam Jones and won theTNA World Tag Team Championship before leaving TNA in late 2007.
Killings returned to WWE in 2008 and was renamedR-Truth, winning theWWE United States Championship, and theWWE Tag Team Championship (withKofi Kingston) over the next several years. He headlinedmultiple WWE pay-per-view events during the early 2010s, including matches for theWWE Championship andWorld Heavyweight Championship. He was thereafter used in comedic roles and primarily wrestled on the undercard until 2018, when he teamed withCarmella to win the second edition ofMixed Match Challenge. He then captured the United States Championship for a second time in 2019.[2] Later that year, he won the newly instatedWWE 24/7 Championship, and holds the record for the most reigns at54. AtWrestleMania XL, in thesix-pack ladder match he ultimately won theRaw Tag Team Championship withThe Miz. In 2025, he was briefly released by WWE but was quickly brought back and started going by his real nameRon Killings alongside his ring name.
Ronnie Aaron Killings was born on January 19, 1972, inCharlotte,North Carolina. To make extra money in his early 20s, Killings would sell cocaine on the streets for extra income. From a young age, Killings had developed a love forhip hop andbreakdancing and attendedHarry P. Harding High School where he competed infootball alongside futureMLB second basemanRay Durham. Killings also competed in track and field, and was talented at both sports, receiving various college scholarships, but turned them down to further pursue a career in music. Killings graduated high school at 18, but he also continued dealing drugs in order to help his music career financially and was arrested four different times, spending small amounts of time in jail before eventually spending 13 months incarcerated. Killings spoke in an interview withLilian Garcia that after this incident, he was finished with that lifestyle.[8]
Jackie Crockett of theNational Wrestling Alliance met Killings at a halfway house after Killings' release from prison, and tried to convince Killings to become a professional wrestler, but he was determined to focus on his music career.[8] Killings spent two years working on his music career and then contacted Crockett once more and expressed an interest in becoming a wrestler.[3] Crockett, by now the seniorcameraman forWorld Championship Wrestling, took Killings to several WCW and Pro Wrestling Federation events, introducing him to wrestling personalities.[5]
Killings debuted in thePro Wrestling Federation (PWF) in 1997 as amanager, then spent three years traveling and training withManny Fernandez.[5] In 1999, he debuted inNWA Wildside as K-Krush, where he was awarded the newly created NWA Wildside Television Championship on December 12. In 2002, he wrestled forXtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) as K. Malik Shabaz.[1][9][10]
At the urging ofRick Michaels, Killings sent a promotional videotape to theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF).[5] He was signed to a two-year developmental contract in 1999 and under the ring nameK-Kwik was assigned toMemphis Championship Wrestling, a WWFdevelopmental territory. On April 12 inRobinsonville, Mississippi, he won abattle royal to claim the vacantSouthern Heavyweight Championship.[5] He lost the title to amaskedJerry Lawler on May 24 inTunica, Mississippi, but reclaimed it fromJoey Abs several months later inMemphis, Tennessee on August 19.[5] His second reign ended on November 3, when he lost toSteve Bradley inManila, Arkansas.[3]
K-Kwik was then promoted to the main roster and put in atag team withRoad Dogg.[5] He debuted on the November 13, 2000 episode ofRaw is War, attackingWilliam Regal during a match against Road Dogg. K-Kwik and Road Dogg began rapping together, performing a song called "Gettin' Rowdy" as they approached the ring.[3] Upon the return of Road Dogg's former partnerBilly Gunn later that month, K-Kwik was involved in aD-Generation X (DX) quasi-reunion. AtSurvivor Series, K-Kwik teamed with former DX members Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, andChyna to faceThe Radicalz in aSurvivor Series match.[5] K-Kwik was eliminated and the Radicalz went on to win the match. AtArmageddon, K-Kwik and Road Dogg took part in a four-way tag team match for theTag Team Championship, which was won byEdge and Christian.[5]
After Road Dogg was suspended in December and eventually released on January 26, 2001,[11] K-Kwik became a singles competitor and a successful mainstay onJakked. He took part in the2001 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated byBig Show. K-Kwik then began competing in thehardcore division. He defeatedRaven for theHardcore Championship on February 3, but lost the title toCrash Holly that same evening under the title's 24/7 rules.[12] He defeated Raven for the title a second time on the following night, but once again he lost the title to Holly within the space of several hours.[12] K-Kwik became somewhat of a background figure of "The Invasion"angle during the summer months, often seen in dressing rooms and watching television with other superstars during inter-promotional matches. He was released from the WWF in August 2001.
