[door opening]
[man 1] Y'all get to see how our camera guys stay fit.
They hold that thing like that right there. It take arm muscle for that.
This is what they're doing.
- Oh, he's shaking. - [laughter]
[man 2] He's making me laugh.
Losing it. Losing it!
Gonna cut that. He was shaking on that one. Cut that one, yeah.
[laughter]
Government name is Ron Killings.
Uh, name I've gone by since I've been in the wrestling business,
K-Krush,
K-Malik Shabazz. Yeah.
K-Kwik.
And R-Truth.
Oh, Ron "The Truth" Killings.
Damn, I had all them names. Yeah, that's me.
When you say WWE, you think of R-Truth. He's a feel-good character.
[Cole] Oh no, Truth knocked himself out.
- [McAfee] That was smart. - [Cole laughs]
[Ron] The hair has always been a staple of my identity.
Twenty-five years.
[Hunter] Well, Jesus, how long has R-Truth been with WWE?
I think he wrestled Abe Lincoln here one time.
[Ron] I'm talking about what the Truth is gonna do
in Money in the Bank this Sunday!
You're not even in the match!
[laughter]
This is on me. Kane, my bad.
Truthy is the best person here in this company.
[Cody] I love R-Truth.
He's one of the most multifaceted, talented wrestlers of all time.
You may be a big, big, big man,
but you will go flying over that top rope,
Paul Heyman.
[audience cheering, whistling]
Ronnie is your funny uncle.
He brings a light into every room he enters.
[Hunter] Some of the biggest laughs in the last 10, 20 years
have been R-Truth.
[Cole] I think R-Truth thinks this is a ladder match for the championship.
[McAfee] Oh, poor R-Truth.
That is a very valuable character.
It works for him because you know there's a little wink going on
between Truth and the audience.
[audience cheering]
Where's the guys at?
[Cole] R-Truth just asked, "Where are the guys?"
[McAfee laughs]
[Ron] I feel like I'm the blood that flows through WWE,
just from my tenure and my longevity.
But then, boom, it stopped.
[tense music playing]
[reporter 1] R-Truth took to his official X account
to officially announce that he has been released from WWE.
[sighs heavily]
[Ron sighs]
In our world, there are a million different opinions.
There are a million different thoughts on where things should go.
The ultimate deciding factor of what's working and what's not
is… is our fan base.
[crowd cheering]
[Hunter] They tell you the truth.
My government-issued name is Brian Girard James,
uh, but in professional wrestling, sports entertainment,
I've been known as The Roadie, The Road Dogg,
Brian Armstrong,
Brian "Jesse James" Armstrong.
Asshole. No, wait, that was what my dad called me.
Um… I think that was it.
I run the creative of the live event department.
I'm also in charge of the producers.
Randy's gonna lay it in.
- I wanna manage his expectations. - [producer] 100%. Yes, sir.
[Brian] And I'm the colead writer of SmackDown.
Americano, you said.
My greatest asset as a performer was my gift of gab.
Oh, you didn't know?
[rock music playing]
Your ass better call somebody!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages,
tonight, D-Generation X proudly brings to you…
…its WWE Tag Team Champions of the world!
I have some memorable moments I'm proud of as far as wrestling goes,
but the in-ring part is difficult for me, and I'll tell you why.
Recovering drug addict.
A lot of my performance was under the influence.
[harrowing music playing]
[Brian] It's the relationships that I've forged through my addiction.
R-Truth is one of them, Ron Killings.
That's probably what I'm most proud of.
I'm sorry.
I always hate when people say, "I'm sorry,"
'cause I'm not sorry… [laughs] …at all.
I'm so happy that I can share that with you and that I'm here and sober.
Like, that's such a rewarding thing for me.
[Brian] The first time I saw Truth,
I'm pretty sure it was close to 2000.
I went to Memphis to do a show,
and I saw Ronnie Killings rap down to the ring,
and then I saw him wrestle, and I literally said,
"Who is this, and what in the fudge is going on here?"
[commentator 1] Oh, what a scissors kick!
Wrestling wasn't my first choice, but it saved my life.
I wanted to be a big rap star.
I recorded my own music, got me some background dancers.
I was meeting people like Tupac Shakur, Eazy-E.
But then I was introduced to professional wrestling.
I got bit by the bug.
[commentator 2] K-Krush, pretty impressive.
[Ron] I can still do my rap.
♪ Too many damn styles Is lost or getting lost ♪
♪ It's the big daddy, big boss Bringing that… ♪
I was going to Memphis to train.
They told me, "Six months and you'll be on national television."
But then seven months came, eight months came.
I wasn't doing nothing.
Woo-hoo!
I thought, "I just ain't got it. I just ain't cut out for it."
And then Road Dogg saw me wrestling.
He was like, "Was that you out there rapping and dancing and singing?"
I said, "Yeah." "How would you like to be my tag team partner?"
I said, "Bro, I'm about to quit." But he said,
"Bro, give me two months, I'll have you on TV."
"I'll have you snapping." I said, "All right, cool."
And about, I think, two months later,
he was… he was up there, and we were doing it.
[Ron rapping on playback]
I don't even know if the people know K-Kwik yet,
but he's dang sure been hanging with me for a while.
- We've been putting music together. - [producer] Three, two, one.
