Ron Killings

The truth is one thing that all people require, but Ron "The Truth" Killings has brought a new truth to wrestling. The first NWA African American heavyweight champion has put "The Truth" into the record books. Making his WWE debut on MTV as a rapping superstar, Killings has been K-Kwik to K-Crush to "The Truth". Killings has incorporated his unique style of hip-hop and dance steps into a very lucrative music career and an equally successful wrestling career. This North Carolina native has made his way to the top and intended to stay at the top with NWA Total Nonstop Action. In this interview, Ron has went explination on how he was released from the WWE, to how much passion he has for the business of which he is famed.

So if you want more of the Truth, check out www.nwatna.com or watch him every Wednesday night on NWA: TNA’s pay-per-view.

Lekisha Oliver (LO): It’s my pleasure to talk with you today; and I was going to go ahead and get started. You just lost your belt (a few weeks ago) to Jeff Jarrett, what are your comments about losing the belt?

Ron Killings (RK): It was a great reign. Jeff deserves it. He didn’t say I just beat ya to it. At the end of the match, it was toe to toe. But he is a great competitor and a great worker. It went to the person who wanted it more.

LO: I guess it was an honor that you got to be the first African-American to hold the NWA champion.

RK: Well, anytime you make that kind of history, that’s just awesome.

LO: That’s very awesome.

RK: Oh yeah.

LO: I tried to do some research on you over the web and I could not find as much. Can you tell me a little about your background, like did you go to college or schooling?

RK: I dropped out of school in the second grade…nah I’m just kidding (Laughs).

LO: (Laughs) You got me on that one.

RK: Yeah you got really nice on that one. (Laughs). I did complete twelve years of school. I graduated in 1990 from Harding High School in Charlotte. Played sports almost all year. I ran track and football. I ran the hundred-yard dash in like a 10.6.

LO: Wow.

RK: I had a scholarship to Clemson, Georgia Tech and Syracuse for football. I didn’t take it, I had already gotten into music in the middle school years. By the time I got into high school, I was on the road opening concerts for guys like Kid-n-Play and I was more involved in music.

LO: Have you thought about going back?

RK: To football?

LO: No to school.

RK: No, ma’am.

LO: You’re doing really well with your music. Which label have you signed with?

RK: You mean like record label? I have my own independent record label.

LO: Really? What’s it called?

RK: K-Crush Enterprises.

LO: K-Crush Enterprises. Basically, is your label mostly rap or are you trying to incorporate other types of music?

RK: Yes. Let me get across that it’s a lot of hip-hop with some rock beats with it.

LO: Pretty cool. Some people have been talking about the release from the WWE, and what did you think about when they released you and what was the reason for the release?

RK: I was told that the creative staff could not come up with anything. I just signed a four-year deal.

LO: I really don’t see why they would just let you go. You had the mic skills and still do, you have physique and the look, I just don’t see why. It seems like it was just a waste to let you go.

RK: I heard that from a lot of guys in the business. I heard that from a lot of people. Just after me and Road Dogg split. (We) came up with the idea for the whole thing. I called back to try and get an explanation and I was told I was released. I could not get a call from these people. These are the people I talk to on a daily basis, and I couldn’t get a phone call from anyone. You know, I was still cool with all the guys in the locker room and everything. A lot of the guys didn’t know for a month that I was released, they thought I was hurt or off or something. A lot of the guys called and asked "What the hell’s going on? Are you released for real?" You know they didn’t call me back and tell me nothing. I wasn’t the only one that didn’t get called back about that.

LO: Who else did you hear that got that treatment?

RK: Jerry Lynn.

LO: I forgot about that.

RK: Jerry Lynn couldn’t get anyone to call him.

LO: Well you’re getting to work with him now. From what I have seen, TNA has been so much more than what Vince has been putting out lately.

RK: Yeah, definitely. And that’s the reason why the guys have been putting out that kind of stuff lately.

LO: I’m so happy that you have brought it to this area. This area has always been a hot bed or wrestling. It would be normal if it was something like Nashville or something like that.

RK: That’s what I have heard.

LO: Have ya’ll talked about moving the show around a little bit?

RK: Yeah we’re going to start touring in January. Which is something that we need to do.

LO: Yes. Especially with all the controversy when TNA first started.