Killings signed with theNashville, Tennessee-basedNWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA:TNA) promotion in June 2002, and appeared on the first weekly TNApay-per-view on June 19 as K-Krush. Killings immediately established himself as aheel by harassingNASCARdriversSterling Marlin andHermie Sadler until he was attacked byBrian Lawler. Later that same evening, he participated in the Gauntlet for the Gold match, but was eliminated byMalice. The following week, Killings lost to Christopher after Marlin and Sadler interfered in their match. On July 3, Killings andJeff Jarrett defeated Christopher andScott Hall after Christopher turned on Hall during the match, aligning himself with Killings and Jarrett. On July 10, Killings defeated Hermie Sadler in asquash match. The decision, however, was overturned after Killings continued to attack Sadler after he had been awarded the match.
On the July 17 TNA pay-per-view, Killings delivered an angrypromo in which he implied that he had been held back as a result of his race. He then stated that he was to be referred to as "The Truth". Killings eventually began using his own name, referring to himself as Ron "The Truth" Killings. Killings defeatedKen Shamrock for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship at NWA-TNA 8 on August 7, thus becoming the first-ever, and to date only, recognized African-American NWA World Heavyweight Champion in history, and the fourth African American in professional wrestling history to win a World Heavyweight title.[5] He successfully defended the title in matches withMonty Brown,Jerry Lynn,Low Ki,Curt Hennig, andScott Hall before losing on November 20 to Jeff Jarrett who had the help ofVince Russo.[5] As a result of Russo's involvement, Killingsturned into aface. In subsequent months, Killings feuded withSports Entertainment Xtreme before turning into a heel once again by attacking Jarrett on March 19.[5] He later introducedNelson Knight as hisbodyguard.[5]
Between May and June, Killings began teaming withKonnan and former WWE allyB.G. James. In July the trio formed afaction known as the3 Live Kru.[5] The Kru first wrestled as a unit on August 13, 2003, defeatingThe Disciples of the New Church (Sinn,Vampire Warrior, andDevon Storm).[5] The Kru soon went after theNWA World Tag Team Championship. On November 26, the Kru defeatedSimon Diamond,Johnny Swinger, andGlenn Gilberti in a six-man tag team match with the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship on the line.[5] The NWA World Tag Team Championship was held by all three members of the Kru as part of theFreebird Rule until January 28, 2004, when they were defeated by Redshirt Security (Kevin Northcutt andLegend).
After several abortive attempts to regain the tag title, the Kru began supporting Killings' bid to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion. On June 9, NWA World Heavyweight ChampionJeff Jarrett took part in a "3 Live Kru Challenge" which saw him face Konnan, James and Killings in three subsequent matches. Jarrett defeated Konnan in astrap match and James in a "trailer park trash match" (hardcore match), but lost to Killings in a "Ghetto Justice match". On May 19, Killings faced NWA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles,Raven, andChris Harris in a four-way title match. He won the bout, becoming a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, after Jarrett hit Styles with aguitar. His reign lasted until June 2, when Jarrett defeated him in aKing of the Mountain match which also included Harris, Styles, and Raven. The Kru went on to feud with Jarrett'smercenaries, the Elite Guard (Chad Collyer,Hotstuff Hernandez, andOnyx). On July 14, the 3 Live Kru,Dusty Rhodes, andLarry Zbyszko defeated Jarrett,Ken Shamrock, and the Elite Guard in a ten-man tag team match. The Kru began feuding withTeam Canada in August. AtVictory Road on November 7, Konnan and James defeated Team Canada membersBobby Roode andEric Young for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. After Konnan suffered an injury, Killings and James lost the title to Team Canada atTurning Point on December 5.[5] Throughout early-2005, the Kru feuded withMichael Shane andKazarian, Team Canada, andThe Naturals.
Dissension arose after James' former tag team partner from the WWE, Billy Gunn, joined TNA as "The New Age Outlaw" and began trying to convince James to reform their former tag team, theNew Age Outlaws. Killings and Konnan feuded with The Outlaw andMonty Brown, with James's loyalties divided. Brown and The Outlaw, who had by now renamed himself "Kip James" as a psychological ploy, defeated Killings and Konnan atNo Surrender on July 17, with James declining to help either team. Killings and Konnan became increasingly frustrated, at one point referring to themselves as the "2Live Kru", although Killings repeatedly attempted to act as a mediator between James and Konnan. The two teams faced one another in a No Surrender rematch on August 14 atSacrifice, with James appointedspecial guest referee byDirector of Authority, Larry Zbyszko. James reaffirmed his loyalty to the Kru by attacking Kip, enabling Konnan to pin him and win the match. The 3 Live Kru won a six-man tag team match againstThe Diamonds in the Rough atUnbreakable on September 11. AfterImpact! premiered onSpike TV on October 1, Kip James entered the picture once more, but appeared to be helping 3LK this time. He refereed aHockey Stick Fight atGenesis on November 13, which 3LK won. Kip James later joined the stable, which became known as the 4 Live Kru. On December 11 atTurning Point, the 4 Live Kru faced Team Canada in an eight-man tag match. In the course of the match, Konnan hit Kip and B.G. James with chair shots, enabling Bobby Roode to pin Kip. He then attempted to celebrate with Killings, who appeared shocked by Konnan's actions. Killings later told Konnan he was done with the Kru.