♪ Oh, you didn't know? You better call somebody ♪
- ♪ 'Cause D-O-Double G ♪ - ♪ And K-Kwik ♪
♪ Get rowdy… ♪
[rock music playing]
♪ Kwik and Road Dogg We gettin' rowdy… ♪
[Brian] I was gonna hitch my wagon to him,
because I thought, "He's so talented, he can even make my dumb ass look good."
- [commentator] Look at this! - [Jerry] K-Kwik's unbelievable!
♪ Two real G's And we 'bout to get rowdy… ♪
[Brian] I loved his love for music, and I love listening to his music.
♪ No damn doubt 'bout it K-Kwik and Road Dogg ♪
♪ Gettin' rowdy We 'bout to… ♪
[Brian] From then on, we've been connected at the hip.
Couldn't be connected to a better human being.
[both laughing]
[Brian] This place looks good.
[Ron] Diggity Dogg! Come here, Dogg!
[Ron laughing happily]
For him to show up, it means a lot to me, man.
Yeah, I wouldn't miss it for the world.
["When It All Adds Up" by Ron Killings playing]
[Ron] Let's knock it out.
♪ You really find out Who's your friends ♪
♪ They're only there for the money When it's all spent ♪
♪ It only counts when it all adds up… ♪
[Brian] It's really cool to see his music finally take the forefront,
because that's where his heart is.
- [R&B music playing] - [cheering]
I know y'all wanted, and we'll get that out the way. Y'all ready?
♪ People over there, what's up? ♪
♪ If you feel me Let me hear you say what's up ♪
- ♪ What's up? ♪ - What's up?
[Brian] He brings joy to people.
I say best friends. I don't need him to say it back.
I love him.
- ♪ What's up? ♪ - What's up?
[Ron] Mr. Cena!
I wouldn't miss this for the world! How you doing?
- This is John Cena's dad. - [man] What?
- [laughing] - Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world!
Would you do me the honor of taking a picture?
When they told me you were here, I said, "No way!"
[Ron] I had a whole idea I wanted to come down here,
and you pretend I was your son that had ran away.
- Oh, that would be great! - Yeah. Oh my God, I had a whole thing.
Ask John about it. Ask John.
- I'm gonna ask him. I am gonna ask him! - [laughing]
- Thank you, Mr. Cena, for coming. - Thank you. I love you, man.
[Hunter] John and Ron
have a long period of time in which they were friends,
and at various times when John would leave the company,
R-Truth would sort of pick up the mantle of being John's biggest fan.
And, you know, he would play that up for comedic value.
[Ron] Ever since I was a young kid,
I always wanted to be like my hero,
John Cena.
[cheering, laughter]
R-Truth is five years older than John Cena. [chuckles]
Someday, when I grow up,
I'm gonna be just like him.
[Hunter] Truth would do John's moves.
You can't see me!
[Cole] R-Truth channeling the strength of a childhood hero.
That's Ron Cena, baby!
[Hunter] When John turned heel, who would be one of the people
that was most disappointed in John becoming a bad guy
but his biggest fan in R-Truth?
[Bruce] Hear me out. [chuckles]
Just 'cause it could be entertaining as hell.
Saturday Night's Main Event.
We have Cena for that.
Do you get to Cena and R-Truth?
It's an opportunity for John
to get some heat off a sympathetic character.
I don't hate that.
[Bruce] Ron being as entertaining as he is,
you've got to bring R-Truth into this
to react to the turning of John Cena,
the man that R-Truth idolized.
To have John Cena put Truth through the table at the press conference,
it was a unique way to get it started.
I'm gonna congratulate him. Hey, JC! John. Hey, dawg.
Hey, congratulations, man. I am so proud of you.
I never gave up. I've always supported you.
- We got a lot of history. - [snickers]
You know what I'm talking about.
You know what I'm saying, dawg? I'm so proud of you.
Even if… people say you suck and can't wrestle.
Ron.
That was over the line.
I just wanted to tell you--
[microphone feedback whines]
[Ron] John!
[Ron groans]
[groaning]
[John] R-Truth facing John Cena.
I think he wanted to shave his head for the match or something.
- [snickering] - Brian was talking to him.
Yeah, he wants to shave his head for the match.
What?
Like, to reveal it when they face-to-face for the… for the introductions,
he takes his hood off, and his head's shaved.
- Why? - [Brian] He wants to cut his hair.
Yeah, it doesn't make any sense. What am I supposed to think of that?
Like, "Oh, look, Truth cut his hair."
[Brian] With the John Cena story,
it's been difficult creatively for us to find our way with him.
So, for me, that's difficult. You know what I mean?
This is why I've been very scared to pitch anything for this… this story.
Like, it just… Everything is just horrible and the shits,
and so I don't wanna pitch anything else for this story.
I can't wait for John to fucking beat him, to tell you the truth.
I don't know what to do here, and it's over…
Brian "Road Dogg" and Ron have a really powerful friendship.
Sometimes, his personal feelings can skew his creative feelings
over what is right for business.
We're trying to, in a week…
So today… today's Wednesday.
By Saturday, we're gonna tell 'em, "This is an all-new fucking R-Truth."
"John Cena should be afraid"?
- Well, no, but we should do something. - Like, what-
- No, but I think it's… Yeah. - Yeah.
Well, don't fucking cut me off. Let me get mad. You know what I mean?
