Backstage Reaction to R-Truth’s WWE SmackDown Promo Revealed

R-Truth may be heading into the biggest match of his life, but according to backstage sources, he already scored a major win with his promo on the May 23 episode of WWE SmackDown.

Fightful Select reports that Truth’s emotional and unexpectedly performance “got a great reaction from those Fightful Select spoke with backstage.”

The segment closed out the second hour of SmackDown, just one night before his Undisputed WWE World Title showdown with John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Tampa. For R-Truth—real name Ron Killings—it wasn’t just a promo, it was a personal mission.

Truth began by addressing the growing number of people asking how he planned to handle Cena, a man he once looked up to. He said, “The man I’m facing tomorrow night is not the John Cena I know.” He went on to explain that the more power and fame Cena gained, the more disconnected he became.

He even compared Cena to Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, saying, “He stares at that championship and calls it his precious.” The crowd loved it, but backstage, that line apparently struck just as deep. Truth admitted he still misses his childhood hero but made it clear he won’t let that cloud what needs to be done.

“I don’t know if I can bring John Cena back, but I’m going to try.” Then, without flinching, he ended the promo with a chilling statement: “If Cena wins, we riot.”

The whole segment, which played off years of comedy and turned it into something real, earned Truth a wave of respect. The joke about Cena being his hero has floated around for years, but on this night, Truth brought gravity to it—and according to Fightful’s sources, the locker room noticed.