Following the breakup of the3 Live Kru, Killings began competing as a singles wrestler once more. He briefly aligned himself withSting in March, teaming with Sting, A.J. Styles, andRhino as "Sting's Warriors". AtLockdown on April 23, Sting's Warriors defeatedJarrett's Army in aLethal Lockdown match. On the May 25 episode ofImpact!, Killings defeatedMonty Brown to qualify for aKing of the Mountain match for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship atSlammiversary on June 18. At Slammiversary, however, Killings failed to win the championship. Killings then teamed withLance Hoyt in the following months, even participating, but losing, in a Battle Royal atNo Surrender. On November 19 atGenesis, Killings and his tag team partner Lance Hoyt defeatedAustin Starr andAlex Shelley withKevin Nash at ringside. He then took time off the active roster due to injury. Killings returned to action atSlammiversary, teaming withJames Storm in a losing effort againstFrank Wycheck andJerry Lynn.[13]
On June 19, Killings tried to resign from TNA, intending to work for the MexicanAAA.[14] Amidst more dissension backstage, however, TNA refused to release Killings. He returned to TNA on August 12 atHard Justice, confrontingfootball playerAdam Jones.[15] AtNo Surrender, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Ron Killings defeatedSting andKurt Angle to win theTNA World Tag Team Championship.[5] AtBound for Glory,A.J. Styles and Tomko defeated him and Jones' replacement,Rasheed Lucius "Consequences" Creed, for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. In December, he worked out a deal for his release from the company.[5]
In 2008, Killings re-signed withWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and re-debuted on theSmackDown brand under the ring name R-Truth on August 29, as aface, defeatingKenny Dykstra.[16][17] WWEcompletely ignored his past with the company and hisHardcore Championship reigns[2] until January 2009 when WWE.com briefly acknowledged his appearance in the 2001 Royal Rumble.[18][19] The K-Kwik character was acknowledged again atSummerSlam 2010, when commentatorMatt Striker made a passing reference to his past. AtCyber Sunday, he, along withFestus andMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP), was a voting option to challengeUnited States ChampionShelton Benjamin for the title. He received 59% of the vote to get the match, but lost. On December 8, he won theSlammy Award for theBest Musical Performance.[20]
On the July 10, 2009 episode ofSmackDown, R-Truth debuted a new prankstercharacter known as Ricky, in a sleeveless T-shirt and a set of fake teeth trying to get into theRabobank Arena. The character was soonscrapped and R-Truth began afeud with the debutingDrew McIntyre on the August 28 episode ofSmackDown.[21] This feud set up a match atHell in a Cell, which he lost.[22] On the October 23 episode ofSmackDown, R-Truth,Finlay,Matt Hardy andThe Hart Dynasty defeatedJTG,Eric Escobar,Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in a five-on-four handicap match to qualify as the representatives of Team SmackDown atBragging Rights. At the event, Team SmackDown defeated Team Raw.[23] On the February 5, 2010 episode ofSmackDown, after defeatingMike Knox, R-Truth qualified for anElimination Chamber match for theWorld Heavyweight Championship atElimination Chamber, which he was eliminated byCM Punk.[24] AtWrestleMania XXVI, R-Truth teamed withJohn Morrison to faceShoMiz (Big Show andThe Miz) for theUnified WWE Tag Team Championship in a losing effort.
