8 Amazing Wrestling Gimmicks That Died Too Soon

8. Ron Killings

The firing of R-Truth in June 2025 is one of the most shocking moments in recent WWE history. Not only does he have a great reputation with several generations of fans, his recent output in The Judgment Day and as part of the reunited Awesome Truth saw him on arguably the best form of his entire career. It was a blunder for the ages that, in hindsight, was one of the first cracks to appear in the post-Vince McMahon era.

When there was a unanimous global outcry about the ridiculousness of Truth's termination, it was rightfully reassessed by WWE, and news broke that Truth had been rehired. The next time we saw him on our screens after his shocking return, Truth climbed the announce desk and cut his dreads off in an impassioned rage during the June 9th episode of Monday Night Raw. He stunned the world by announcing that R-Truth was dead and that his name is Ron Killings.

Fans are so used to Truth's cuddly persona that the intimidating figure that Killings cut in this promo was shocking and refreshing in equal measure. This drastic character change showed enormous promise, but it disappointingly only lasted a few weeks before Truth was back to his wacky antics. He has since been largely absent on WWE TV, in what has been a confusing and messy 2025 for one of WWE's most gifted performers.