9 Times R-Truth Broke People

R-Truth has carved a lengthy WWE career leveraging his dual abilities in athletic performance and leaving the crowd in stitches for two decades. Starting out with the company for his first run as K-Kwik in 1999, he held the Hardcore Championship twice before leaving in 2001, returning in 2008 as the R-Truth fans have come to know, love, and laugh at — though perhaps John Cena wasn't amused when he put Truth through a table at the Backlash 2025 presser.

The title runs he has since then speak to the evergreen nature of Truth, two reigns with the WWE Tag titles alongside Kofi Kingston in 2012 and 2024, two as United States Champion in 2010 and 2019, and over 50 separate stints with the WWE 24/7 Championship over its two-year lifespan, adding up to over 400 days over those reigns. 

A testament to Truth's longevity and commitment to the bit is on the marquee for this weekend's Saturday Night's Main Event, with Truth chosen among the few to face John Cena in his final year of action. The bout is purely predicated on what may have originally been seen as a throwaway line, calling Cena his childhood hero despite being his senior. But it was extended out to the point that he is getting an opportunity to be the one to upset the "Greatest of All Time" just a month after he wrested the title from Cody Rhodes.

But Truth is not just someone who endeared himself to the fans with his antics. He has also won the hearts of his co-workers over the years, making the stoic and the villainous break character and giving the rarest of laughs and smiles. So with all of that in mind, let's go over the numerous times that some of the biggest and toughest names couldn't hold back in a segment with Truth. 

During the June 7, 2011, episode of "WWE Raw," Truth appeared in a segment with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon to declare his secession from the WWE Universe. All while he was dressed in Confederate Army regalia, he painted himself out to be the victim of a conspiracy, drawing genuine laughter from the "Texas Rattlesnake" as he turned to compose himself. 

For his part, McMahon also seemed to recognize the hilarity in the segment he had booked, having to compose himself from laughing as Truth carried the vision out in front of him

On the face of it, dressing up as a Confederate soldier and parroting their beliefs could have been a risky endeavor. But Truth ensured to satirize the role, provoking smirks from Austin as he called the Richmond, Virginia crowd "In-Bred" and emphasized that the idea of secession was the one good thing to come from the Confederacy. It hardly endeared him to the fans in attendance, but it worked in the vacuum of him being a heel and just added to the general humor of the segment. Seeing Austin, someone known for being hard-faced and dry in delivery, struggle with the comedy of Truth, only served to demonstrate how funny he can be in the moment.

On the April 15, 2024, episode of "WWE Raw," Truth and Miz were being presented with the WWE World Tag Team Championship belts, having won the "Raw" versions of the Undisputed Tag titles at WrestleMania 40. The Awesome Truth at the time had brushed shoulders with tag team rivals #DIY for quite some time; Truth, however, didn't see the team for who they were, instead believing Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa to be a reunited – rejuvenated and un-retired – D-Generation X pairing of Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

The bit had been enough to keep Gargano and Ciampa flustered throughout their interactions, but it was as Truth and Miz were presented their new title belts that it took on new life. Fulfilling his duties as CCO, Paul "Triple H" Levesque was alongside Adam Pearce to present the titles, but once again Truth refused to see what lay in front of him. In a moment that took the company's head by surprise, Truth called him out for pretending to be someone else. 

Levesque had spent most of the segment smiling from ear to ear whenever Truth opened his mouth, but being called a "Genie" and then being referred to as Ciampa truly broke him. It's not as though he hasn't himself been known to laugh and bring his own dose of comedy to WWE, but Levesque's earnest reaction to Truth demonstrates how far up the ladder the appreciation for his talent goes.

Throughout 2020, Truth continued to carry the 24/7 Championship picture while being pursued by much of the lower midcard of WWE. One of his rivals during this time was Akira Tozawa, who himself managed to win the title on 15 occasions, and had amassed a posse of Ninjas to aid him in trapping Truth. That of course made the already paranoid Truth character a barrel of nerves, to the extent that in a segment with Randy Orton and Ric Flair, he accused the "Nature Boy" of being Tozawa in disguise.

In actuality, Flair had returned to corner Orton in his pursuit of the WWE Championship  — though that itself would end in Orton writing Flair off — and they were being presented as the villains stemming from their Evolution run. Upon the accusation, Flair stuttered and smiled in bemusement while Orton was seen covering his smile. Over the years there have been few to draw genuine and unscripted humor from Flair, a veteran dedicated to his craft at a time when kayfabe was to be maintained. Orton, especially in recent years has been seen letting go and enjoying himself more. But at the time he was "The Viper" on a hunt for gold, so it marked a sharp departure from his character to be amused.

In mid-to-late 2010, Truth and William Regal enjoyed a short program on "WWE Superstars." Truth would draw the ire of Regal through his rapping gimmick, performing "What's Up?" before his entrances and engaging with the crowd. Regal, attempting to be an old-school stoic British villain, dubbed Truth's rapping as "nonsense" and, on a September episode, tried to demonstrate that he could do it just as well.

The segment was a true call-back to the self-deprecating comedy of Regal throughout the 2000s, and saw both of them unable to contain their smiles and laughter at the botched rap battle. Regal dropped an awkwardly British "Straight up g-g-g-gangsta!" line which led Truth to burst out laughing alongside the crowd, thus provoking Regal to laugh and vice versa. He would also start with, "I'm William Regal, God save the Queen, an English brawler, and a lady's dream," before continuing to stutter over the lyrics and say, "I spent three bloody hours learning this and I've forgotten it."

