Age, Biography, and Wiki
R-Truth was born on January 19, 1972, and has been active in the professional wrestling scene for over two decades. He is best known for his time in the WWE, where he has become a 53-time 24/7 Champion. R-Truth's biography is detailed on his Wikipedia page, highlighting his achievements and career milestones.
| Occupation | Musicians |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 19 January 1972 |
| Age | 53 Years |
| Birth Place | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific measurements for R-Truth are not widely available, he is recognized for his athletic build, which has contributed to his success in professional wrestling.
To make extra money in his early 20s, Killings would sell cocaine on the streets for extra income. From a young age, Killings had developed a love for hip hop and breakdancing and attended Harry P. Harding High School where he competed in football alongside future MLB second baseman Ray Durham. Killings also competed in track and field, and was talented at both sports, receiving various college scholarships, but turned them down to further pursue a career in music. Killings graduated high school at 18, but he also continued dealing drugs in order to help his music career financially and was arrested four different times, spending small amounts of time in jail before eventually spending 13 months incarcerated. Killings spoke in an interview with Lilian Garcia that after this incident, he was finished with that lifestyle.
On the May 15 episode of Raw, during a promo, Goldust attacked R-Truth, ending The Golden Truth. On the June 26 episode of Raw, R-Truth and Goldust had a brawl before their match even started. R-Truth was defeated by Goldust in a singles match on the July 10 episode of Raw. On the August 28 episode of Raw, R-Truth competed in an Intercontinental Championship number one contender's Battle Royal, which was won by Jeff Hardy. In October, reports suggested R-Truth suffered an arm injury during a match against Elias at a live event. R-Truth reportedly underwent surgery on October 26.
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 220 lb |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Details about R-Truth's personal life, including his dating and relationship status, are not extensively covered in public media.
On the April 11 episode of Raw, R-Truth became the number one contender for the WWE Championship along with John Cena via double disqualification after The Miz and Alex Riley attacked both of them during a number one contender's gauntlet match. R-Truth had previously defeated Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison prior to facing Cena at the end of the gauntlet. The anonymous Raw General Manager stated that, due to interference from The Miz and Riley, R-Truth and Cena would both compete for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules in a steel cage match. On the April 18 episode of Raw, Morrison questioned R-Truth about his capability to compete in a match like this and challenged R-Truth to a match for his spot. Later that night, after Morrison won the match, R-Truth attacked Morrison, turning heel in the process. The following week on Raw, R-Truth stated that he was done entertaining the fans as popularity did not get him any titles. At Extreme Rules on May 1, R-Truth prevented Morrison from escaping the cage during the main event for the WWE Championship, ultimately costing him the title. On the May 9 episode of Raw, R-Truth revealed that his attack on Morrison had led to him being hospitalized before then attacking Rey Mysterio at the end of the show. On the May 16 episode of Raw, R-Truth accused Mysterio of being a "thief" and stealing his chance at the WWE Championship. R-Truth then attacked a weakened Mysterio, who had just finished a match with Alberto Del Rio. R-Truth faced Mysterio at Over the Limit, where he was victorious. After subsequent episodes of ranting and raving over John Cena's popularity, he harassed a young fan and his father on the May 30 episode of Raw, throwing a cup of soda in the father's face after a countout win over Cena. After Raw went off the air, the anonymous Raw General Manager scheduled a WWE Championship match between the two, on the condition that R-Truth apologize for his behavior the next week. On the June 6 episode of Raw, R-Truth made his way out to the ring, singing a song about "Little Jimmy" (referring to the children in attendance) and wearing a Confederate soldier's uniform, before apologizing for his actions. In the ensuing title match at Capitol Punishment, R-Truth was unsuccessful in winning the WWE Championship.