I don't understand what we're supposed to do here.
The way you're saying it, there's nothing we can do that will--
No, I'm not. I'm not.
What does he think that accomplishes, is my question.
- Other than he wants to cut his hair. - I don't know. It just hurts my heart.
So my heart's gonna be hurt. So let's move on.
[Brian sighs]
[indistinct chattering]
- Y'all believe in the Truth? - Yes, Truth!
- Ron Cena on the way. - Truth! Truth! Truth! Truth! Truth!
[producer] So who is Ron Cena?
Ron Cena is John Cena's brother.
Yes, he did 23andMe.
Bruh, yes. John Cena and Ron Cena are brothers, man.
[crowd cheering]
- ["The Time is Now" by John Cena playing] - [cheering]
♪ Krr, Yap a Dude! ♪
[crowd chanting] John Cena sucks!
John Cena sucks!
Ladies and gentlemen, he is the greatest of all time,
"The Never-Seen 17,"
John Cena!
- Is Truth coming up here in a second? - [Ron] He'll be a few minutes.
Paul, that's Truth.
- Oh shit. - [Ron] Dawg, it's me. Yeah.
Man. That shit's gonna be confusing in the ring.
["My Time is Now" playing]
[Cole] And here comes perhaps his biggest fan,
decked out in Cena gear.
[McAfee] It's like looking in a mirror.
[Cole] But R-Truth said tonight he has one job.
To beat hustle, loyalty, and respect back into his hero, John Cena.
♪ You can't see me, my time is now… ♪
[Cole] And Cena wasting little time.
John Cena now assaulting R-Truth.
[McAfee] Cena and Ron Cena are putting on a fight here in Tampa.
[dramatic music playing]
Picking up Ron's earring.
[McAfee] Ron Cena lost both of his earrings,
as John Cena disgustingly throws them back on top of him.
Truth is gonna come out of this and hit a Cena comeback on Cena.
[Cole] Truth able to slip out underneath.
R-Truth now looks to build momentum. Shoulder tackle of his own.
And now R-Truth with another shoulder tackle.
[McAfee] This looks familiar. A little déjà vu.
[Ron and crowd] You can't see me!
[crowd chanting] Let's go, Truth! Let's go, Truth! Let's go, Truth!
[Cole] Truth is whipped into the steel post now by Cena.
[solemn music playing]
[McAfee] Cena throws Truth back into the ring,
and what's he thinking here?
Oh, we've seen him do this time and time again.
[Cole] Yeah, John Cena with the title in hand.
When Cena brings the belt in,
we wanna get these reactions from these two back and forth.
- [McAfee] Maybe this is the moment. - [Cole] Maybe.
Maybe he has a conscience.
[crowd jeering]
[crowd cheering]
- [Cole] Oh! - [crowd] Oooh!
[Cole] Cena went low!
AA delivered!
[crowd] One! Two! Three!
[crowd jeering]
[Cole] Yet another despicable act by John Cena.
[Kenn] John, you okay, buddy?
I'm okay. Truth took that belt shot like a champ. Is he okay?
I think so. They said… Is there water over here?
- It's perfect. - Thank you.
- Did we hit time okay? - Billy, good on time, right? Yeah? Yeah.
[Ron] Anytime I'm able to do something with John,
it's a check off of my list, man.
And to be at the level we are now,
umpteen years,
and to be involved with his
farewell, come on, man, that's…
that's legendary.
- Truth, you good, baby? - [Ron] Yeah.
- [Kenn] Awesome. - You're welcome.
- Everything all right? - [Ron] Yeah.
That was excellent.
- [Ron] Was it good? - Good? It was excellent.
- Dude, it was awesome. - Good job, buddy.
Are you kidding me with your gear?
- I want to see you happy. - That's fine. That works.
- Amazing. That was great. - That was incredible.
[Ron] I came back from the ring. Well, everything was great, man.
And then everything comes to a stop.
[uneasy music playing]
[Ron] I was, um, taking my daughter to dance that day.
I got the call, I was released, and I put the tweet out.
It was…
[sighs heavily]
It was gut-wrenching.
[sniffles]
That morning, I was going to run an errand,
and, and, uh, Truth texted me
and said, "Hey, I got… I got let go." Um… "I'll see you down the road."
Like, whatever. It was very out of the blue,
and it did break my heart.
I pulled over, and I sat there for a second,
and that's when I put the tweet out.
It was kind of just off that raw moment.
That was all real.
[Rhea] When we first heard that he wasn't gonna be at work anymore,
we were all, like, confused.
"This isn't real." Like, "What are you talking about?"
It was just like a wave of sadness took over everyone here in the WWE.
[Ron] My phone was blowing up.
"Holy shit, I got, like, a thousand text messages. What the hell?"
I wasn't expecting all that.
There are things that's, "No." That's a no.
Can't touch him.
So I don't care if we're paying him…
I don't care.
We need R-Truth.
[inhales pensively]
You know… [sighs]
Um…
[clicks tongue]
I'll just give it to you, all of it. Um…
We got to a point in Truth's run
where his contract was coming up.
When you are dealing with contracts and money
and you're very far apart in the numbers
and communication breaks down,
it's very easy for both sides to read into the communications differently.
"Okay, well, if you're not going to come to us,
then, Truth, we're going to let your contract lapse."
