R-Truth's Stunning WWE Exit, Telegraphing John Cena's Future, More Quick Takes

Hot on the heels of a round of releases that fans are still buzzing about, R-Truth announcing his pending departure from WWE with the company opting not to renew his contract stunned the wrestling world on Sunday.

The news comes one week removed from his heavily touted Saturday Night's Main Event clash with John Cena and two days on from his final appearance on SmackDown. It was the ultimate indicator that this new regime under TKO is about anything but loyalty.

This summer in WWE will also see John Cena continue to reign as undisputed WWE champion, but for how much longer is the question. Many aspects of his heel turn have been disappointing thus far, leading fans to question whether stretching out this title reign until the end of the year is truly for the best.

In fact, his SmackDown segment this past Friday with Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso and Logan Paul may have foreshadowed what the next steps of this storyline with Cena are going to look like.

This installment of Quick Takes will discuss what's in store for Cena this summer and beyond, pros and cons of Mariah May reportedly heading to WWE, why SmackDown staying three hours long is the wrong call, and more.

Stephanie Vaquer, Jordynne Grace Call-Ups Are Pivotal Moment in Triple H Era

Triple H has nailed the call-ups of several NXT stars in the last three years while dropping the ball on others. So, it's imperative Stephanie Vaquer and Jordynne Grace fall in the former category.

Per Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, both NXT standouts were believed to be main roster-bound imminently. Vaquer was then confirmed to be joining Raw in a social media post from general manager Adam Pearce on Friday evening, also announcing her for a women's Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier on Monday.

Grace's status is unknown as of now, but it was telling that she lost to Vaquer at Battleground when Jacy Jayne wound up winning the NXT Women's Championship from Vaquer two nights later.

Both women are phenomenal pickups for the main roster, having dominated everywhere they've been including NXT. Along with Giulia and Roxanne Perez, they can change the landscape of women's wrestling in WWE the same way Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch did a decade ago.

The booking of the women's scene in WWE has been an Achilles' heel for Triple H, largely in regards to the subpar storylines they've been subjected to. The star power and the talent are unquestionably there, but it's entirely up to The Game to feature them accordingly to ensure they get over with the audience.

Vaquer ascended to stardom in NXT in record time and therefore she must maintain that momentum on Raw by either qualifying for Money in the Bank or being placed in a program of equal value.

As for Grace, either a feud with Nia Jax or immediately targeting the Women's United States Championship would be the best use of her from the get-go on the blue brand.

Whether women's wrestling can again become WWE's top attraction under Triple H following these exciting additions to the main roster will play a major factor in determining his success as a booker long-term.

Pros and Cons of Mariah May Reportedly Leaving AEW for WWE

Following weeks of rumors that Mariah May was on her way out of All Elite Wrestling, PWInsider confirmed on Friday she was indeed done with the promotion upon being removed from the online roster page. It was added that she's expected in WWE sooner rather than later.

From being featured prominently on AEW TV from the moment she debuted as an admirer to Toni Storm to dethroning her as AEW women's world champion in her home country of England at All In to putting on the best women's match in the history of the promotion at Revolution 2025, she practically had the perfect run.

Signing an extension would have allowed the 26-year-old to stick around a little longer, but realistically, nothing she could have done was going to top everything she accomplished with Storm.

May seemingly saw the opportunity to capitalize on her soaring stock by jumping to WWE and decided to take it.

Although The Glamour will be a fantastic fit for the WWE system, the biggest issue is her timing. She's coming in right when the company is in the midst of promoting and pushing so many exceptional talents. So, despite being main roster-ready, she'd be best suited for an NXT stint first.

There, she can fill the void the aforementioned stars left behind and capture the NXT Women's Championship relatively quickly. She'll have her WrestleMania moment one day, but at her age, there's no need to rush her rise.

Meanwhile, AEW can use her departure as a chance to spotlight some fresh faces in its own women's division.

R-Truth's Departure Is Sign of a Bigger Issue Within WWE

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No one will confuse the 53-year-old R-Truth with being a young up-and-comer, especially after the incredibly decorated career he's had in the last two decades.

That doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't still have immeasurable value to WWE that goes far beyond any merchandise metric.

Comic relief is virtually a lost art in today's WWE, and there wasn't a single Superstar on the roster who excelled more with what they were (or often weren't) given than Truth regardless of where he was positioned on the card.

Between his impressive longevity and ability to turn almost anything into comedy gold, his connection with the audience was unmatched and amounted to many memorable moments. Stars who fill a certain role such as Truth are necessary in a company that prides itself on providing premium sports-entertainment content. Having that variety is paramount.

Moreover, Truth departing the promotion hammers home this is a different era of WWE under TKO. Loyalty is no longer under consideration when determining who stays and who goes. Outside of the very top talent, everyone is expendable in the eyes of officials.

While R-Truth being let go won't cause the company's booming business to crumble, it could have long-term ramifications on backstage morale and general unease over spots not being secure.

The ruthless new regime will seemingly favor the bottom line above all else.

SmackDown Staying at 3 Hours Is Wrong Call

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Although SmackDown's quality has suffered significantly since expanding to three hours at the onset of 2025, WWE and USA Network have reportedly extended the experiment indefinitely thanks to viewership exceeding expectations, per WrestleVotes Radio.

The blue brand's roster is stacked with stars, but the booking of the show hasn't been this lifeless in nearly a decade. Raw on Netflix has clearly been a much bigger priority for Triple H this year, relegating SmackDown to afterthought status with repetitive matchmaking and dull storylines.

The blue brand wasn't the strongest show even at two hours, but the third hour has caused the company to become complacent with it. Many matches are meaningless because they're booked solely to fill out the excessive runtime, and in turn, it's a taller task for fans to invest in the Superstars.

That isn't to say everything about the brand has been abysmal this year. The tag team scene has heated up in a major way, Tiffany Stratton has shined as WWE women's champion and Jacob Fatu has found his footing as a singles star, but the rest of the show is in desperate need of a creative overhaul.

That's infinitely harder to pull off with the extra hour.

No weekly wrestling show should be three hours in length. The extra exposure for certain stars is irrelevant when little is being done to deviate from the norm and justify the increased amount of television time.

WWE Telegraphs John Cena's Future with SmackDown Segment

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If it wasn't already obvious what the next stretch of John Cena's heel run is going to entail exactly, WWE likely just telegraphed it with what happened at the end of Friday's SmackDown.

Cody Rhodes rekindling his rivalry with Cena upon returning from his month-long absence indicated that a WrestleMania 41 rematch between the two is locked in for the next Saturday Night's Main Event, SummerSlam, or both.

Regardless, considering the minimal effort that has apparently been put into maximizing this heel run for Cena, it's for the best that the promotion pivots and has him lose the belt back to The American Nightmare before the summer comes to a close.

An endorsement of Rhodes would presumably follow, effectively turning The Unseen 17 babyface in the process. His first feud as a face would have to be with Logan Paul, with whom he teased tension during their segment on SmackDown.

Aligning Cena with Paul for now should theoretically turn more fans against him, and facing him sometime in the fall—or as early as Clash in Paris on August 31—would achieve the opposite effect.

It would be a missed opportunity for WWE to not have Cena run it back with CM Punk while The GOAT is still a heel if only for the never-before-done dynamic, but Cena's farewell tour has been underwhelming enough that pulling the trigger on him embracing the audience again ahead of schedule could be what salvages the storyline.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.