On April 17, 2018, R-Truth was moved to SmackDown brand as part of the Superstar Shake-up. During the summer, R-Truth involved himself in angles with then SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella, claiming that he would have got a chance against United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura by pinning Carmella (since Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair had both got a chance against Carmella's title by defeating her in non–title matches); R-Truth was eventually granted a match against Nakamura, but lost. On the September 4 episode of SmackDown Live, Carmella finally agreed to manage R-Truth in his match against The Miz to avoid his wife Maryse's interference. R-Truth eventually won the match thanks to a distraction from Miz and Maryse's enemies Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella, which was also his first televised singles win since May 2016. Shortly after, Carmella started managing R-Truth and the two participated in season two of Mixed Match Challenge. Despite losing three matches before defeating Rusev and Lana to qualify into the playoffs, R-Truth and Carmella went on to defeat Jeff Hardy and Charlotte Flair in the quarter–finals and The Miz and Asuka in the semi–finals. In the finals of the Mixed Match Challenge, that took place on December 16 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, R-Truth and Carmella defeated Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox, earning both the number 30 spots for their respective Royal Rumble matches at the Royal Rumble. On the January 8, 2019 episode of SmackDown, R-Truth faced WWE Champion Daniel Bryan in a non-title match in a losing effort.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Pamela Killings (m. 2011) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, R-Truth's net worth is estimated to be around $3 million to $4 million, depending on the source. His annual salary in WWE was reported to be $550,000, significantly higher than the minimum main roster salary of $350,000.
Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as K-Kwik from 1998 to 2001, forming a team with "Road Dogg" Jesse James, and winning the WWF Hardcore Championship twice. After his release in 2002, he joined Jeff Jarrett's new promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). As Ron "The Truth" Killings, he headlined numerous pay-per-view (PPV) events and won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice (being the first African-American titleholder) and the first African-American world champion in TNA history. He also formed 3 Live Kru with BG James (formerly Road Dogg) and Konnan and the trio held the NWA World Tag Team Championship twice. Killings established Team Pacman with football player Adam Jones and won the TNA World Tag Team Championship before leaving TNA in late 2007.
Killings returned to WWE in 2008 and was renamed R-Truth, winning the WWE United States Championship, and the WWE Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston) over the next several years. He headlined multiple WWE pay-per-view events during the early 2010s, including matches for the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship. He was thereafter used in comedic roles and primarily wrestled on the undercard until 2018, when he teamed with Carmella to win the second edition of Mixed Match Challenge. He then captured the United States Championship for a second time in 2019. Later that year, he won the newly instated WWE 24/7 Championship, and holds the record for the most reigns at 54. At WrestleMania XL, in the six-pack ladder match he ultimately won the Raw Tag Team Championship with The Miz.
Killings signed with the Nashville, Tennessee-based NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA:TNA) promotion in June 2002, and appeared on the first weekly TNA pay-per-view on June 19 as K-Krush. Killings immediately established himself as a heel by harassing NASCAR drivers Sterling Marlin and Hermie Sadler until he was attacked by Brian Lawler. Later that same evening, he participated in the Gauntlet for the Gold match, but was eliminated by Malice. The following week, Killings lost to Christopher after Marlin and Sadler interfered in their match. On July 3, Killings and Jeff Jarrett defeated Christopher and Scott Hall after Christopher turned on Hall during the match, aligning himself with Killings and Jarrett. On July 10, Killings defeated Hermie Sadler in a squash match. The decision, however, was overturned after Killings continued to attack Sadler after he had been awarded the match.
On the July 17 TNA pay-per-view, Killings delivered an angry promo in which he implied that he had been held back as a result of his race. He then stated that he was to be referred to as "The Truth". Killings eventually began using his own name, referring to himself as Ron "The Truth" Killings. Killings defeated Ken Shamrock for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at NWA-TNA 8 on August 7, thus becoming the first-ever, and to date only, recognized African-American NWA World Heavyweight Champion in history, and the fourth African American in professional wrestling history to win a World Heavyweight title. He successfully defended the title in matches with Monty Brown, Jerry Lynn, Low Ki, Curt Hennig, and Scott Hall before losing on November 20 to Jeff Jarrett who had the help of Vince Russo. As a result of Russo's involvement, Killings turned into a face. In subsequent months, Killings feuded with Sports Entertainment Xtreme before turning into a heel once again by attacking Jarrett on March 19. He later introduced Nelson Knight as his bodyguard.