"Your contract is at the end. We're not gonna renew,"
knowing that hopefully maybe this will force his hand
to say, "Hold on, can we talk?"
He immediately went out on social and said he was fired,
which… He was never fired.
Contrary to prior belief, he was never not under contract with us.
I got the call that, um, my contract wasn't gonna be renewed.
And I'm like, "So am I released? Am I…?"
I took it as I was released.
I just… I was hurt.
While it broke my heart,
it made perfect business sense to not renew his contract.
At his age, you might not get that reward back.
He makes the statement.
People react. He fires up the Internet.
[Brian] The WWE Universe said, "No, that's not acceptable."
[crowd chanting] We want Truth! We want Truth! We want Truth!
We want Truth! We want Truth! We want Truth!
If there's a desire from the audience to see a performer,
I would love to have that performer. I would be silly not to.
Then it just becomes,
"Can we get to a place where we can do business together?"
That's the business side.
I mean, if we're honest, no one ever really wanted him to leave.
All we wanted to do was get to an amicable place.
It's like what happened with Naomi.
[Jimmy Uso] Go ahead. Tell 'em.
- [Trin] What? - [Jimmy] Tell 'em.
[Trin] What?
Jon is the cook in the house in the family.
I mean, I can do a little… a little boiled egg or something,
but that's all you're gonna get out of me.
If you left it up to her to feed me,
my… my… my stomach would be touching my back.
- [Naomi laughs] - Yo.
Hold on now. I'm gon' make sure we eat.
I'm gonna get it from somewhere. I don't know where. We'll figure it out.
See, we eat good when I cook.
We get by when she cooks. Know what I mean?
[Trin] He's the cook in the family, and he's a great cook.
My government name is Trinity Fatu.
Um, formerly, earlier in my career, known as Naomi Knight,
but now I dropped the Knight, and I just go by Naomi.
[upbeat dance music playing]
[Trin] I am a former Orlando Magic dancer
and thought I would go on to Broadway,
but I ended up becoming a WWE Superstar since 2009.
During that era, when I came in,
the women weren't given as much time on the show to showcase like we do now.
To transition to really being able to showcase the athletic ability.
That took a couple… couple years.
[Cole] Oh!
[crowd cheering]
[Trin] In 2017,
I won my first WWE Women's Championship.
[Cole] Uh-oh!
[McAfee] Springboard split-legged moonsault!
Naomi! The cover!
[Trin] It meant everything, not just to me, but to the fans.
♪ Bring it to the floor… ♪
[Trin] And then in 2022,
it all just came to a halt.
Switching gears, I wanna talk about what happened this past Monday night.
[uneasy music playing]
[clicks tongue] Um…
[laughs] Um…
I'm not gonna go much into detail 'cause I don't like talking about it.
So in 2022,
my tag team partner, Sasha Banks, and I at the time were tag team champions.
There was a lot that happened that day at work
that led us to… leave,
like, literally walk out.
Sasha and Naomi took the tag team championships
into the office of our head of talent relations,
left them there,
and then promptly walked out of the arena.
I just remember after my match, I went to look for her, right after.
And I couldn't even find her.
Then I called her, and she was like, "I left."
I was like, "Damn."
I was there that day. Uh… We were doing RAW in Norfolk, Virginia.
Different time, different head of creative,
different head of talent relations.
Naomi and her partner were gonna be in a six-pack challenge
to see who was gonna get a title shot at the next PLE.
Naomi and her partner weren't comfortable at that point
being in a match where they'd be pitted against each other.
And, unfortunately, what happened was is the show started,
and I was in Gorilla position, uh,
when the then-head of talent relations came up and told us
that Naomi and her partner had left the building.
I was very surprised and shocked that Trin decided to get up and walk out.
That's the wrong thing to do.
That's just the wrong thing to do.
You work the show, and you work the show not because you don't want to then.
It's for down the line when things cool off
and you go, "Phew. Glad I really didn't burn that bridge."
I… I wasn't involved in that timeframe, uh, around the main roster when she left.
Sometimes, it's frustrating for talent, because everybody can't be the top person,
and everybody can't be in a major storyline at all times.
She and Sasha Banks had just had enough,
and they… they left.
[pensive music playing]
[Trin] I needed to stand up for myself.
And not as Naomi, but as Trinity.
And that was the first time in my life,
in my career,
not employed
and not knowing what to do next and where to go next.
- What are you making for us, big Jim? - Grilled chicken.
It ain't no marinated chicken today. It's just seasoned today.
- Hooked you up. - Beggars can't be choosers.
Like I hooked you up when I gave you my number.
- Hold on, now. Nah, I gave you my number. - Let them know. Let them know.
Let them know. Let them know what happened.
My husband is Jonathan Fatu,
also known as Jimmy Uso.
We met in 2009 in FCW,
which was WWE's developmental school at the time,
and we've been stuck at the hip ever since.
[Trin and Jimmy] Mwah! Mwah.
Love you.
- [wobbly grunt, exhales sharply] - Get out of here.
I think we work great together on air.
One of the cons is you're always together.
One of the pros is you're always together.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Trin] When I left WWE,
it was a challenge,
because we had never been separated
or apart from the time we met.
[Jimmy] Her leaving the company was obviously a blow.
