Following a November 2022 NXT match in which he was injured by a ruptured quadriceps muscle, R-Truth had a difficult road to recovery. Even though he suffered a serious injury—a torn quadriceps—it was made worse by a severe infection and a hole in his knee, which nearly caused him to retire.
At first, the injury was thought to be a torn quad tendon, but the infection made it appear more complicated. Due to the infection and the hole in his knee, R-Truth was unable to flex his knee for three months. He faced serious emotional and mental difficulties as a result of this experience.
Despite the doubts and concerns about his career, R-Truth pushed through it. While speaking to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Truth shared that his journey back to the ring was mentally and emotionally challenging. However, he was determined to overcome those obstacles and return to the sport he loves. He emphasized the significance of being one’s own cheerleader and continuously pushing oneself, especially when motivation may be lacking.
“The part of the injury that I would say was questionable was it got infected and there was a hole in my knee. Oh, yeah. I had a hole in my knee. See, people thought I just tore my quad tendon. It was an infection. I went like, really, three months without even bending my knee because they had to get the infection under control. So mentally and emotionally, once I got past that stage, I was pretty much ready for the rehab. The rehabilitation was like a cake walk. I was ready for that. When you’re hungry and you’re thirsty and you want it, you just go get it.”
R-Truth further acknowledged that he had concerns about whether he would be able to continue wrestling, given the severity of the injury and the complications that arose from the infection. However, he remained disciplined and had faith in his ability to recover and return to the squared circle.
“Yes. Oh, yeah. Concerns out the yin yang. ‘Cause you gotta think, I had five different infections in my knee along with MRSA, staph, their cousins and brothers and sisters, too. Yeah, you’re thinking that. I thought all those thoughts. All those thoughts, I felt all those emotions. That’s where it comes from; I always tell people you have to be your own cheerleader sometimes. Sometimes you gotta push yourself. You gotta shake your own pompoms sometimes. I don’t even know if that was PG. But sometimes you gotta mentally discipline yourself or mentally stay real, true to yourself. ‘Cause sometimes motivation don’t be there. Life can send stuff your way where motivation ain’t there. Discipline and just having that faith and knowing, man. Now you see me now.”