On April 26, R-Truth was drafted to Raw as part of the2010 WWE draft. He began a feud withTed DiBiase after DiBiase offered him a job as his personal assistant, which R-Truth declined with a slap. Two weeks later, during a match withWilliam Regal, R-Truth was attacked byCarlito and Primo, who were paid off by DiBiase after the assault. R-Truth went on to wrestle and defeat DiBiase atOver the Limit on May 23.[25] The next night on Raw, R-Truth defeatedThe Miz to win the vacantUnited States Championship, giving him his first singles championship since returning to WWE.[26] On the June 14 episode ofRaw, R-Truth lost the United States Championship to The Miz in a fatal four-way match also featuring John Morrison andZack Ryder.[27] He invoked his rematch clause atFatal 4-Way, but was unsuccessful.[28]
AtSummerSlam, R-Truth was part of Team WWE, defeatingThe Nexus.[29] On the October 11 episode ofRaw, he defeated Ted DiBiase to qualify for Team Raw atBragging Rights to face Team SmackDown.[30] Team Raw lost the match for the second consecutive time.[31][32] In December, R-Truth mentoredJohnny Curtis in theNXT's fourth season. In January 2011, R-Truth competed in the2011 Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by CM Punk.[33] On March 1, Curtis won the fourth season ofNXT.[34] As winners, R-Truth and Curtis won the right to challenge for theTag Team Championship.[34]
On the April 11 episode ofRaw, R-Truth became the number one contender for theWWE Championship along withJohn Cena via double disqualification after The Miz andAlex Riley attacked both of them during a number one contender's gauntlet match.[35] R-Truth had previously defeated Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison prior to facing Cena at the end of the gauntlet. Theanonymous Raw General Manager stated that, due to interference from The Miz and Riley, R-Truth and Cena would both compete for the WWE Championship atExtreme Rules in a steel cage match.[35] On the April 18 episode ofRaw, Morrison questioned R-Truth about his capability to compete in a match like this and challenged R-Truth to a match for his spot. Later that night, after Morrison won the match, R-Truth attacked Morrison, turningheel in the process.[36][37] The following week onRaw, R-Truth stated that he was done entertaining the fans as popularity did not get him any titles.[38] AtExtreme Rules on May 1, R-Truth prevented Morrison from escaping the cage during the main event for the WWE Championship, ultimately costing him the title. On the May 9 episode ofRaw, R-Truth revealed that his attack on Morrison had led to him being hospitalized before then attackingRey Mysterio at the end of the show.[39] On the May 16 episode ofRaw, R-Truth accused Mysterio of being a "thief" and stealing his chance at the WWE Championship. R-Truth then attacked a weakened Mysterio, who had just finished a match withAlberto Del Rio.[40] R-Truth faced Mysterio atOver the Limit, where he was victorious.[41] After subsequent episodes of ranting and raving over John Cena's popularity, he harassed a young fan and his father on the May 30 episode ofRaw, throwing a cup of soda in the father's face after a countout win over Cena.[42] AfterRaw went off the air, the anonymous Raw General Manager scheduled a WWE Championship match between the two, on the condition that R-Truth apologize for his behavior the next week.[43] On the June 6 episode ofRaw, R-Truth made his way out to the ring, singing a song about "Little Jimmy" (referring to the children in attendance) and wearing a Confederate soldier's uniform, before apologizing for his actions.[44] In the ensuing title match atCapitol Punishment, R-Truth was unsuccessful in winning the WWE Championship.[45]
On the August 22 episode ofRaw, R-Truth and The Miz attackedSantino Marella before his match and then proceeded to cut a promo bashingTriple H about not using them properly. On the August 29 episode ofRaw SuperShow, R-Truth interfered in The Miz's match and both of them attackedCM Punk. On the September 5 episode ofRaw SuperShow, R-Truth and The Miz challenged Air Boom (Evan Bourne andKofi Kingston) to a match for theWWE Tag Team Championship atNight of Champions, but were disqualified after Miz assaulted a referee during the match.[46] R-Truth and The Miz were subsequently fired by Triple H the following night onRaw SuperShow.[47] AtHell in a Cell, R-Truth and The Miz attacked Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, John Cena and referees after the WWE Championship match ended. After this, the entire WWE roster came out to find a way into theHell in a Cell structure before police officers were able to get the door open and arrest them.[48] On the October 10 episode ofRaw SuperShow, R-Truth and The Miz were reinstated byJohn Laurinaitis. AtVengeance, R-Truth and The Miz defeated CM Punk and Triple H in a tag team match, due to interference fromKevin Nash.[49] Later that same night they attacked John Cena during his WWE Championship match with Alberto Del Rio, costing him the match.[50] On November 20 atSurvivor Series, R-Truth and The Miz were defeated by Cena andThe Rock.[51] The following night onRaw SuperShow, Cena instigated an argument between R-Truth and The Miz, which ultimately led to the team's dissolution as The Miz attacked R-Truth with aSkull Crushing Finale onto the stage.[52][53] Following the event, Killings was suspended for 30 days for violating the Wellness Policy.[54]