- Wah… [giggling] - [high-pitched laughter]
When your ride or die ain't by you, of course you feel that effect.
All right?
[Trin] Now we're not working together, traveling together, on the road together.
And that was a very… difficult, scary time for me.
[Hunter] Just like the Truth situation,
we never wanted Naomi gone.
The company always felt like this was where she belonged.
This was her home.
And she's an incredible talent that should be here doing what she does.
So that's a big driving force for us to go try to say to her,
"Hey, would you like to come back?"
[upbeat dance music playing]
♪ Bring it to the floor ♪
[Samantha Irvin] Naomi!
[Cole] Guys, she's back!
[McAfee] Welcome back, Naomi!
[Cole] It was back in May of 2022 that Naomi had her last match in WWE.
She is back tonight at the Royal Rumble.
What led to me returning to WWE was my family.
All of my family was there.
I do understand the significance of the Samoan dynasty
and the family that I'm in.
And it also makes me wanna, like, pull my weight
'cause I'm surrounded by great wrestlers.
I'm very blessed to have somebody in my life like that.
She's in my brother's life and my other brothers'.
I'm very blessed to be able to have her, and she's one of one to me.
[crowd chanting] Welcome back! Welcome back!
[Jimmy] Things happen for a reason. Timing is everything in this business.
[Hunter] I'm happy that we were able to come to a good place with her
where she was able to return and have the opportunity she's having now.
[dramatic beat]
[Trin] Since I've been back,
I felt that the character Naomi needed a fresh coat of paint.
90% of my career has been positive, happy, uplifting.
And if the right time came,
I wasn't afraid for Naomi to go heel and become a heel.
[Hunter] If we turn her heel,
it's bigger than anything she'll be able to do as a babyface.
So we turn her, and then we listen.
Naomi teamed up with "The EST" Bianca Belair
and Jade Cargill.
It all started to fall apart
because Naomi got a little envious of her and Bianca's relationship
and ended up pushing Jade Cargill onto a car
off of a very high platform.
[Barrett] …in ring. Jade Cargill attacked,
laid out on a car.
Emergency medical personnel…
[laughing]
[Barrett] But what the hell has snapped inside of Naomi?
[Trin] Now her gears are all caution tape-themed
because of the crime scene she kind of left Jade at.
Naomi, she is pissed.
She is mad. She is hurting people.
She feels that she has been slighted.
She felt not appreciated, not validated.
So there's a very interesting dynamic,
because some people actually sympathize with her.
What'd you say, Jade?
[Jimmy] They actually woke up something in her, like…
It was a beast woke up, man.
She sounds different, looks different.
Fans are invested.
We might be talking about Naomi as the best heel in the company.
- This new character,… - [laughing wildly]
…this promo game that has me shook every week.
I do this for fun.
Naomi's heel turn, I think it's one of the most successful heel turns
in at least the last ten years. And, yeah.
It's incredible. It's… Chef's kiss.
[Hayes] When I first heard about turning Naomi heel,
I was suspect.
Deep down inside,
Trin is such a sweet person and a great person.
And you'll find out sometimes those people make the greatest villains.
I'm a princess!
I feel Naomi has really embraced this far more than I ever thought she would,
and I'm glad to be wrong.
I do think that if Naomi was in that Money in the Bank,
I think she's a top contender to win that for sure.
I think she's hot right now, you know?
[suspenseful music playing]
Money in the Bank is one of the most dangerous matches
here in the WWE.
It is a ladder match.
So you have all these ladders all around the ring, in the ring.
And there is six competitors.
We're all trying to set up ladders…
[pained grunt]
…climb ladders,
not fall from ladders,
and grab a briefcase that is hanging from the ceiling,
which has a contract that you can cash in at any time
for any championship that you want.
You can imagine just climbing a ladder at home and hoping not to fall.
Imagine climbing one inside of a ring in front of thousands of people watching.
Ah!
And if you get hit with a ladder, you know you have,
because that shit hurts badly. [chuckles]
[Trin] What up?
The Money in the Bank briefcase can change your entire career.
You can literally go from being at the… the bottom
to literally being at the top in one moment.
[producer] Perfect.
[Trin] And I never envisioned that or thought that for myself
until I set out as this new version of Naomi.
[Hunter] With Money in the Bank, it has to be the right person.
It has to be the right timing.
Naomi, when we see the reaction that she's getting as a heel,
we see an opportunity there to make her a main player
and really grow her.
It's one of those things where she has to then deliver.
You got it. I'm here. I'll be talking.
We'll have a lot of refs around the ring, so I'll help communicate.
- Thanks. I'm gonna finish getting ready. - [Jason] Thank you.
- [producer] Group hug. - [grunts]
- We got it. - We got it.
- [Jason] You get through and we're great. - Keep going over it in your head.
- [Trin] Okay. - All right.
[tense music playing]
[Hunter] When Money in the Bank comes around,
Truth's contract was being worked on behind the scenes.
Before his contract actually comes to an end,
we're trying to put a new one in place
and have him be at Money in the Bank.
Me and Nick Khan talked for 'bout a hour that day.
Jey's gonna be on that table.
[Ron] I was hurt.
Nick kind of, like…
He padded that wound.
We had made the deal. We agreed. The ink was dried.
He's like, "Money in the Bank will be the best time. That'll be your return."
