Matt Hardy Discusses Triple H's Controversial Comments On R-Truth's WWE Return

Ron Killings, the man formerly and sometimes still known as R-Truth, made his return to WWE at Money in the Bank earlier this month. Just six days removed from his shocking announcement that his contract with the company would soon expire.
Backlash from across the pro wrestling landscape forced WWE to pivot, and Killings was back on a new deal before he ever had a chance to hit free agency.
While numerous outlets, and Killings himself on multiple occasions, have confirmed the legitimacy of his contract situation, Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque would have fans believe that it's 'all part of the show.'
The WWE Hall of Famer made those comments during the Money in the Bank Post Show Press Conference when asked about Truth's status with the company, and they were promptly shot down by Killings, his son and others in the hours that followed.
Speaking on the latest edition of The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy Podcast, the TNA star and WWE alum talked about Levesque's controversial decision to try and make Truth's real-life situation seem like it was part of a larger storyline.
“I get where Hunter is coming from. He doesn’t want to come straight out and admit he’s wrong, he probably wants to try and... make it be as mysterious as possible. Like, oh, was it a work, was it a shoot? Who knows, let’s leave it kind of open-ended."
WWE Post Show Press Conferences can admittedly be difficult to navigate as a media member. You never know which Superstars will be in character or which ones will be willing the pull the curtain back. Some talent even switch it up depending on the question that gets asked.
That's not the case with The Game, who usually offers (at face value) genuine responses to questions following his traditional breakdown of the latest record-breaking numbers for a WWE PLE.
"I think when you’re in Triple H’s role, you have to be as transparent as possible, especially to give the media as much faith as they possibly can have," Matt Hardy said. "You don’t have to make it out like you’re the bad guy and you were a million times wrong. I think you could say, ‘Hey, this thing happened, and the fans showed how much they loved Ron Killings and they wanted him back and we listened to our fans.’ I think it could have been that simple." h/t Fightful.
In all fairness to WWE's Chief Content Officer, Levesque has offered up legitimate responses to contract questions in the past. CM Punk's WWE return in the fall of 2023 and Adam Copeland's departure a few months prior come top of mind. Which made his comments in this situation all the more puzzling.
Regardless of how it went down, Killings is back in the fold and he's back to working with John Cena. He'll be wrestling the WWE Champion in a non-title match this Friday on SmackDown.
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Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com