WWE Star Bronson Reed Discusses Prior Release, Passing Up NJPW To Return

Bronson Reed made waves in both NJPW and the indie circuit following his WWE firing in August 2021. As such, when Reed received the call to return to WWE, he had plenty of other landing spots to consider, including a permanent move to NJPW. In a recent interview with "Busted Open," Reed explained why he chose to return to WWE – under the new regime of Triple H and Nick Khan — rather than signing with another promotion.

"In New Japan, I rediscovered myself and redefined who I was," Reed said. "And then when I spoke with Hunter, I could have taken a contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling or taken the WWE contract that Hunter offered. I definitely had unfinished business [in WWE], I wanted to do 'Raw,' 'SmackDown' and WrestleMania — all these things that only WWE has. That was my deciding factor for coming back."

Reed is admittedly thrilled with his WWE tenure since his comeback, revealing that he enjoys being on the road and that the weekly grind motivates him to improve as a performer. "I'm getting to live the dream, I guess," Reed added. 

Since his WWE comeback, Reed has been presented as a credible threat on the "Raw" brand, winning 15 of his 25 televised matches in 2023 and maintaining a healthy overall winning percentage. On this week's "WWE Raw," Reed's domination continued as he battled Ivar of The Viking Raiders to a double count-out after he hit his opponent with a death valley driver into the barricade. After the match, the two behemoths had to be separated by WWE officials as they continued to fight on the outside. It would appear that WWE is building towards a rematch between the two 300-pounders.