Following the unexpected news of WWE opting not to renew the contract of Ron "R-Truth" Killings, the usually divided wrestling fanbase united together across social media to convey their disapproval and disappointment in the decision. These feelings later translated to WWE television as well, with the live audiences chanting "We Want Truth" at "WWE Raw," "WWE SmackDown," and WWE Money in the Bank. In a rare case, the demands of the WWE Universe were then fulfilled through Truth's return during the main event of Money in the Bankon June 7.
Naturally, many fans' initial reactions centered on shock, so much so that Truth's resurgence is widely considered to be the "OMG" moment of the entire MITB premium live event. Some even cite it as one of the best in several years. X user @OfWebsAndChaos expressed their disbelief by writing "R-Truth!!!! Holy s***!!! Wow. Just wow. My mind is blown. That was so unexpected and I loved it! What a pop he got too. Absolutely epic!" Others similarly paired their astonishment with mind-blown emojis.
The official Major League Baseball account was equally as astounded as proven by their gif of Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez with the caption "Seeing R-Truth return out of nowhere at Money in the Bank."
Beyond the shock, an abundance of wrestling fans are overjoyed for the former WWE Tag Team Champion'sreturn, with one stating that it "feels like Christmas." Another emphatically exclaimed that "R TRUTH IS BACK!!!!! LETS F***ING GOOOOOO!!!!!"
Like WWE correspondent Cathy Kelley, some of that happiness came with an emotional display as members of the fanbase admitted to getting teary eyed. Gifs of people crying tears of joy were also prevalent.
Another in-ring performer seemingly as beloved as R-Truth is Dakota Kai, whom WWE released from her contract last month. Following Truth's comeback, though, a number of netizens are calling for Kai to do the same, with a "We Want Kota" movement already spreading across X and other platforms. Kai is in the midst of a 90-day non-compete clause.
While they quickly came together to show their support for Truth, the WWE Universe also quickly found themselves split on the circumstances surrounding his return. More specifically, they're debating whether the sequence of Truth's expected exit and Money in the Bank appearance was a work (scripted occurrence) or something that came together in response to the uproar brought upon by the news of his departure (aka a shoot).
"Did we got f***ing trolled?! R-truth is f***ing back!!! They played with our emotions oh my god!!! Mr. Entertainer is back!!! They played us so damn good man," wrote one fan under the impression of it being a work. Another equated the situation to a video of Squidward of the "SpongeBob SquarePants" series manically laughing at a saddened Spongebob.
WWE Chief Content Officer "Triple H" Levesque implied Truth's departure and subsequent return to be a scripted act at the Money in the Bank post-show press conference. Many fans, however, do not believe that to be the case.
"... He's lying, stay on him, TKO and all the corps necks," wrote X user @ibeastIess in reference to Triple H. "The reason why Truth is back, is because we forced them to listen. This is no work. This is a result of our voice."
Other fans echoed similar sentiments, claiming that Triple H's remark of it all being "part of the show" insulted their intelligence. "Triple H had the perfect opportunity to make his audience feel heard by stating they felt the backlash from letting R Truth walk, instead he just tried to insult our intelligence," wrote @sheslaydaily. "You are doing yourself no favors by constantly being so standoffish with your audience."
Regardless of whether this situation is actually a work or not, several wrestling fans and pundits consider Truth's resurgence to be feel-good, both in the fact that he is still working with WWE and that it followed an outpouring of love from both his fans and peers.Some also felt like they were brought back to their childhood, which sparked a natural sense of joy.
Meanwhile, others felt so touched by the moment that they are convinced that Truth should now dethrone Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena.
