Cody Rhodes, R-Truth Segment SCRAPPED From WWE SmackDown - Backstage Details (WWE News)

Cody Rhodes and R-Truth were on internal plans for WWE SmackDown, but plans changed

R-Truth Cody Rhodes
WWE

A Cody Rhodes/R-Truth segment was initially planned for the first SmackDown following John Cena's shocking Elimination Chamber heel turn before ultimately being scrapped. Now, it's been revealed why.

According to Fightful Select, WWE had planned a backstage interaction between Rhodes and R-Truth, but it never made it to air. When Fightful inquired about the segment’s removal, no clear explanation was given, though speculation backstage suggested it may have undermined the seriousness of Rhodes’ promo. Instead, WWE opted to let Cody’s emotional address stand alone.

Advertisement

The dropped segment would have presumably built on R-Truth’s long-running admiration for John Cena - a storyline thread that dates back over a decade in WWE. While Truth once feuded with Cena as a heel in 2011, even facing him at Capitol Punishment in a cult favourite one month title feud, his character has since become synonymous with comedic moments involving his hero worship of the 16-time world champion. It's been a big part of his online presence too, with him seemingly going through the stages of grief on social media over 'The Champ's betrayal.

Though Cena didn’t appear on SmackDown or the subsequent edition of Raw (or address R-Truth’s admiration, which feels as though it may feature before the WrestleMania showdown with 'The American Nightmare'), he will return to WWE television in a different capacity soon.

Advertisement

The 16-time world champion is set to appear on-screen as a full-fledged heel for the first time since 2003 on the March 17th edition of Monday Night Raw.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett