What Really Happened In Botched WWE Title Switch
One WWE title change didn’t quite go to plan.
Although he’s been content to cause hilarious chaos on Monday Night Raw in recent years, R-Truth won his most recent major singles title on SmackDown.
On January 29th, 2019, Truth won the United States Title from Shinsuke Nakamura in a match remembered more for its awkward closing seconds than the actual result.
As the match moved towards its conclusion, Truth caught Nakamura in an inside cradle pin that earned him victory. But Nakamura bounced up from the canvas and the pair continued to wrestle as the referee called for the bell to declare Truth the winner sparking confusion among the crowd and viewers at home.
Unsurprisingly, the end of the match should have played out very differently.
R-Truth Explains WWE Botch
During a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, Truth recalled his second United States Title win, breaking down how things should have played out. The veteran confirmed that Nakamura didn’t kick out of the pin fast enough, so referee Mike Chioda counted his shoulders down.
The veteran added that he was supposed to win the title anyway, so the mishap wasn’t the disaster it could have been.
“That was crazy. If I could remember this correctly, we had maybe another two or three more spots to go to, and that was it.
I was going to get it anyway, but there’s a strict rule, if you don’t kick out at three (and the referee doesn’t count the pinfall) referees gonna get fined. You don’t want that.
(Mike) Chioda just did his job, Shinsuke didn’t kick out and we’re like, oh s**t, sorry. That was it, that was a wrap. He did his job.”
Truth went on to hold the title for 35 days, eventually losing it to Samoa Joe in a Fatal Four-Way Match also featuring Andrade and Rey Mysterio.
Fast forward to 2025, and Shinsuke Nakamura is again the United States Champion after getting the better of LA Knight at Survivor Series. Since then, the star has made a brief return to Japan where he defeated Ulka Sasaki at NOAH The New Year 2025.
It’s been announced that Nakamura will be back in action with WWE on the January 3rd edition of SmackDown in a non-title match against Andrade. The episode will mark the first episode of the Blue brand to run for three hours.