The recent WWE departure of beloved veteran R-Truth is believed to have been a financial decision by the company. His contract was so high that WWE “felt it made no sense” for the level at which he was being used, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
This came as a surprise to some, given that he had just completed a program that led to a high-profile match with John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Meltzer reported that the news was met with significant unhappiness in the locker room due to R-Truth’s popularity with those in the company. “There were a lot of wrestlers who were very unhappy because he was so popular with the talent,” Meltzer wrote.
WWE fans also showed their support, with chants for both R-Truth and Carlito on this week’s Raw show, the day after their departures became public. The situation was reportedly handled carefully backstage.
Talent was reportedly told no R-Truth T-shirts on Raw, but “Rhea Ripley was wearing one backstage and took it off before going on TV,” Meltzer noted.
Looking ahead, R-Truth already has interest from at least one top promotion. Meltzer stated, “Those in TNA have already said that they want to make him an offer, and for that company, he’ll come in fairly hot.”