At the 2016 Royal Rumble match, R-Truth brought a ladder into the ring and climbing it, incorrectly believing the match to be the Money in the Bank ladder match. (This was part of a character trend where he was at least one PPV behind on everything.) Upon realizing his error, R-Truth was eliminated by Kane. In the following weeks on Raw and SmackDown, Goldust approached R-Truth and proposed they form a tag team to no avail. At the Fastlane pay-per-view, Goldust came down to aid R-Truth at ringside in his match against Curtis Axel, inadvertently distracting R-Truth before Axel rolled him up for the win. After multiple attempts from Goldust, ending with R-Truth denying his request, R-Truth began to apologize and attempt to form a tag team with Goldust, with Goldust denying R-Truth. At WrestleMania 32, R-Truth entered André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal but was eliminated by Adam Rose and Heath Slater. For a number one contender's tag team title tournament, on the April 13 episode of SmackDown, he was scheduled to team with Goldust for the match but was replaced by Fandango due to a refusal to team with R-Truth by Goldust. A week later, R-Truth aligned himself with Tyler Breeze due to Goldust's alliance with Fandango. On the May 2 episode of Raw, Breeze defeated Goldust after interference by R-Truth. A week later on Raw, R-Truth defeated Fandango, with Breeze in R-Truth's corner. On the May 12 episode of SmackDown R-Truth and Breeze faced Goldust and Fandango. During the match, R-Truth and Goldust refused to fight each other. As a result, Breeze and Fandango attacked Goldust as Fandango allowed Breeze to pin Goldust for the win. R-Truth attempted to rescue Goldust from the attack, only to get beaten down by the two along with him. The next week on Raw, R-Truth and Goldust debuted as The Golden Truth against Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) in a losing effort after R-Truth unintentionally kicked Goldust. Afterwards, Golden Truth started a losing streak, losing to the likes of Breezango and The Dudley Boyz. Golden Truth earned their first victory after defeating Breezango at the Money in the Bank event on June 19. On July 19, as part of the 2016 WWE draft, R-Truth, along with Goldust, was drafted to Raw brand. In November, The Golden Truth joined team Raw, but lost their spots a week later when R-Truth sold their spot to The Shining Stars for tickets to Puerto Rico. On the November 7 episode of Raw, The Shining Stars defeated The Golden Truth to join Team Raw. On April 2, 2017, R-Truth and Goldust competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but failed to win.
At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, R-Truth was attacked by Nia Jax during his entrance, who subsequently took his spot in the Men's Royal Rumble. As compensation for being attacked at the Royal Rumble, R-Truth received a United States Championship match on SmackDown, in which he defeated champion Shinsuke Nakamura with a surprise roll-up to capture his second United States Championship, in his first championship win since April 2012. Immediately after the match, R-Truth was challenged by previous champion Rusev but retained the title with another roll-up. After the match, R-Truth was attacked by Nakamura and Rusev. On the February 26 episode of SmackDown, R-Truth issued an open challenge for his United States Championship, which was answered by Andrade and Rey Mysterio. He retained the title in a triple threat match. The following week, another open challenge was answered by Mysterio, Andrade, and Samoa Joe. In the ensuing fatal-four-way match, R-Truth lost the title to Joe, ending his reign at 35 days. In a rematch between the same four men at Fastlane, Joe retained the title.
Career, Business, and Investments
R-Truth's career in WWE has been his primary source of income. He has been with the company since 2008 and has had a successful run as a 24/7 Champion. Additionally, he earns from WWE merchandise royalties and has explored a career in music as a rapper, contributing to his net worth. His involvement in the WWE 2K video game series has also been a profitable venture.