Not a lot of people knew. Very few. I…
The deal wasn't even done until the day of Money in the Bank.
It was, "Well, we can do this at the end of the show,"
because it was like,
"Hey, this is a nice punctuation at the end of the night."
- Y'all good? - Yeah, great. Uh…
- You wanna talk about the end-end? - [Hunter] Yeah, whenever you want.
What we have is Logan and Jey moonsault through the table.
- Yeah. - Cody's dead in the ring.
Thank you also for making that Jey, not you.
- [chuckles] - Yeah, I was gonna say no on the you.
Then I didn't have to argue with you about it. Yeah.
So, uh, I go get the title. I was gonna use it on Cody.
All we had was Truth coming in,
taking the thing, like, "You can't handle the Truth,"
and I go into the Cross Rhodes.
We could have him take the thing, give me a fucking AA
or knock me into a Cross Rhodes.
My one thing was, I don't want him to beat me and not Cody to beat me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
My thought was, does he tackle you? Does he have the hoodie on?
Does he pick that title up? Does he pull the hood back?
You see it's him, and you get up, and he goes, "Boom," and he rolls out.
And now you and Cody come up, and it's almost the two of you come up.
Do you fucking go to do something and he goes, "Bang"?
- What do you think? - Uh… That is absolutely it.
- Okay. - Awesome.
- [Hunter] Yep. - Awesome.
[Cody] We gotta go.
- [Hunter] Codes. - Sir.
About Truth, no… Like, literally me, Nick, you, Cena know.
- We had 'em leave the room when we talked. - Pat and, uh…
Pat and Cole, I'm sure we'll tell right before the show.
I'll tell Bruce and Ed right… right before the show.
Easy.
- Okay. - Sounds good. Good plan.
- Excited. All good? - Yeah, should be fun. Yeah.
So I asked McAfee, I said, "Did Nick talk to you yet?"
And he goes, "About what?"
- [Nick] Yep. - You told Pat.
- I feel like I should tell Cole. - Sure.
[Hunter] Right before the match, I'm gonna tell Logan and Jey.
It's unfair for them to not know what's going on in their match.
On Cole, remember, he did great on the Punk return, so…
Well, maybe I won't tell him. He doesn't need to know.
- [Nick] Yeah. - He won't…
He'll be like, "That's fucking cool you didn't tell me. I'll call it real."
[bell dinging]
[Alicia Taylor] The following
is the Women's
Money in the Bank Ladder Match!
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Here we go, gentlemen.
Someone's career will take a very drastic turn.
Get it, bitch.
Be safe. Good luck
[Taylor] From Orlando, Florida,
Naomi!
I'm coming!
[Barrett] This is a very different woman.
Proceed with caution.
Now, let's change somebody's career, Cole.
- [Cole] Here we go. - ["Sympathy is a Knife" playing]
[Barrett] Every woman for herself tonight.
♪ It's a knife when you know They're waiting for you to choke ♪
♪ It's a knife when the journalist Does a misquote ♪
♪ It's a knife when a friend Is slowly stepping on your throat ♪
- ♪ It's a knife… ♪ - [Cole] Naomi dominating right now.
Alexa Bliss on the offense.
[Barrett] Ripley has such an intimidating aura.
Oh!
Damage has not been completed yet.
♪ …and I'm like, "Who the fuck's she?" ♪
[Cole] Oh!
[McAfee] Rhea Ripley's back in charge.
[crowd chanting] Mami! Mami!
[McAfee] Mami's on top.
♪ It's a knife When you're finally on top ♪
♪ 'Cause what… ♪
[Cole] Up into the position for the Razor's Edge!
Oh my goodness!
[McAfee] Wow!
[Cole] Springboard moonsault!
♪ It's a knife when ♪
♪ It's a knife when… ♪
[McAfee] Wow, Naomi.
Stack those ladders. Bury Rhea Ripley.
♪ It's a knife when ♪
♪ Oh, it's a… it's a… ♪
[Cole] Uh-oh.
Rhea Ripley coming out of the rubble and the wreckage.
God, Rhea's got that look in her eye.
And there's the power. Face-first goes Giulia.
Roxanne Perez…
Razor's Edge into Naomi!
Giulia…
- Oh! - [Barrett] Oh!
When Mami is in this kind of mood,
all that results is physical destruction.
♪ It's a knife When you're finally on top ♪
♪ 'Cause that… ♪
[McAfee] One time for Booker T.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey!
- What are they thinking? - [Cole] What the hell?
Oh my God!
Yes!
[McAfee] Dueling Code Reds!
[Cole] In stereo, Code Reds on the ladder!
[Barrett] Four bodies strewn around the ringside area.
[tense music playing]
[McAfee] Alexa Bliss and Mami.
[Barrett] Two women with the biggest résumés in this match.
[crowd chanting] This is awesome!
[McAfee] And, yes, LA, this is awesome.
[Barrett] One of the biggest prizes in the game
tantalizingly close for these two women.
[Cole] Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss race to the top, race to the briefcase.
Naomi back into the ring.
Naomi now…
[McAfee] Oh, oh!
…tipping off, and Rhea face-first off the ladder.
Bliss is down as well. Naomi with a chance.
[Trin] Climbing up the ladder to get the briefcase,
I still wasn't telling myself that it's real.
[Cole] Naomi close to the top of the ladder.
