Vince Russo explains why WWE released beloved legend (Exclusive)

WWE fans were dealt a huge shock this past Sunday when it was announced that beloved veteran R-Truth would be leaving the company after his contract was not renewed. The 53-year-old had been with the company for nearly two decades and had become a huge favorite among the fans.

Ever since the news of his release broke, many fans have been speculating about the possible reasons behind the legend's release. There are reports suggesting that R-Truth was offered a contract with a significant pay cut, but the wrestler rejected the deal. Former WWE writer Vince Russo, however, offered another possible reason.

While addressing the issue on the latest episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Vince Russo claimed that it was just business. He said that it wasn't a slide on the 53-year-old and that it was a business decision.

"The dude had a 19-year run. He's 53 years old. You know how much money that dude has banked? 19 years in the WWE is insane. It's all dollars and cents because what they're looking at is they're looking at what they would pay R-Truth and then they're looking at guys at NXT and they're doing the math saying we can bring five guys over from NXT. I mean, it it's all just business. I don't think it's a slide on the guy or anything like that," Russo said. [19:21 onwards]

R-Truth's release created a lot of negative publicity for the WWE. The veteran had a long run with the company and was well-loved by everyone. It'll be interesting to see where the legend would end up going to next.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Rahul Madurawe