Why Comedy Acts Like WWE's R-Truth and Mr. Iguana Are So Hot Right Now

Worlds Collide was the first joint event for WWE and AAA, and the WWE Universe was introduced to the newest viral sensation, Mr. Iguana and his puppet, La Yezca.

Later that night at Money in the Bank, Ron "R-Truth" Killings returned to WWE just days after it was announced his contract would not be renewed. On Monday's Raw, he gave a more serious promo and cut off his braids to indicate we were seeing a new version of his character.

These two men got what were arguably the two biggest reactions last weekend and generated more buzz on social media than anyone else.

They are two vastly different characters with their own unique stories. One is new to the WWE crowd while the other is a veteran we have been watching for many years, but they have one thing in common: They rely heavily on comedic ability to get over.

Truth might be pursuing a more serious role similar to what he was doing in TNA many years ago, but the majority of his time in WWE has been as a comedy character.

With top stars such as Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Naomi and Rhea Ripley on the card, some casual viewers might wonder why two characters who focus on making people laugh would get the biggest reactions and most engagement, but longtime fans know this is nothing new.

Comedy is Common in Pro Wrestling

Professional wrestling is a medium that allows for just about every kind of story you could possibly tell to be told in the ring.

Action, drama, romance, tragedy and even fantasy have played large roles in how WWE and other companies tell stories, but comedy has always been a big part, too.

Sometimes, a serious wrestler like Cena or Kevin Owens will make us laugh, but they are not "comedy" characters. They just happen to deliver certain lines in a funny way. This is where they differ from stars like Truth, Mr. Iguana and others.

Characters designed to make fans laugh have been common in pro wrestling for decades. Promoters know the audience likes to experience a full range of emotions during a show, so booking different kinds of stories and feuds is what makes a product interesting.

If everything was always dark and serious, it would become repetitive, boring and stale. The same applies to movies, television and stage.

Take a movie such as John Wick for example. It's a film full of serious dialogue and violence, but brief moments of levity are thrown in to keep it balanced. It's a lot more fun to watch Keanu Reeves take out a bunch of bad guys if he is allowed to say something humorous once in a while.

Why is Ron 'R-Truth' Killings so Popular?

If you have only been a WWE fan for a short time, you might be confused as to why a comedic character who hasn't worked that many matches recently would get so much support from the wrestling community.

The reality is there is no one single reason. Some people like Killings because he makes us laugh, some like him because he seems like a genuinely good person, and others have been watching his career since the start and are loyal to him.

However, the biggest reason he has so many supporters is that he takes everything WWE gives him and turns it into gold.

The entire 24/7 Championship concept would have been lifeless without the 53-year-old. He made those segments some of the most entertaining moments on each show and elevated others alongside himself.

WWE even had him dress up like a Confederate soldier for his original feud with Cena way back in 2011. Asking a Black man to wear the uniform of the army that was fighting to keep his people enslaved is, at best, in poor taste, and at worst, racist.

Not only did the first African-American NWA world champion make the segment work despite all that, but he made it more entertaining than it would have been in the hands of any other performer.

Truth's real story is also inspiring. He worked to put a criminal lifestyle behind him in his early 20s and turned his life around. He went from serving time in jail to being one of the most child-friendly gimmicks in WWE. Once again, he took something bad and made it into something good.

And let's not forget Killings has a decent list of accomplishments, too.

• Two-time NWA world champion
• Two-time NWA tag team champion
• TNA tag team champion
• Two-time WWE U.S. champion
• Two-time WWE tag team champion
• Two-time WWE hardcore champion
• Won Mixed Match Challenge Season 2 with Carmella
• 54-time 24/7 champion
• Bragging Rights trophy 2009

The crowd loves him and the locker room loves him. In a business full of people who have real-life beef with each other, he received universal support from his peers. That says a lot about who he is behind the scenes.

Why did Mr. Iguana Get so Much Attention?

It's easy to explain to fans why Killings is so popular, but trying to outline why Mr. Iguana became the breakout star of the Money in the Bank weekend might be a bit tougher.

Many WWE fans had never heard of the puppet-toting Superstar before last weekend, and his popularity shot through the roof quickly instead of being slowly built.

Lucha libre has always been a little more colorful and outlandish than American pro wrestling, but Mr. Iguana is the perfect example of how fans are attracted to funny characters.

The 36-year-old didn't even have to give a humorous promo to get over. All he did was show up and do his usual routine with his puppet, La Yezca. He and his stuffed lizard captivated the crowd, and WWE took notice.

The company not only made sure he was in the front row of MITB in his full makeup with La Yezca, but he was also featured in a special video package on Raw and WWE posted about him extensively across all its social media platforms.

He was jovial and posed for tons of pics with fans in the crowd, and he seemed to impress the roster and management with his performance and work ethic. By all accounts, the guy with the iguana puppet was the breakout star from AAA that weekend.

Believe it or not, pro wrestling has a long history of people having imaginary friends. Truth had Little Jimmy, Al Snow had Head, Perry Saturn had Moppy, and Santino Marella had his Cobra arm sleeve that sometimes had a mind of its own.

Fans love these characters because they embody everything that is over the top and fun about this industry. Sometimes we want something serious like The Bloodline saga, and sometimes we need a palate cleanser that makes us laugh and reminds us not to take all of this so seriously.

Are Comedy Gimmicks Sustainable?

You might look at a character like Mr. Iguana and think he wouldn't have a long shelf life in WWE, but you would be surprised at how long some have made a career out of this.

Marella spent several years in WWE as a comedic character, as has R-Truth. Orange Cassidy, while serious at times, could also be considered a comedy character who has shown no signs of slowing down in All Elite Wrestling.

Shane "The Hurricane" Helms is another great example of someone who made a funny character last longer than expected. He spent over five years working under the mask and has made several more appearances as the character over time. And who could forget five years of The Fashion Files with Fandango and Tyler Breeze?

There is always going to be room for laughs at a pro wrestling show, so even if such characters aren't designed to be world champions, they can provide a Superstar with a long and fruitful career if the crowd takes to them.

Truth has been in this business for well over two decades while Mr. Iguana has been wrestling for over 15 years. As long as people keep buying their merchandise and tickets to see them, their respective promotions will continue to have reasons to book them.

Pro wrestling gives us an escape from reality, especially when we can laugh at what is happening on the show.