Reed’s run in NXT was discussed at length as well.
Since his return to WWE in December 2022, Bronson Reed has been featured on Monday Night Raw. At the Backlash Premium Live Event, he competed in a Triple Threat for the United States Title and this past Monday on Raw, Reed was part of a Battle Royal to determine a number one contender to the Intercontinental Title.
In April, a vignette aired to promote Reed and he was billed as ‘Mr. Nice Guy’. He told Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast that he had some input with the character but the idea to be called ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ came from Paul Heyman.
That actually wasn’t my idea (to be billed as Mr. Nice Guy) but, it is sort of input so, you know, I’ve been watching a few different television shows that has a character that’s sort of similar to what I do. Australian TV shows and the Mr. Nice Guy was actually Paul Heyman. He suggested that and obviously when such a great mind of the business like Paul Heyman suggests anything, you should go with it because he knows what he’s talking about… Again, huge ECW fan. So, if he has an idea like that, of course, of course that’s what I’m gonna go with. But yeah, Mr. Nice Guy and it is representative of what you see, like us chatting right now. I am that nice guy. You can speak to me. It’s just when I step into the ring, that’s when the beast is unleashed, that’s when things change and I go to make my money. My money is by cracking skulls.
Before Reed’s return to WWE, he had a run on the independent scene, in IMPACT and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Looking back on his time in NXT, Reed feels that he got complacent towards the end.
At the time, he did not feel that way and when it comes to being released from WWE, he does not view it as a negative because it gave him the space to find himself.
The Bronson you see now has a big chip on his shoulder. So, I think I became very comfortable in where I was in NXT. I became the North American Champion and then not long after that, I was released and I was gone from the company for a good 18 months and in those 18 months, I really found myself again, found my edge and I brought all of that back with me when I debuted on Monday Night Raw so now you see the Bronson of NXT with what I was doing in my time away and it just put a chip on my shoulder and I think, yeah, I can get in there with anyone on that show so, that’s what I wanted to convey with kind of Bronson.
I think so (I got complacent towards the end of my time in NXT). At the time, being honest with myself, I didn’t think so. I thought, you know, I’m killing it, I’m doing all of this and I was. I had some great matches, I became the champion, I had a good run against Johnny Gargano and stuff like that. But I still think that I was lacking something and I found that in my time away so, I never look at that release as a negative, but more something that I found myself in.
In the cumulative time that Reed has been in WWE, no one has kicked out of his ‘Tsunami’ finisher.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Out of Character with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