Is this Naomi's moment?
[Trin] Yes!
- [crowd roaring] - Yes!
[Cole] Naomi has the briefcase!
Naomi is Miss Money in the Bank!
[Taylor] Here is your winner,
the 2025 Miss Money in the Bank,
Naomi!
[Trin] That's when I really was able to, like, soak it in.
After everything that's happened in my career,
to have that reminds me of why this place,
this job, these fans, and this whole thing is so special.
[Taylor announcing in distance]
They better watch out.
Miss Money in the Bank.
[indistinct chattering]
- [Hunter] Great stuff. You okay? - Thank you, H.
- [Hunter] Everybody okay? Congrats. - [Trin] Yeah, thank you.
- [photographer] One more. Three, two… - [camera shutter clicking]
- Awesome. - Thank you.
- Congrats. - Thanks, H.
Hunter, can I get this… Some tape put on here to customize?
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, talk to the, uh, talk to the props guys.
- They can make one for you as well. - Okay.
- Trin, good job, baby. - [Trin] Thanks, Peter.
Yeah. Good job, Rhea.
No problem. See, we always stress out for nothing. No problem, easy.
That was my first ever ladder match in general,
so it's like… I feel accomplished.
I feel like I've ticked another thing off my bucket list in a way.
Obviously, outcome wasn't what I wanted,
but I'm just glad that I'm not injured again,
to be completely honest.
[laughter, squealing]
- I'm so proud of you. - Thank you.
- Really. - I know.
I have seen you in the locker room for so many years.
- Just what you've put into this business… - Lily!
- I'm so proud of you. - Thank you.
You've earned every bit of this.
You have earned every bit of this.
[excited chatter in distance]
Love you.
- Can I see that? - No, don't.
- Hold on. Let me get that code. - Get your own briefcase! Go get your…
- Let me get the code of that thing, girl. - Boop-boop, boop-boop.
Um, well, I don't feel too good.
My back, my stomach, my knees, my elbows, and my neck hurt.
What don't hurt
is this Bank right here!
[triumphant laughter]
[Barrett] Lyra Valkyria cost Becky Lynch a place
in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
- Numerous brawls between the pair of them. - You need me for anything?
[Cole] First, Lyra beat her for the NXT Championship. Then--
- [softly] Do you have the Cena match? - Yeah.
[softly] Okay, come sit.
So… so the only people that know this right now
are Bruce, Ed, myself, John, and Cody know.
So R-Truth is gonna come in at the end of this thing.
Truth takes Cena down, gets on him.
Cena will drop the title.
That person will pick the belt up, pull the hood back.
"R-Truth, holy shit." He'll blast Cena.
He'll throw the belt down, roll out of the ring, and take off. Okay?
- Great. I'll get with John. - Yep.
[Bobby] All right, thanks.
[Hunter] I'm gonna… Hopefully, they'll bring him to Gorilla.
I haven't seen him.
- He's trying to steal my gimmick. - Yeah. [laughs]
[Ron] I got to the match before I was supposed to come out.
I had the hoodie on, never took it off.
Sherlock Holmes couldn't have found me, man.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Cole] Well, this match tonight, our main event.
Cody Rhodes and the World Heavyweight Champion,
Jey Uso.
Standing in their way, the Undisputed Champion, John Cena,
and Logan Paul.
[McAfee] Massive fight feel.
[bell dinging]
[crowd chanting] We want Truth! We want Truth! We want Truth!
We want Truth! We want Truth! We want Truth!
[Ron] I was listening to the people.
Those fans, they put that S back on my chest.
[crowd chanting] We want Truth!
[Hunter] So on the end of this thing, there's a run-in.
And then we're gonna go into the finish.
There's no music, no anything. I just don't want anybody panicking
and thinking, "What the fuck?" and trying to get off the shot.
R-Truth is gonna drop Cena.
Only a couple of people know.
[Cole] This thing has just turned into a brawl.
Cody with a suicide dive!
[Shane] John's gonna have Cody on his shoulders.
Jey's gonna run off the other table and Spear him.
[Cole] Cena looking for the AA.
Spear!
Spear by Jey Uso onto the table!
Tell Logan we're good to go. Let's see Logan. Let's see Logan.
- Come on, baby. - [Cole] Logan Paul now.
Logan Paul!
Oh my God! Asai moonsault through the table! Both men are down!
Told ya! Where we at? Told ya that motherfucker could make it.
[dramatic music playing]
I got there, and it was just time, ticking time,
and it was time to go.
[Cole] Wait a minute. Official Tran is over here with… with Uso and Logan.
Meanwhile, John Cena has the championship in hand.
Send him, send him, send him!
[dramatic music building]
[Cole] Wait a minute. Who the…?
Who the hell…?
A Spear… a Spear on Cena.
[Bobby] He's gonna pick up the title.
Let's see the reveal here.
- [crowd roars] - [Cole] Oh my God! Oh my God!
R-Truth is here!
R-Truth! R-Truth! Truth is back!
[Ron] When it was revealed, those fans reminded me of who I was.
- Wait, what? - Who is this?
Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!
- Is that Truth? - Is that R-Truth?
- Oh my God, it is! It's R-Truth! - [cheering wildly]
- R-Truth's back! R-Truth is back! - [excited cheering, whooping]
Yes! Yes, Truth!