On the December 26 episode ofRaw SuperShow, R-Truth returned to attack The Miz after The Miz lost to John Cena via countout, turningface once again in the process. This was followed by back-and-forth assaults on the two throughout January.[55] At theRoyal Rumble, R-Truth entered the Royal Rumble Match at entry #3, but was eliminated by The Miz.[56] R-Truth wrestled for the WWE Championship against CM Punk,Chris Jericho,Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and The Miz atElimination Chamber.[57] He was eliminated by defending champion CM Punk.[58]
R-Truth then began to contend for theWWE Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston and competing againstPrimo and Epico and Dolph Ziggler andJack Swagger, which they both won and lost respectively.[59][60] On the February 27 episode ofRaw SuperShow, R-Truth and Kingston failed to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship from Primo and Epico in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match, also involving Ziggler and Swagger.[61] AtWrestleMania XXVIII, R-Truth and Kingston were members of TeamTeddy to face TeamJohnny in atwelve-man tag team match to determine the general manager of both brands, which was eventually won by Team Johnny.[62] On the April 30 episode ofRaw SuperShow, R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeated Primo and Epico to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.[63] AtOver the Limit, R-Truth and Kingston successfully defended the title against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger and then again in a rematch on the May 28 episode ofRaw SuperShow.[64][65] In the pre-show ofMoney in the Bank, R-Truth and Kingston defeatedHunico andCamacho in a non-title match.[66] The following night onRaw SuperShow, they successfully defended the Tag Team Championship againstThe Prime Time Players (Darren Young andTitus O'Neil),[67] and again atSummerSlam.[68] AtNight of Champions, R-Truth and Kingston lost the Tag Team Championship to the team ofKane andDaniel Bryan[69] and failed to regain the titles from the new champions the following night onRaw.[70] After the show, R-Truth and Kingston dissolved their tag team.[71]
R-Truth began feuding withUnited States ChampionAntonio Cesaro on the October 29 episode ofRaw, after saving former tag partner Kofi Kingston from a post-match assault from Cesaro and The Miz.[72] The following week, R-Truth teamed with Rey Mysterio andSin Cara to defeat Cesaro and The Prime Time Players, with R-Truth pinning Cesaro for the win.[73] R-Truth faced Cesaro for the United States Championship on November 18 atSurvivor Series, but was unsuccessful in winning the title.[74] On the following episode ofSmackDown, R-Truth defeated Cesaro in a non-title match.[75] On the December 3 episode ofRaw, R-Truth was again unsuccessful in capturing the United States Championship from Cesaro in fatal-four-way match, also involving Kofi Kingston andWade Barrett.[76] On December 16 atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, R-Truth failed again to capture the United States Championship from Cesaro[77] and sustained an injury. He returned on the February 18, 2013 episode ofRaw, saving Kofi Kingston fromDamien Sandow.[78] AtBattleground, R-Truth unsuccessfully challengedCurtis Axel for theIntercontinental Championship.
On the November 18 episode ofRaw, R-Truth teamed withXavier Woods, who he had teamed previously with in TNA, to defeat 3MB (Drew McIntyre andJinder Mahal), who were for that night called The Rhinestone Cowboys. On the November 29 episode ofSmackDown, R-Truth and Woods began afeud withBrodus Clay after Clay took offense to Woods using his entrance music andThe Funkadactyls as his managers earlier in the week onRaw.[79] On the December 2 episode ofRaw, R-Truth and Woods defeated Tons of Funk (Clay andTensai) in a rematch after Woods pinned Clay.[80] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, R-Truth defeated Clay after Clay was distracted by Tensai leaving after having enough of Clay's behavior. AtExtreme Rules on May 4, 2014, R-Truth and Woods were defeated byAlexander Rusev in a 2-on-1 handicap match. After that loss, R-Truth and Woods' team quietly disbanded.
AtRoyal Rumble on January 25, 2015, R-Truth entered the Royal Rumble match at number 2, but was eliminated byBubba Ray Dudley.[citation needed] AtFastlane,Dean Ambrose stoleBad News Barrett's Intercontinental Championship belt.[81] Over the next few weeks, various wrestlers gained possession of the belt including R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler,Daniel Bryan,Luke Harper andStardust. Subsequently, a multiple-manladder match for the title involving these wrestlers was scheduled forWrestleMania 31.[82][83][84] At the event, R-Truth was unsuccessful in winning the championship.[85] On the April 27 episode ofRaw, R-Truth took part in the2015 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Stardust in the first round. The following night on theWWE Network, R-Truth lost to Bad News Barrett in the semi-finals.[86] R-Truth defeated Stardust atPayback pre-show. R-Truth participated in theElimination Chamber match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, but was eliminated byRyback, who later won the match. During the match, R-Truth eliminated King Barrett, starting a feud between the two. In the following weeks, R-Truth mocked Barrett, wearing his royal crown and cape while referring to himself as "King What's Up". At theMoney in the Bank pre-show, R-Truth defeated Barrett. At theBattleground pre-show, R-Truth faced Barrett in a "Battle for the Crown" match, where if Barrett lost, R-Truth would receive Barrett's crown, R-Truth failed to win the match, which ended their feud.
