R-Truth is leaving WWE because his contract won’t be renewed. Before his departure, Truth was able to get in the ring with his “childhood hero,” John Cena. Truth faced Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena in a non-title match on Saturday Night’s Main Event and lost. This past Friday on SmackDown, R-Truth lost to JC Mateo. That was his last match in the company.
Fightful Select confirmed that R-Truth was contacted over the weekend by someone from talent relations and informed that his contract would not be renewed. The decision came as a surprise to many within the company. R-Truth, who is 53, was widely seen as a WWE lifer. Sources told Fightful that he wasn’t in any kind of trouble and had done nothing wrong. Several wrestlers reportedly reached out to him afterward, and even Truth himself was said to be confused by the move.
Cena acknowledged Truth’s WWE departure on Instagram, as the 17-time World Champion posted the following photo without any caption (as usual):
Update On Who Made The Decision To Let R-Truth & Carlito Go
WWE is making roster adjustments as new talent continues to be called up, and according to the Wrestling Observer, that means some wrestlers are being let go to make room—and reduce costs.
The Observer reported that performers not currently involved in major storylines, especially those near the bottom of the card, are at risk. They also noted that the recent decisions to let R-Truth and Carlito’s contracts expire were made directly by WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Triple H:
“There’s numbers. They’re looking at the numbers, and they’re looking at how many do we have to cut, or how much money do we have to cut. And those were the picks. Those were the [Triple H] picks, and that’s what it is.”
Also Read: Fans Go After Triple H Under His Latest Post
Natalya Reveals What R-Truth Did For The Legends Backstage At Saturday Night’s Main Event
Natalya posted the following about R-Truth’s WWE departure:
“You are a class act @ronkillings1. You were amazing to me since day one when I met you doing my first independent wrestling show in the U.S.
Last week I loved seeing how excited you were for the championship match against John Cena. You remind everyone around the world to never lose that childlike wonder. I’m so proud to call you a friend for life!
(Also, I took this first picture with Truth in the legends locker room last week at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Tampa. He insisted on changing with all the legends to make them feel more at home in WWE. That’s who Truth is)”
