WWE star R-Truth was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated to discuss all aspects of his career, including his reign as 24/7 champion and how it’s his main goal to make people laugh. Highlights can be found below.
How he keeps himself relevant by staying in his lane:
I have my own lane, and I know how to drive in my own lane. Where I’m at right now, it’s destiny. The universe has allowed me the chance to keep myself relevant and in the mix.
Says there were times he was ready to quit:
There have been times I was ready to quit. It’s hard to be your best when you don’t believe in yourself. There were times when I felt I wasn’t good enough, times when I didn’t think I had a shot of making it. I remember telling myself, ‘I’m not going to quit. That’s why I’m at where I am right now. Everything I went through back then, it helped make me stronger. It helped me find different emotions.
How he’s grateful to be in WWE and showcase his talent of making people feel good:
That’s when I learned it’s all about layers. I built an engine where you can shift into different gears and hit different emotions. I mean, you can make people mad. People do that all the time. Someone can make their neighbor mad by walking to the mailbox. I want to do something else. I want to pull out different emotions. My greatest gift is making people feel good. That’s a natural aura, that’s what I naturally do. You see a lot of Ron Killings in R-Truth. Vince McMahon always tells me, ‘Just be yourself.’ I know myself and I know my character. I’ve soaked up a lot from my time in the business and from my peers. And what people are watching right now is a combination of all my years and lessons. I’m so grateful I get to be me in WWE.
How his character fits in so well with the 24/7 championship:
It seemed like everybody disliked the 24/7 title at the beginning. That’s the beauty of R-Truth—the character can make anything make sense. There are so many different levels of entertainment, and that’s the position I’m in right now. I’m making entertainment for an entertainment company. Wrestling is supposed to be fun, and this belt is entertaining. Entertaining people is what I’m supposed to do, and I love on-the-spot thinking. Vince has me come up with my own ideas, and that’s easy for me to do because I love making people laugh.
How he’s thankful for his family:
I can really make them laugh. I was doing something with Bray [Wyatt] one time, and Bray said, ‘It’s going to be hard because Truth’s going to make me laugh.’ So I said, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to make you laugh.’ And Bray said, ‘Just saying that made me laugh.’ My youngest is just like that. She has that ability to connect and make people laugh without even saying a word. I’m so thankful for my family. They are my energy source. They push me to be a better wrestler, a better rapper and a better person. When they’re safe and good, I can go out there and be great.
On his upcoming album Legacy:
My music and my wrestling go hand-in-hand. I came into the wrestling business rapping. People that know me know that I rap. And when I’m making music, I always think first of wrestling fans. They made me. So my goal is to make R-Truth fans into Ron Killings fans. That’s why I am so grateful to be with WWE and have the opportunities I have. Music and wrestling, you try to deliver what you know, what you feel, and what you want to share with the world.