At the2016 Royal Rumble match, R-Truth brought a ladder into the ring and climbing it, incorrectly believing the match to be theMoney in the Bank ladder match. (This was part of a character trend where he was at least one PPV behind on everything.) Upon realizing his error, R-Truth was eliminated byKane. In the following weeks onRaw andSmackDown,Goldust approached R-Truth and proposed they form a tag team to no avail.[87][88] At theFastlane pay-per-view, Goldust came down to aid R-Truth at ringside in his match againstCurtis Axel, inadvertently distracting R-Truth before Axel rolled him up for the win.[89] After multiple attempts from Goldust, ending with R-Truth denying his request, R-Truth began to apologize and attempt to form a tag team with Goldust, with Goldust denying R-Truth.[90][91][92] AtWrestleMania 32, R-Truth enteredAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal but was eliminated byAdam Rose andHeath Slater. For a number one contender's tag team title tournament, on the April 13 episode ofSmackDown, he was scheduled to team with Goldust for the match but was replaced byFandango due to a refusal to team with R-Truth by Goldust. A week later, R-Truth aligned himself withTyler Breeze due to Goldust's alliance with Fandango. On the May 2 episode ofRaw, Breeze defeated Goldust after interference by R-Truth.[93] A week later onRaw, R-Truth defeated Fandango, with Breeze in R-Truth's corner.[94] On the May 12 episode ofSmackDown R-Truth and Breeze faced Goldust and Fandango. During the match, R-Truth and Goldust refused to fight each other. As a result, Breeze and Fandango attacked Goldust as Fandango allowed Breeze to pin Goldust for the win. R-Truth attempted to rescue Goldust from the attack, only to get beaten down by the two along with him.[95] The next week onRaw, R-Truth and Goldust debuted as The Golden Truth against Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) in a losing effort after R-Truth unintentionally kicked Goldust.[96] Afterwards, Golden Truth started a losing streak, losing to the likes of Breezango andThe Dudley Boyz.[97][98] Golden Truth earned their first victory after defeating Breezango at theMoney in the Bank event on June 19.[99] On July 19, as part of the2016 WWE draft, R-Truth, along with Goldust, was drafted to Raw brand.[100] In November, The Golden Truth joined team Raw, but lost their spots a week later when R-Truth sold their spot toThe Shining Stars for tickets to Puerto Rico. On the November 7 episode ofRaw, The Shining Stars defeated The Golden Truth to join Team Raw.[101] On April 2, 2017, R-Truth and Goldust competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but failed to win.[102]
On the May 15 episode ofRaw, during a promo, Goldust attacked R-Truth, ending The Golden Truth.[103] On the June 26 episode ofRaw, R-Truth and Goldust had a brawl before their match even started.[104] R-Truth was defeated by Goldust in a singles match on the July 10 episode ofRaw.[105] On the August 28 episode ofRaw, R-Truth competed in an Intercontinental Championship number one contender's Battle Royal, which was won byJeff Hardy.[106] In October, reports suggested R-Truth suffered an arm injury during a match againstElias at alive event. R-Truth reportedly underwent surgery on October 26.[107]
On April 17, 2018, R-Truth was moved to SmackDown brand as part of theSuperstar Shake-up.[108] During the summer, R-Truth involved himself in angles with thenSmackDown Women's ChampionCarmella, claiming that he would have got a chance against United States ChampionShinsuke Nakamura by pinning Carmella (sinceBecky Lynch andCharlotte Flair had both got a chance against Carmella's title by defeating her in non–title matches);[109][110] R-Truth was eventually granted a match against Nakamura, but lost. On the September 4 episode ofSmackDown Live, Carmella finally agreed to manage R-Truth in his match againstThe Miz to avoid his wifeMaryse's interference. R-Truth eventually won the match thanks to a distraction from Miz and Maryse's enemiesDaniel Bryan andBrie Bella, which was also his first televised singles win since May 2016.[111] Shortly after, Carmella startedmanaging R-Truth and the two participated in season two ofMixed Match Challenge.[112][113][114][115] Despite losing three matches before defeatingRusev andLana to qualify into the playoffs, R-Truth and Carmella went on to defeatJeff Hardy and Charlotte Flair in the quarter–finals[116] and The Miz andAsuka in the semi–finals.[117] In the finals of the Mixed Match Challenge, that took place on December 16 atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, R-Truth and Carmella defeatedJinder Mahal andAlicia Fox, earning both the number 30 spots for their respectiveRoyal Rumble matches at theRoyal Rumble.[118] On the January 8, 2019 episode ofSmackDown, R-Truth facedWWE Champion Daniel Bryan in a non-title match in a losing effort.[119]
At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, R-Truth was attacked byNia Jax during his entrance, who subsequently took his spot in the Men's Royal Rumble.[120] As compensation for being attacked at the Royal Rumble, R-Truth received aUnited States Championship match onSmackDown, in which he defeated championShinsuke Nakamura with a surprise roll-up to capture his second United States Championship, in his first championship win since April 2012. Immediately after the match, R-Truth was challenged by previous championRusev but retained the title with another roll-up. After the match, R-Truth was attacked by Nakamura and Rusev.[121] On the February 26 episode ofSmackDown, R-Truth issued an open challenge for his United States Championship, which was answered byAndrade andRey Mysterio. He retained the title in a triple threat match.[122] The following week, another open challenge was answered by Mysterio, Andrade, andSamoa Joe. In the ensuing fatal-four-way match, R-Truth lost the title to Joe, ending his reign at 35 days.[123] In a rematch between the same four men atFastlane, Joe retained the title.[124]
