Updated 6/8/25 @ 10:15 PM ET
Fightful Select has published additional backstage news on R-Truth’s return to WWE.
-One source confirmed from what was reported previously, that WWE CEO and President Nick Khan personally stepped in to handle negotiations for R-Truth’s return.
-It is a rare occurrence for Nick Khan to step in and take over talent negotiations, However, this was seen as signification, both for WWE and locker room morale.
-Initial outreach to R-Truth did not gain much traction until after Nick Khan got involved, at which point this is when the discussions began to start moving forward. It was emphasized again that the announcement of R-Truth’s release was not a work.
-One high-ranking WWE official mentioned R-Truth’s return to the company was seen internally as a win for the locker room and fanbase, as his return was met with a lot of enthusiasm backstage.
-Those close to R-Truth, including some of his own family members, were reportedly informed the deal to bring him back came together very late in the week.
-A WWE source noted to Fightful Select that no creative plans have been finalized. However, R-Truth previously expressed a desire to have a more serious character before the end of his run.
-The “Ron Killings” t-shirt WWE released on Saturday was reportedly not put together last-minute. The design was finalized several months ago, with Truth wearing it on on WWE TV back in February.
-Following his initial release, TNA and GCW were immediately interested in bringing Truth in.
At the time of Fightful’s latest report, there are no details on the length of Truth’s new contract.
**********
Updated 6/8/25 @ 11:25 am ET
Fightful Select has published detailed backstage news on R-Truth’s return to WWE at Saturday’s Money in the Bank PLE, confirming PWInsider’s report that Truth had been contacted by a number of wrestling promoters and companies and that his return was finalized within 72 hours.
The report from Fightful Select adds the following:
-A number of talents within WWE confirmed the announcement of his departure and then his return at MITB, was not a work. Several described to Fightful that there were emotional goodbyes and said the backstage atomopshere was filled with shock and disappointment. One source added there were a lot of tears and everyone, including Truth were disgusted.
-According to talent close to the situation, WWE management let Truth go in a “cold and impersonal” way, by notifying a lower-level talent relations employee rather than anyone from upper management.
-Truth ignored WWE’s multiple attempts to reconnect throughout the week, until WWE CEO and President Nick Khan personally stepped into the situation. Sources told Fightful that his involvement led to a new contract being worked out in what had been described as a “meet halfway” agreement.
-One veteran who’s worked with Truth for more than a decade told Fightful Select, “Ronnie wouldn’t lie to us. If this was a work, he’d just ask us to keep quiet. He’d never go that far. And I think Paul [Levesque] knows working the locker room is just bad taste.” A longtime talent added they did not believe for a second this was some grand plan and that Hunter hates it when the fans hijack the story.
-The morale backstage has now since shifted to celebration with Truth’s return.
Killings responded to Fade Away Media’s claim his return to WWE was all a work. Killing’s son Christopher congratulated his dad in a Instagram Stories post and also called out Paul Levesque with a cap emoji, which is slang for “lie” for his comments during the post-show press conference, his dad’s return was all a work.
**********
-Original report 6/8/25 @ 3:38 AM ET
After R-Truth had recently announced WWE was not renewing his contract, he showed up at Saturday’s Money in the Bank PLE, spearing John Cena in the ring and then hitting him in the head with the title belt, to give Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso the win over the Undisputed WWE Champion and Logan Paul.
According to PWInsider, R-Truth is indeed back in WWE and will be using his real name of Ron Killings going forward, at least initially.
PWInsider concluded by indicating that Killings was in discussions with several independent promotions about bookings and that the decision to bring him back happened within the last 72 hours.
During the Money in the Bank post-show press conference, a reporter from the USA Today brought up R-Truth’s return and then asked Paul Levesque if he was actually released from WWE and how much support from the fans played a part in his return to the company.
Levesque to the reporter he loved the question, then asked the reporter if he loved the show and then say Killings return was all part of the show.