In the wake of Ron Killings’ return at Money in the Bank, Triple H suggested the surprising moment was simply part of the script during the post-show press conference. However, former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman has publicly refuted that claim, asserting the company is spinning a mistake rather than executing a plan.
In a video posted to social media on June 8, Coachman directly challenged the official narrative. He took specific issue with Triple H’s comments, stating:
Now what I do have an issue with is Triple H, with a little smirk on his face in the post-event press conference. ‘Do you like the show? It’s all part of the show.’ No it wasn’t. No it wasn’t. And that’s OK. But what he doesn’t want to admit is they are booking by the week. It’s not long-term storytelling.
Coachman elaborated on this point, expressing his disbelief that the sequence of events was planned.
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If it was long-term storytelling, I doubt that R-Truth getting released, coming back in a hoodie costume, John Cena, a tag team match at Money in the Bank—was part of their long-term storytelling. I seriously doubt that.
He began his “emergency truth take” by stating WWE and its parent company simply erred.
It’s OK to admit that you made a mistake. For some reason, in wrestling or sports, there’s always got to be a thousand different reasons why something was done. In this instance, TKO just made a mistake. You don’t let go one of your most popular superstars and just say, ‘No, we didn’t need him anymore,’ when there are several different ways that you can use this guy.
Coachman also addressed speculation about the financial reasons for Killings’ initial release and subsequent return, dismissing the idea that a performer shouldn’t accept a reduced offer. He used an analogy from his time at ESPN to illustrate that taking a pay cut is a common business reality.
Let’s say R-Truth is making $500K and they offered him $300K. Is he really not supposed to take that? Is he really supposed to say, ‘No, I’m going to stand on my principles?’ This is a business, ladies and gentlemen, that there are two, maybe three places you can make a six-figure, really healthy income to work there. So when you’re in that business and you’re in your 50s—I don’t give a damn if it was a 50% pay cut—I give a tip of the cap to Ron Killings and I give a tip of the cap to TKO for making it right.
Ultimately, Coachman argued the situation is straightforward.
It’s not that complicated. So let’s stop with all the nonsense that I’m seeing everywhere and just say—they made a mistake, they made it right, they’re going to capitalize by selling merch, and R-Truth can come back and be a part of a storyline because they desperately need stars that are popular. Popular.
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