WWE Star Bronson Reed Names Pro Wrestling Big Men Who Shaped His Career

WWE star Bronson Reed, who has created quite a splash in recent weeks on "WWE Raw," falls into the rare category of incredibly agile powerhouses. 

Reed recently appeared on the "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" podcast, where he named the wrestlers who inspired him to break into the industry. The Australian was asked his opinion on the many comparisons fans have made between him and historic "big guys." 

"I do watch a lot of those guys, like I said Vader, Bam Bam, I even — more modern stuff, like I grew up, you know, my teenage years are sort of shaped by like a Samoa Joe," he claimed. 

He noted how athletic Samoa Joe is and admitted that he went down a similar path as the "Samoan Submission Machine" in the end. The former NXT North American Champion further admitted that Joe shaped his early career in the indies, but once he broke into WWE, he took a path similar to Bam Bam Bigelow. Reed briefly recalled how he paid homage to Bigelow in "NXT," but has since changed his gear. 

Additionally, he was told that he reminds people of Mark Henry's "Hall of Pain" run due to his anger, which he also seemed flattered by. 

"I was a big fan of Mark Henry and what he did," Reed said. "I want to keep it that way as well where everything I do has a sort of violent nature behind it that's a little more distinctive."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.