On the April 18, 2011 episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, a storyline unfolded between R-Truth and John Morrison centered around Truth’s smoking habit. Throughout the night, Morrison mocked Truth for smoking, which eventually led to a match between the two. After the match, in a surprising moment, Truth grabbed a pack of cigarettes from a fan at ringside, lit one, and blew smoke in Morrison’s face — an act that shocked the audience and sparked controversy.
Years later, during an interview with Chris Van Vliet on the “Insight” podcast, R-Truth revealed the real reason behind the unexpected moment. According to Truth, former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had caught him smoking backstage in real life — and decided to turn the incident into a public punishment. He said,
“Vince had caught me smoking — for real. So he’s like, ‘You’re gonna smoke in front of the whole arena.’ And it was illegal! You can’t do that in an arena. I broke the rules and got hit with a legit $20,000 fine.”
When asked if he actually paid the fine, Truth responded with a laugh, “Hell no! I had paying potential, but no!”
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