Appreciating the Bizarre Greatness of WWE Star R-Truth

August 29 was Ron "R-Truth" Killings' 10-year anniversary with WWE after returning to the company in 2008, and the former NWA champion has continued to delight fans with his bizarre antics both in and out of the ring ever since.

His career has spanned over 20 years going all the way back to 1997 when he began working on the independent scene, but he was first introduced to worldwide television audiences in 2000 as Road Dogg's tag team partner, K-Kwik.

His speed and agility helped complement Road Dogg's style of brawling, but his rapping skills were what he used to help define his character, and it's something he continues to use to this day.

After he and Road Dogg broke up, Killings won the Hardcore Championship twice in the span of 48 hours, but he ended up losing to Crash Holly within minutes on both occasions. This all happened at house shows, but the reigns are recognized by WWE. 

He would wind up finding greater success after he left for TNA, where he won the NWA World and Tag Team Championships twice each before the company ended its partnership with NWA. 

Truth became the second world champion in TNA history when he defeated Ken Shamrock on August 7, 2002, becoming the first and only African-American to ever hold the title. 

He has won gold in multiple promotions, but he is best known as the Superstar who has a tendency to talk to imaginary friends every so often in WWE.

R-Truth is 46 years old and can still perform like a man half his age. His physique is enviable and his charisma is off the charts, but it's his funnier segments that stand out as the most memorable moments of his career.

Let's start at the beginning of his journey from being a solid midcard star to a reliable comedic performer.

It all began when Truth was being built up as a challenger to then-WWE champion John Cena at Capitol Punishment 2011. He was a heel at the time, but what he did on the June 6 episode of Raw wound up turning heads.

He was supposed to apologize for throwing a drink in a fan's face the previous week, but he chose to come to the ring dressed as a Confederate soldier singing a song about all the Little Jimmys of the world.

It was the first time fans got to see what he was capable of as a performer when given quality material to work with, and he took the opportunity and ran with it. He never defeated Cena for the title, but that episode of Raw wound up being the night his imaginary friend, Little Jimmy, was born.

The best gimmicks in pro wrestling are the ones you could never explain to a non-fan without sounding like you are making everything up.

For a few years, R-Truth was a grown man with an imaginary friend his tag team partners and opponents would often treat as a real person. It would sound ridiculous to anyone who wasn't a fan of WWE, but to us, it was one of the most entertaining storylines of the year.

This character led to him getting more title shots and appearing in the ring with big stars like Vince McMahon, Cena, Triple H and many more. It was easily the best period in his WWE career.

When The Rock returned to the ring for the first time in seven years at Survivor Series 2011 in a tag team match with Cena, the Awesome Truth was chosen to face them because management knew it could rely on The Miz and R-Truth to give them a good match.

This wasn't the first time he was trusted to handle a high-profile situation. TNA chose him to team with Adam "Pacman" Jones during the former NFL player's brief tenure in the wrestling business. They even won the TNA Tag Team Championships together in 2007 by defeating WWE Hall of Famers Sting and Kurt Angle.

The storyline likely put him back on WWE's radar since he returned to the company less than a year after his match alongside Jones at No Surrender 2007.

The next few years saw Killings used more sparingly for random feuds with Superstars the company wanted to put over, but he always maintained the comedic part of his character during those times.

WWE used him to parody the real-life controversy surrounding Steve Harvey announcing the wrong winner at the 2015 Miss Universe Pageant the night after it happened. Truth was presenting the Slammy Award for Diva of the Year and declared Paige the winner before realizing Nikki Bella was real the name in the envelope. 

The same night saw Killings win the LOL Moment of the Year, but Santino Marella may still have the trophy if Truth never caught up to him.

His next standout moment happened during the 2016 Royal Rumble. He entered the ring at No. 12, but he mistakingly grabbed a ladder thinking it was the Money in the Bank match. Kane promptly eliminated him in less than a minute, but the hilarious blunder became a new part of his gimmick.

Truth then began randomly showing up on Raw and SmackDown thinking he was somewhere else before apologizing and exiting the same way he entered. He wasn't wrestling as much, but his hilarious antics always got a pop from the crowd.

His tag team with Goldust also produced some great moments between the two veterans. Their alliance didn't get them any championships, but it did lead to a breakup feud that was a return to form for both Superstars. When Truth has to turn off the comedy, he can be just as serious as anyone else.

His most recent set of appearances have reminded fans of how funny he can be, even if he is trying to challenge Carmella to a women's title match for reasons nobody but him understands.

Tuesday's match against The Miz also proved he can still perform against someone who many would consider one of the top stars in the company at the moment.

Some people feel the measure of a wrester's success is the number of titles they have won or the number of times they have been in the main event of WrestleMania, but there are other ways for people to leave a lasting impression on the business.

Five-star matches and edgy, adult-oriented segments are fine for some, but what we all need to remember is WWE mainly targets children and teenagers with its product. This is why comedy characters like R-Truth, Breezango and The B-Team will always be featured prominently.

Today's roster is capable of producing Match of the Year candidates on a weekly basis, so being able to create little moments the fans will remember months and years down the line is important to ensure the product stays fresh. 

R-Truth is the kind of performer WWE can put into any situation knowing he will meet or exceed expectations. He can play the serious heel if needed, but he is best used as the guy who puts a smile on the face of everyone in the arena.

While he may be remembered for his comedic persona, Killings has an impressive resume full of championships and standout moments. Don't be surprised if he ends up in the WWE Hall of Fame someday. If a guy with a parrot can get in, so can a guy with an imaginary friend.