[Brian] I knew it was Ron Killings immediately because of his ankles.
[laughing]
I know that sounds funny,
but, like, I… I knew his ankles.
I started crying right then.
[triumphant music playing]
[Cole] Truth is back!
We want Truth! We want Truth!
[crowd cheering loudly]
[Ron] That love.
Nobody will ever know how that felt.
[Bobby] Here comes the title shot.
[suspenseful music building]
[Cole] R-Truth! We thought he left!
We thought he… We thought he'd left the company!
[dramatic music playing]
[Bobby] Back to the ring.
[Cole] Truth returned to get some revenge on Cena!
Cody Rhodes, Cross Rhodes!
[crowd] One, two, three!
- [crowd cheering] - [bell dinging]
[Cole] One of the biggest shockers in recent memory.
We thought R-Truth was gone for good!
[dramatic music fades]
- [Ron] Deadman. Thank you. - What's up, man? Welcome back.
Good to be back. Yeah. Yes, man, good to be back.
- [Hunter] You good? - [Ron] Yes, sir.
Thank you, man.
Hey, happy this shit all worked out, man. I'm really happy all this shit worked out.
- [Ron] Thank you, man. - None… none of that…
I hope you know none of that shit was meant in any way
other than just where we were, right?
It's just a business thing. I'm so fucking happy you're still here.
- Thank you, man. - [Hunter] Yeah.
Appreciate you.
I remember my son saying, um, "Daddy, it wasn't a waste."
I've missed birthday parties,
anniversaries, graduations. He said, "Daddy, it wasn't all a waste."
"Look at those people that love you."
[Becky] I love you, Ron. I'm so happy to see you.
- Hell yeah. What a pop! What a pop! - [Ron] Thank you.
- What a pop! [laughs] - Yeah.
"R-Truth? No way!"
- I was like, "No way!" - You didn't know?
- I had no idea, dude. - [Hunter] No. I…
What's so funny is, I meant to fucking tell.
I was running around so much. I meant to tell you and Jey right before.
- [Logan] Did Jey know? - No, Jey didn't know either.
Bro, I'm like, "What the fuck?"
[Hunter] I meant to… I meant to tell you both.
- That was crazy! - [Logan and Ron giggle excitedly]
[Cody] When I found out that R-Truth was gonna be returning,
I was really honored
that I was laying there selling in the ring when he got in,
'cause I could feel and hear it.
And I went in there.
- He didn't know either? - He knew. [laughs]
[Cody] That's every wrestler's journey.
How are you, buddy? Congratulations, man.
I had to tell him. I didn't want him to hit you with a Bionic Elbow.
Well, no. I mean, so few people knew,
even R-Truth's best friend, Road Dogg, didn't know,
who's a senior member of the creative team.
So I went through a couple of emotions right then.
"God, they didn't tell me." You know what I mean? Nobody told me.
Uh, but then it was like, "I'm so glad I didn't know."
I'm so glad I got to feel this right here, as a fan.
That was super cool to me.
I came out of the curtains, and there he was.
This was all a dream.
That felt so right. That felt so right.
[Ron] I love you.
Oh, ho, ho, ho! I love you more! I love you more!
[Brian laughing]
- I love you. - Love you.
Sunshine in my… in my day is Ron Killings.
That's all I got to say.
[sentimental music playing]
Like I said before, Dogg is…
[sighs emotionally]
[exhales tearfully]
He don't realize where I was at. You know what I'm saying? Like…
He don't…
He think he know, and like, "We're brothers," but, like…
[sniffles]
Bro, I… I had given up when I was in Memphis, man.
I… I was…
He took me under his wing, Dogg.
He, he… took me under the wing. He took care of me.
He would jeopardize his shit, man, like…
to, uh, speak up for me. [sniffles]
So, yeah.
Yeah, man, he got… He'll always have a spot with me.
[Hunter] Badass.
Hey.
[Ron laughing]
We might have locked into this being the best thing ever for you.
Right.
- You never know. Shit happens, right? - Yeah, Yeah, it do.
This is the craziest business, man.
- Yeah, it is. That's the thing, right? - It is. Yes.
And there's moments in time where you see something
and go, "Oh man, let's make that into something better."
Let's make it something, and that's…
- Here we are. - Yes.
- All right? Yeah, man. - Thank you.
The impact that it had doesn't make me question,
doesn't make me look back at or try to analyze.
[Hunter] This worked out the way it worked out for a reason.
[Ron] It works out, yes.
It reinvented me worldwide.
[dramatic music playing]
Anything beyond that, bro, I got blinders on.
The appreciation and the love tell me why ask why.
Is this the moment when I can do it?
- Become your brother? - [Hunter] What's that?
- Me, you? What do you mean? - No.
The hair.
- [Hunter] Oh, you wanna shave it tonight? - Cut it.
- You good with that? - I am.
[Ron] Why cut the hair?
It's not my strength.
[Barrett] Oh God.
[Ron] That was just an accessory I had.
Oh my God!
[Ron] You see who I am. You've been with me the whole time.
So much has done happened.
The hair just had to be done.
- [giggling] - This is great. Thanks, Truth.
My daughter Aliyah, she said, "Dad, what did you do?"
[cackling]
And
I was going bald.
[laughing hysterically]
[intriguing music playing]
[music fades out]