Jackie Crockett of the National Wrestling Alliance met Killings at a halfway house after Killings' release from prison, and tried to convince Killings to become a professional wrestler, but he was determined to focus on his music career. Killings spent two years working on his music career and then contacted Crockett once more and expressed an interest in becoming a wrestler. Crockett, by now the senior cameraman for World Championship Wrestling, took Killings to several WCW and Pro Wrestling Federation events, introducing him to wrestling personalities.
On June 19, Killings tried to resign from TNA, intending to work for the Mexican AAA. Amidst more dissension backstage, however, TNA refused to release Killings. He returned to TNA on August 12 at Hard Justice, confronting football player Adam Jones. At No Surrender, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Ron Killings defeated Sting and Kurt Angle to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. At Bound for Glory, A.J. Styles and Tomko defeated him and Jones' replacement, Rasheed Lucius "Consequences" Creed, for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. In December, he worked out a deal for his release from the company.
In 2008, Killings re-signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and re-debuted on the SmackDown brand under the ring name R-Truth on August 29, as a face, defeating Kenny Dykstra. WWE completely ignored his past with the company and his Hardcore Championship reigns until January 2009 when WWE.com briefly acknowledged his appearance in the 2001 Royal Rumble. The K-Kwik character was acknowledged again at SummerSlam 2010, when commentator Matt Striker made a passing reference to his past. At Cyber Sunday, he, along with Festus and Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), was a voting option to challenge United States Champion Shelton Benjamin for the title. He received 59% of the vote to get the match, but lost. On December 8, he won the Slammy Award for the Best Musical Performance.
On April 26, R-Truth was drafted to Raw as part of the 2010 WWE draft. He began a feud with Ted DiBiase after DiBiase offered him a job as his personal assistant, which R-Truth declined with a slap. Two weeks later, during a match with William Regal, R-Truth was attacked by Carlito and Primo, who were paid off by DiBiase after the assault. R-Truth went on to wrestle and defeat DiBiase at Over the Limit on May 23. The next night on Raw, R-Truth defeated The Miz to win the vacant United States Championship, giving him his first singles championship since returning to WWE. On the June 14 episode of Raw, R-Truth lost the United States Championship to The Miz in a fatal four-way match also featuring John Morrison and Zack Ryder. He invoked his rematch clause at Fatal 4-Way, but was unsuccessful.
Social Network
R-Truth maintains a presence on social media platforms, where he engages with fans and shares updates about his career and personal life.
R-Truth began feuding with United States Champion Antonio Cesaro on the October 29 episode of Raw, after saving former tag partner Kofi Kingston from a post-match assault from Cesaro and The Miz. The following week, R-Truth teamed with Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara to defeat Cesaro and The Prime Time Players, with R-Truth pinning Cesaro for the win. R-Truth faced Cesaro for the United States Championship on November 18 at Survivor Series, but was unsuccessful in winning the title. On the following episode of SmackDown, R-Truth defeated Cesaro in a non-title match. On the December 3 episode of Raw, R-Truth was again unsuccessful in capturing the United States Championship from Cesaro in fatal-four-way match, also involving Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett. On December 16 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, R-Truth failed again to capture the United States Championship from Cesaro and sustained an injury. He returned on the February 18, 2013 episode of Raw, saving Kofi Kingston from Damien Sandow. At Battleground, R-Truth unsuccessfully challenged Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship.
On the May 20 episode of Raw, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley unveiled the new WWE 24/7 Championship, a title similar to the Hardcore Championship, which also uses the "24/7 rule". Later that night, Truth pinned previous champion Robert Roode in the arena's parking lot to win the title and become the first superstar to win both the Hardcore Championship and 24/7 Championship. The following weeks led to both Truth and Carmella regularly appearing on both Raw and SmackDown Live as part of the 24/7 rule and at more unconventional times and locations (filmed and published on WWE social media), where they would try to flee from other wrestlers wanting to win the title. This led R-Truth to lose the title to multiple superstars such as Heath Slater, Cedric Alexander, Mike Kanellis, Shelton Benjamin, The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson), twice to Jinder Mahal, three times each to Akira Tozawa, Drake Maverick, EC3, Elias, seven times to Mojo Rawley, and usually regain it hours or even minutes later.
On February 14, 2025, episode of SmackDown, Truth was drafted to the SmackDown brand and had his first singles match on the brand since 2019, losing to Carmelo Hayes. As part of his comedy gimmick, Truth refers to John Cena as his "childhood hero" (despite being 5 years older than Cena). On May 10 at Backlash, Truth interfered in the Undisputed WWE Championship match between Cena and Randy Orton, where he prevented Orton from hitting Cena with a Punt Kick, allowing Cena to recover and win the match. However, at the post-show press conference, Cena attacked Truth with an Attitude Adjustment through a table. This would later lead to a match between the two at Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIX.
Education
There is limited information available about R-Truth's educational background. His focus has been on his professional wrestling career since an early age.
In summary, R-Truth's net worth and career reflect his dedication to professional wrestling and his ability to diversify his income streams through various business ventures.
Dissension arose after James' former tag team partner from the WWE, Billy Gunn, joined TNA as "The New Age Outlaw" and began trying to convince James to reform their former tag team, the New Age Outlaws. Killings and Konnan feuded with The Outlaw and Monty Brown, with James's loyalties divided. Brown and The Outlaw, who had by now renamed himself "Kip James" as a psychological ploy, defeated Killings and Konnan at No Surrender on July 17, with James declining to help either team. Killings and Konnan became increasingly frustrated, at one point referring to themselves as the "2Live Kru", although Killings repeatedly attempted to act as a mediator between James and Konnan. The two teams faced one another in a No Surrender rematch on August 14 at Sacrifice, with James appointed special guest referee by Director of Authority, Larry Zbyszko. James reaffirmed his loyalty to the Kru by attacking Kip, enabling Konnan to pin him and win the match. The 3 Live Kru won a six-man tag team match against The Diamonds in the Rough at Unbreakable on September 11. After Impact! premiered on Spike TV on October 1, Kip James entered the picture once more, but appeared to be helping 3LK this time. He refereed a Hockey Stick Fight at Genesis on November 13, which 3LK won. Kip James later joined the stable, which became known as the 4 Live Kru. On December 11 at Turning Point, the 4 Live Kru faced Team Canada in an eight-man tag match. In the course of the match, Konnan hit Kip and B.G. James with chair shots, enabling Bobby Roode to pin Kip. He then attempted to celebrate with Killings, who appeared shocked by Konnan's actions. Killings later told Konnan he was done with the Kru.
Truth went on to become a 53-time 24/7 Champion, and became the first of only twelve people to stay as champion for over 24 hours. Within the first month of its existence, the 24/7 Championship segments would become the highest viewed videos of both Raw and SmackDown online, garnering millions of views each. Also, R-Truth was voted by WWE fans as their favorite champion in June 2019. Over the course of the next year, he won the title 52 times, also including to sports presenter Rob Stone, NBA player Enes Kanter, and race car driver Kyle Busch. As part of the 2019 draft, Truth was drafted to Raw, splitting him from Carmella, who remained on SmackDown. On February 27, 2020, at Super ShowDown, Truth competed in the gauntlet match for the Tuwaiq Trophy, where he defeated Bobby Lashley, Andrade, and Erick Rowan, but lost to AJ Styles following an assault from Rowan. At Money in the Bank, he was quickly defeated by Lashley. Throughout 2021 and 2022, R-Truth continued to be present in segments for the 24/7 Championship until November 7, 2022, when the 24/7 Championship title was retired. As WWE 24/7 Champion, Truth had the most reigns at 53 and the longest combined reign at 425 days.
Killings married Pamela Killings on April 7, 2011. His son Christopher plays college basketball in the Penn State Athletic Conference, currently for Penn State Wilkes-Barre and had previously played for Greater Allegheny.