Regal has in the years since become a figurehead for WWE's development and recruiting under Paul Levesque, as well as his "WWE NXT" General Manager role and boldly declaring "WarGames" whenever the time arises. 

In June 2015, the stars of WWE were shaping up to enter the Money in the Bank ladder match. The likes of Roman Reigns, Sheamus, and Dolph Ziggler had qualified for the match in their pursuit of the fast track to the world title, all while Director of Operations "Corporate" Kane was doing all in his power to ensure the Authority's will was executed. Reigns and Ziggler were specifically being held back by the Authority during this period, and had every reason to frown and pout as Kane sought to make their lives even harder.

But neither could stay true to that tone when Truth emerged, declaring that he would be the one to climb the ladder and secure the briefcase. Thing is, as Kane painstakingly declared to him, Truth wasn't in the match and had no right to interrupt the segment. For his part, Kane kept a straight face and played into the interaction. But the same couldn't be said for either Reigns or Ziggler, who were both openly laughing to one another as things went on. 

Truth took his leave after realizing his mistake, allowing for Reigns and Ziggler to compose themselves before getting back into the segment. To add to the humor of the moment, the resumed segment completely ignored the fact that Truth came out, somewhat highlighting it for the spontaneity to it.

Damian Priest enjoyed a transformative run as "The Punisher" of the Judgment Day, capped with a reign as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The run marked a shift in his character from the cool badass to the callous villain, effectively becoming the leader of the normally leader-less group. However, Truth demonstrated his ability to get under his skin on several occasions, all based on the delusion that he was the new member of Judgment Day.

On the December 18, 2023, episode of "Raw," Truth approached the Judgment Day backstage and insisted he was a member, prompting Priest to struggle in keeping a straight face to convince him otherwise. Truth would continue to make Priest break in the following months, further insisting that he was a part of the group and designing merchandise in that vein.

"He hasn't gotten close to cracking me, I've been cracked. I'm open, I'm scrambled. He got me," Priest admitted while discussing Truth's place in Judgment Day. "It's unbelievable. I could go in and I know what he's gonna do. I know he's going to try to do that. I know he's going to try to break me and make me laugh, that's what he does. And no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you're expecting him to say something, it doesn't matter. You look at his face and in his delivery, it's impossible to stay serious."

On the September 25, 2018, episode of "WWE SmackDown," Truth debuted the new Miz TV parody, "Truth TV," alongside his Mixed Match Challenge-winning partner Carmella. Their first guest on the show was Daniel Bryan, who had only returned to in-ring competition at WrestleMania earlier that year and was in the midst of a feud with the Miz. But despite the personal nature of the feud between Bryan and Miz, the segment did very little to extend that tone, with Bryan instead breaking out in laughter throughout the entire proceeding.

Truth welcomed Bryan, asking if he could refer to him as "D," to which Bryan agreed with a smile. He then lulled Bryan into believing it would be a serious interview, asking him about the catharsis of being able to beat Miz. But then as Bryan attempted to answer, Truth and Carmella immediately jumped up for an impromptu seven-second dance break, catching him off guard as he laughed. He even joined in on the act before sitting back down and praising Truth's version of the show as better than the Miz's. Miz himself attempted to rain on the parade but was met with "Truth TV" chants to back up the faces in the ring.

Shayna Baszler spent most of her WWE tenure presented as the dangerous submission specialist, the "Queen of Spades," owing to her background in MMA, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As such, she would rarely smile out of humor so much as to belittle her opponent or take glee in the violence of wrestling. By 2020, the former NXT Women's Champion had become disillusioned with her positioning on the "Raw" brand and got the opportunity to vent during the "Raw Talk" show.

Only while she was discussing her frustrations and jabbing at the state of WWE catering – given she felt she was spending too much time there – she would be caught off-guard by Truth's avid defense of the fish and chips. He'd continue to warn her about the sauces available, bringing her into a smile and lowering her head to hide the character break. That chemistry between Truth and Baszler was seen again during a subsequent segment on "The Bump," with the pair engaging in a debate over condiments, specifically tartar sauce compared to cocktail sauce. Baszler's breaking could be seen as a betrayal of her otherwise uber-serious persona, but it also served to humanize the person behind the character, especially seeing someone presented so coldly buckling to the absurdity in front of her.

John Cena has also fallen prey to R-Truth, both times when he was WWE Champion. During a May 2011 episode of "Raw," Truth interrupted a segment with Bret Hart, calling out Cena for a title shot. The pair would exchange words, with Cena shooting down the challenge from Truth, prompting a response so random in its nature — "Used to is a rooster from Brewster" — that Cena couldn't help but chuckle to himself despite the otherwise serious promo.

Truth's bit calling Cena his childhood hero was even blessed by the man himself, with him recounting during an interview with Chris Van Vliet that an amused Cena had told him to run with it, later serving as the catalyst for Truth to interfere and cost Orton his match against Cena at Backlash 2025. But Truth got one more, much more pronounced character break on the now-villainous Cena immediately after the event.

As Cena sought to answer questions from the media, Truth emerged referring to Cena as his childhood hero, prompting the WWE Champion to grin before collecting himself to become the spiteful heel he is supposed to portray. He would receive an Attitude Adjustment for his antics shortly thereafter. But it cannot be ignored that one way or another it's Truth's comedic flair that's got him to facing Cena this weekend, and potentially on the track to challenging for a first WWE Championship.