RK: You know when we started and it was crazy. If it hadn’t have happened, we wouldn’t be where we are now.

LO: A lot of people have been asking me about ya’ll worldwide. It’s always asking how (TNA) has been doing. What do you hope to see in the future with TNA? If there are any expectations?

RK: I have a lot of expectations. It’s not the biggest, but we should be the next. The next level and beyond. I want us to be the ones to tap into parts of wrestling that Vince hasn’t even tapped into yet. People are just totally different. People that don’t have "names", guys like Low Ki and AJ Styles, the SATs, these are the guys that Vince wouldn’t give the opportunity because of their size.

LO: We you did know he was going to put in…

RK: The new Cruiserweight division?

LO: Yeah. And he’s trying it out in the dark matches at the moment.

RK: Well a lot of that is coming from our shows. What I heard was that Vince wasn’t fond of small guys, even me. I’m 220 pounds and he considers me a small guy.

LO: Well, he should have looked past all the Hulk Hogan’s and the Triple H’s and see the future. Evidentially he didn’t like what he saw. You know he wanted to bring some of the past back. Well, the past is the past and the younger generation, we’re looking for more exciting stuff, like X-Games, and he didn’t see that. Jeff and Jerry and TNA have put that in front of the audience, they realized how profitable that it could have been. And I think it’s coming back to get him.

RK: Like he didn’t capitalize on it or anything.

LO: I think it’s kinda good that it has come back and bite him in the backside (laughs).

RK: Oh yeah. I wanna bite him a little bit more though.

LO: Yeah, really. I mean if Jeff and Jerry can get the pay-per-views in more markets.

RK: Oh, definitely.

LO: It’s going to surpass it.

RK: I’m thinking it will. We’ve got enough guys that can work and the guys that work. if we can get on cable and work on Monday night, we could work against him.

LO: Cool.

RK: I think you have heard that.

LO: Oh yeah. Well his ratings are going down and they are still noticing. They had to bring Shawn Micheals out of retirement to try and get the ratings up. That was something he thought he would never have to do. But with his competition, including ya’ll, he had to get drastic. And that was his drastic.

RK: Even with him coming back, I’ve heard that the ratings are still the same, even with bringing back Poppa Pump.

LO: They are. It hasn’t gotten any better. At the moment, he was on Smackdown. A place where they didn’t really need him, they needed him on RAW.

RK: Yeah, I think Vince has been biting off way more than he can chew.

LO: Let’s talk about your music. You’ve been doing music since middle school, has it always been hip-hop or have you tried other types of music?

RK: I just did a song with Goldylocks. I listen to all kinds of music. A lot of people don’t know that I was brought up on country music.

LO: Well you were raised in the south (Laughs).

RK: Yeah, like my dad was a country boy. And that’s where it came from. I know a lot of the songs and it’s pretty cool.

LO: Who did you look up to music-wise growing up?

RK: Just about everyone in the business. Will Smith was one of the first ones that caught my ear.

LO: I guess with you getting hurt back a couple weeks ago, you just kept working through it.

RK: Yeah I got a concussion and pinched my C4 vertebrae.

LO: How are you since that?

RK: My head…I’m starting to get some feeling back. For a while, it felt like a piece of meat on my neck. I’m not having as many headaches any more. That’s my third concussion.

LO: Your third concussion, what other injuries have you had so far?

RK: Oh, uh..I’ve had both shoulders dislocated, two broke ribs, one fractured, a broken ankle and a dislocated hip.

LO: That hurt just thinking about it.

RK: That’s about it.

LO: That’s still a lot. Truthfully, how long have you been in the business?

RK: About 7-8 years.

LO: Who trained you?

RK: "Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez.

LO: So far along the way, what would you like to pass along, like what kind of wisdom have you learned along the way?

RK: Make sure, first of all that you love the sport. Sometimes you won’t get paid. You know what I mean. There’s a lot of BS in this business and you have to make sure that you love it and that you want to do it.

LO: That’s some very good advice.

RK: I try to tell the people how it’s going to be.

LO: To your fans and to the people reading this, is there any comments that you would like to make?

RK: Thank you to anybody that had supported me or acknowledged me. Fans that have been there behind me.

*Note: An official website is in the making. More information to come.

Many thanks to NWA Total Nonstop Action and Ron Killings for this interview. I hope to see him once again and to work with him in the future.