Mike Chioda Reveals Vince McMahon Loved R-Truth’s Accidental US Title Win After Botched Finish

A match botch that became one of WWE’s most talked-about unscripted moments is getting a fresh round of attention — and the backstage reaction it drew from Vince McMahon is just as entertaining as the moment itself.

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda recently shared his recollection of the infamous 2019 SmackDown moment when R-Truth captured the United States Championship from Shinsuke Nakamura ahead of schedule. The finish came early after Nakamura failed to kick out of a pinfall at the intended time, leaving Chioda no choice but to slap the mat a third time and award Truth the belt.

When a clip of the incident resurfaced on X, Chioda responded with a candid account of what happened. “I remember that! R-Truth told me the wrong finish and Vince loved it! Funny shit!” he wrote, confirming that McMahon — rather than being upset — actually got a kick out of the unplanned outcome.

R-Truth himself shed more light on the situation during an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, explaining that the match had several more planned sequences remaining before the scripted ending. “If I can remember this correctly, we had maybe another two or three more spots to go, and that was it. I was going to get it anyway,” Truth said.

He also explained why Chioda had no real option but to count the fall. “There was a strict rule. If you don’t kick out at three, the referee’s gonna get fined. You better slap it down. So, Chioda just did his job.”

With the count completed and Truth already celebrating, WWE opted to let the result stand rather than walk it back. McMahon’s embrace of the moment turned what could have been an awkward backstage incident into a feel-good chapter in Truth’s career — proof that in professional wrestling, sometimes the best moments are the ones nobody planned for.