On the May 20 episode ofRaw,WWE Hall of FamerMick Foley unveiled the newWWE 24/7 Championship, a title similar to theHardcore Championship, which also uses the "24/7 rule".[125] Later that night, Truth pinned previous championRobert Roode in the arena's parking lot to win the title and become the first superstar to win both the Hardcore Championship and 24/7 Championship.[126] The following weeks led to both Truth and Carmella regularly appearing on bothRaw andSmackDown Live as part of the 24/7 rule and at more unconventional times and locations (filmed and published on WWE social media), where they would try to flee from other wrestlers wanting to win the title.[127] This led R-Truth to lose the title to multiple superstars such asHeath Slater,Cedric Alexander,Mike Kanellis,Shelton Benjamin,The Revival (Dash Wilder andScott Dawson), twice toJinder Mahal, three times each toAkira Tozawa,Drake Maverick,EC3,Elias, seven times toMojo Rawley, and usually regain it hours or even minutes later.[128][129][130][131]
Truth went on to become a 53-time 24/7 Champion, and became the first of only twelve people to stay as champion for over 24 hours.[132] Within the first month of its existence, the 24/7 Championship segments would become the highest viewed videos of bothRaw andSmackDown online, garnering millions of views each.[133] Also, R-Truth was voted by WWE fans as their favorite champion in June 2019.[134] Over the course of the next year, he won the title 52 times, also including to sports presenterRob Stone,NBA playerEnes Kanter, and race car driverKyle Busch.[135] As part of the2019 draft, Truth was drafted toRaw, splitting him from Carmella, who remained onSmackDown.[136] On February 27, 2020, atSuper ShowDown, Truth competed in the gauntlet match for the Tuwaiq Trophy, where he defeatedBobby Lashley,Andrade, andErick Rowan, but lost toAJ Styles following an assault from Rowan.[137][138] AtMoney in the Bank, he was quickly defeated by Lashley.[139] Throughout 2021 and 2022, R-Truth continued to be present in segments for the 24/7 Championship until November 7, 2022, when the 24/7 Championship title was retired.[140] As WWE 24/7 Champion, Truth had the most reigns at 53 and the longest combined reign at 425 days.[141]
In the later part of 2022, R-Truth made several guest appearances on episodes ofNXT. On the November 1 episode ofNXT, he suffered an injury in a match againstGrayson Waller, which was expected to leave him out of action for "a long time".[142]
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After a year of absence due to injury, Truth returned atSurvivor Series: WarGames on November 25, 2023, in a backstage segment withAlpha Academy andPretty Deadly.[143] Truth started a storyline withThe Judgment Day (Damian Priest,Rhea Ripley,Finn Bálor,"Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, andJD McDonagh) in which Truth thought himself to be a member of the stable, but this ended when the group attacked Truth in the ring on the December 11 episode ofRaw.[144] On the December 18 episode ofRaw, Truth defeated McDonagh in aLoser Leaves Judgment Day Miracle on 34th Street Fight, but McDonagh was still considered a member of The Judgment Day.[145] During the storyline, R-Truth joined The Miz, reviving The Awesome Truth tag team.[146][147]
On Night 1 ofWrestleMania XL on April 6, Truth climbed the ladder and retrieved theRaw Tag Team Championship to win the titles, giving Truth his first WrestleMania win.[148] On the April 15 episode ofRaw, the Raw Tag Team Championship was renamed to theWorld Tag Team Championship and the team were presented new championship belts fromchief content officerTriple H and Raw General ManagerAdam Pearce.[149] They held the titles for 79 days until they lost them against The Judgment Day (Bálor and McDonagh) and the team disbanded soon later.[150][151]
On February 14, 2025, episode ofSmackDown, Truth was drafted to the SmackDown brand and had his first singles match on the brand since 2019, losing toCarmelo Hayes.[152] As part of his comedygimmick, Truth referred toJohn Cena as his "childhood hero" (despite being 5 years older than Cena).[153] After John Cena's heel turn, R-Truth feuded with him, at theBacklash press conference, when Cena attacked Truth with anAttitude Adjustment through a table.[154] This later led to a match between the two atSaturday Night's Main Event XXXIX, where Truth was defeated by Cena.[155] On June 1, Truth announced that he had been released by WWE, ending his 17-year second tenure with the promotion.[156]
On June 7 atMoney in the Bank, R-Truth returned and assistedCody Rhodes andJey Uso — helping them defeat Cena andLogan Paul. After returning, R-Truth adopted a more serious attitude and referred to himself by his real name "Ron Killings", but still retained his former ring name.[157][158] On the June 20 episode ofSmackDown, R-Truth faced Cena which ended in a disqualification after Cena struck him with the WWE Championship.[159] After the match, his serious character was dropped and portrayed his comedy gimmick again.[160]
Killings married Pamela Killings on April 7, 2011.[161] Their daughter was born on November 15, 2014.[162]His son Christopher plays college basketball in the Penn State Athletic Conference forPenn State Wilkes-Barre[163] and had previously played for Greater Allegheny.[164] Killings is a supporter of theCarolina Panthers.[165]
Before becoming a wrestler, Killings began his music career in the 1990s as a hip-hop artist, pursuing a big break in the industry before his wrestling career took off. During this time, he attended Jack the Rapper conventions—gatherings of record executives and musical artists where performers could audition for record deals.[166][167] At one of these events, Killings metTupac Shakur, a moment that inspired him to continue pursuing music. However, he went on hiatus from making music when he began his wrestling career in 1997.
