R-Truth Discusses How Rap Got Him From The Halfway House To WWE

R-Truth has been wrestling with consistency since 1997, but before he became the most decorated 24/7 Champion history, R-Truth was struggling to find his way in life.

Speaking on New Day: Feel The Power, Truth recalled his journey to WWE and how Jack Crockett saved him potentially going down the wrong path.

“I met Jack Crockett in a halfway house and he saw being me and saw my pictures, I had em in jail, just to keep my spirit up, and he saw that and felt I didn’t belong there. God has always put rams in the bush around me, to protect me. I thought Crockett wanted to give me a job cutting his grass or something, who meets somebody in the halfway house and be on the up-n-up about doing something with them? The plan was to meet somebody to invest in my music career and I become a big rap star and I could get the deputies from watching inmates to be my personal security. Crockett told me, ‘Get back to you, won’t be money, but it won’t cost you anything but time and dedication.’ I turned him down for two years because I wasn’t grown up enough. I still wanted somebody to give me what I wanted. Went back-and-forth to jail those two years. I was ready for a change. Music was looking bad. I called Crockett and said, ‘Whatever I need to do, I’m willing to do it.’ He took me to three WCW shows. When Ric Flair’s music hit and the crowd went up, Crockett said, ‘You see that, that’s you. You could be there rapping and dancing. Then in the ring, you fight. Mix it all together and be you, be original.’ I soaked it in. I did the Independents for maybe three years. Once they knew Jack brought me in, people were offering to show me everything. Manny Fernandez wanted to train me. He trained me for two years, I ended up at NWA Wildside. I was doing something that was different. I was rapping my own music and creating my own audience. I sent the tape in, got a call back from Terry Taylor at WWE within two weeks. Next week, Vince flew me up. Next week, I had a contract at my door,” said Truth.

After signing with WWE, Truth thought he would be out of developmental and onto television in short order. When he wasn’t, he contemplated quitting developmental until he caught the attention of Road Dogg.

“Road Dogg saw me in development. I was about to quit because I was there for almost nine months. They told me I would be there for six months. It didn’t seem like anything was working out or going right. I was running out of money and sleeping on Daniel Bryan and Brian Kendrick’s floor. I was ready to quit. I was discouraged and questioning myself. I told Kevin Kelly and Bruce Prichard that I wasn’t re-signing and I was going home. Road Dogg came to the TV taping and saw me rap. When I came back to the locker room, guys were saying, ‘Road Dogg asked about you.’ When I talked to him, he said, ‘Was that you rapping?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘You wanna be my tag partner?’ ‘On TV?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Man, I’m about to quit. I don’t think this is for me.’ He said, ‘I know you’re discouraged, you give me one month, I’ll have you on TV.’ In less than one month, they were coming up with ideas for me and Road Dogg in New York at the restaurant and I was making my Raw debut,” he said.

Truth was named K-Kwik during his first run in WWE, making his main roster debut in November 2000.

Now, Truth remains a featured performer on WWE Raw, always involved in 24/7 Title segments. He also serves as a co-host on Raw Talk.

Elsewhere during the podcast, Truth discussed the famous photo of him alongside 2Pac. You can find that story by clicking here.

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