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You could say the appeal of professional wrestling struck early for R-Truth.
As a kid, then known as Ron Killings, he would jump off chairs and wrestle with friends on the floor. He even used trees to build his own outdoor wrestling ring where he would imitate the moves of some of his favorite wrestlers like Rick Flair, Terry Gavin and Pat Patterson.
So when the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder WWE Superstar sees young fans rapping along to his theme song “What’s Up” as he heads to the ring or cheering from the stands, there’s a special bond.
“That’s why we do what we do,” the Charlotte, North Carolina native said. “Kids make it worthwhile.”
R-Truth will be just one of the many WWE stars descending on the Mohegan Sun Arena tonight at 7 p.m. for a televised broadcast of Smackdown. Among the wrestlers scheduled to appear are Dean Ambrose, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Sheamus.
“WWE fans, they know what to expect,” R-Truth said. “A high level of entertainment … They aren’t going to be entertained by anyone else like WWE matches.”
Things will certainly get more entertaining for wrestlers and fans alike after Intercontinental Champion, Daniel Bryan, forfeited his title due to injury.
Bryan won the title in a ladder match at Wrestlemania 31 in March beating out the likes of R-Truth, Dean Ambrose, Stardust and Luke Harper. The unexpected vacancy has more than a few wrestlers looking to claim the spot.
“I’m always going to be in the running for some type of title,” said R-Truth who was the United States Champion in 2010 and a WWE Tag Team Champion with Kofi Kingston in 2012.
Wilkes-Barre has become a familiar stop on the WWE Smackdown Tour. The last show was in September of last year.
“They are fans too,” said R-Truth about what keeps bringing them back. “We try to reach everybody. Big, small, short, tall.”
With a litany of popular superstars, a network which launched in February of last year, a fan base made of up some of the biggest names in entertainment like Jon Stewart, Ronda Rousey and Shaquille O’Neal, the WWE’s popularity seems to be growing.
“Everybody is catching on. It’s like a domino,” R-Truth said. “We’re the greatest thing on TV right now. Everybody is watching. … The story, the athleticism, the characters. I think it’s like watching a live movie right before your eyes. It’s very captivating to watch.”