In 2003 while working forTNA Killings made a comeback to music releasing his first studio albumInvinceable.[168] He has since released 3 more albumsKillingit in 2016 andLegacy in 2021.
Killings switched from his usual hip-hop sound, when he released his first country albumThe White Album on August 7, 2025. When asked about the albums name Killings stated in an interview “As dark as I am, I called it the White Album.”[169] The album debuted at #10 on theBillboardCountry Chart.[170]
Killings also plays sporadic concerts throughout the year.[171]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Head of State | Ron "The Truth" Killings | [172] |
| 2008 | The Wrestler | Ron "The Truth" Killings | [173] |
| 2016 | Break Dance Revolution | DJ R. Killings | [174] |
| 2018 | Blood Brother | Blaine | [175] |
| Year | Title[176] | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | WWF Raw | |
| 2010 | WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 | |
| 2011 | WWE All Stars | |
| 2011 | WWE 12 | |
| 2012 | WWE Wrestlefest | Mobile game |
| 2012 | WWE 13 | |
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 | |
| 2014 | WWE SuperCard | Mobile game |
| 2014 | WWE 2K15 | |
| 2015 | WWE 2K16 | |
| 2016 | WWE 2K17 | |
| 2017 | WWE 2K18 | |
| 2018 | WWE 2K19 | |
| 2019 | WWE 2K20 | |
| 2020 | WWE Battleground | |
| 2022 | WWE 2K22 | |
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 | |
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | |
| 2025 | WWE 2K25 |
| Title | Album details | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| Invinceable | ||
| Killingit |
| |
| Legacy |
| |
| The White Album |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "What' Cha Do to Get It"[181] (featuring Black Pearl, JA and Big D) | 2015 | Killingit |
| "Pump It Up"[182] (featuring Black Pearl and Iya Champs) | ||
| "Rep My City"[183] (featuring Chop Blade) | ||
| "Me Myself and I"[184] | ||
| "I Be Like"[185] | 2016 | Non-album singles |
| "Back Against the Wall"[186] (featuring Laroo RTK) | 2017 | |
| "That'z Endurance"[187] (featuring Mannish Mania) | 2018 | |
| "Dance Break"[188] (featuring J-Trx) | 2019 | |
| "Run It"[189] (featuringLeah Van Dale and J-Trx) | ||
| "Set It Off"[190] | 2020 | |
| "Hit Em Up"[191] | ||
| "We Got All the Power"[192] | ||
| "Legacy"[193] | 2021 | Legacy |
| "Out the Window"[194] | ||
| "Betta Ask Somebody"[195] (featuring Naomi Nicole) | 2022 | Non-album singles |
| "Barnyard Flexin"[196] | ||
| "What It Is"[197] | ||
| "Better Play"[198] | 2023 | |
| "Be Right Back"[199] | ||
| "Making the Cut"[200] | ||
| "Thank You"[201] | 2024 | |
| "You Know It"[202] (featuring Fabo) | ||
| "Holiday Feel"[203] | ||
| "For Real"[204] | 2025 | |
| "When It All Adds Up"[205] | The White Album | |
| "Count My Sins"[206] | ||
| "Moments Made 4 U"[207] |
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The match was over in mere seconds when Elias caught R-Truth with a rollup that secured him the 24/7 Championship ... Elias almost got out of dodge, but R-Truth caught him on the outside and chased him under the ring with a referee in tow. By the time the two returned to the land of the living, the bell had rung with the official declaring R-Truth the new 24/7 Champion!
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