WWE: How R-Truth Will Reach the Top of the Company in 2012

R-Truth is in a bitter rivalry with his former partner, The Miz, and he appears to be gaining momentum in his quest to be the top star in WWE.

Truth has had somewhat of a roller-coaster career in WWE. He first appeared in the company as K-Kwik years ago as part of a team with Road Dogg, he rapped in that gimmick too.

He moved to TNA where he not only held the NWA Championship, but he also had a memorable program with Adam "Pacman" Jones as Tag Team Champions while Jones was suspended from the NFL for a year.

He later returned to WWE as R-Truth. He was brought in through weeks if videos and he showed up as a happy-go-lucky rapper who loved his fans and wanted everyone to like him.

He seemed like he had a good push at first and ended up holding the United States Championship in what was a less than memorable run.

After a long while, he seemed stuck in the mid-card matches until he turned heel on his friend John Morrison. The two had been having trouble before Truth snapped and beat him mercilessly one night on SmackDown.

Once he turned heel, it all came together for Truth. He found his groove as a paranoid, slightly crazy wrestler who would often be seen talking to himself in the back and during his entrance.

WWE took away his entrance music and had him talk about conspiracies and other heelish behavior during his entrance. This helped him to stand out from the rest of the generic heels in WWE.

"Little Jimmy" became the thorn in Truth's paw and he turned into one of the most entertaining heels in all of WWE. Who could forget his promo dressed in full Confederate soldier attire?

Now that he is back, he is embracing Little Jimmy in his journey to not only get revenge on Miz, but become WWE Champion.

I think 2012 will be the year of R-Truth for several reasons. The first reason is that he is showing more confidence in himself.

During last Monday's RAW when he had his back and forth with Ricardo Rodriguez before brawling with The Miz, he looked calm, comfortable and, most of all, it looked like he was having fun.

Seeing a wrestler seem nervous or anxious can take people out of the experience. Seeing Truth this past Monday, I have no doubt he is secure in his character.

Fans respond when wrestlers are having a good time in the ring. Randy Orton has embraced his more fun-loving side as of late and he has been lauded for it by critics and fans alike. Someone from the past who you could also tell was having a good time in the ring was Eddie Guerrero.

Once Truth and The Miz have finished their rivalry, I am hoping to see Truth jump into the hunt for the WWE Title. There are plenty of possibilities as far as feuds go, too.

If Jericho were to face Punk for the title at 'Mania, and win, he and Truth could have a great program. The same could be said for Miz and Alberto Del Rio, were either of them to win the title again some time down the line.

And who is to say Punk and Truth could not feud as two faces who both want the title? Face vs. face feuds can be very entertaining when billed right.

Now, I hate to bring race into this, but WWE has been looking for an African-American babyface star to push for years. It may be a somewhat sensitive subject, but it is the truth, pun intended.

They tried hard with Kofi Kingston by having him feud with Orton a couple of years ago, but a couple botched moves made that fizzle out.

Ezekiel Jackson is nowhere near ready to main-event anything, Booker T is not looking for a full-time run, Mark Henry is a heel and probably will be for a while and Percy Watson, Titus O'Neil and Darren Young won't be making waves anytime soon.

David Otunga has the role of being the legal council for Johnny Ace so I don't see him getting a real push anytime soon. That leaves Truth as the sole, top-level, African-American babyface in WWE right now.

Truth has worked for years to polish his craft and he has worked his butt off to earn the spot he has now. I am glad his recent suspension did not seem to derail his push.

It actually may have helped him because who knows when WWE would have broken him up from Miz, or if they would have even made him a babyface at all.

If there is anyone on RAW who deserves a shot at winning his first WWE or world title, it is R-Truth.

What do you think, will 2012 be the year of Little Jimmy and R-Truth's reign at the top?