Bronson Reed (JONAH) Says His Heel Character In NXT Would Have Drawn Inspiration From “Chopper” Read

The NXT we see today is very different than the one Bronson Reed was once a part of.

On August 6, WWE made a handful of releases with no name more surprising than Bronson Reed. Reed was coming off a run with the NXT North American Championship and had been working dark matches on the main roster.

Just under one month ago, WWE launched a revamped version of NXT dubbed NXT 2.0. The set, colors, music, and feel of the show were a complete departure from what fans had come to expect. Speaking with Cultaholic Wrestling, Reed shared his belief that there is likely more synergy between main roster WWE and NXT now than before, noting that the changes are likely in part to make sure that less talents get lost in translation.

“Yeah, I think there is now so that the whole rebrand and NXT 2.0 is to make sure that the talent that is going to Raw and SmackDown, are Raw and Smackdown ready,” Reed said. “I think the big problem was that for the last few years, we got told that NXT was a third brand and that it was its own entity, so guys like myself, Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and all these guys that, you know, were more pro wrestlers than entertainment base, we saw NXT as that wrestling show as something that was different to Raw and Smackdown. So we worked a certain way, but if we needed to change and go to Raw or SmackDown, we could do that. Whereas now, I sort of see NXT 2.0 as just another WWE product.”

During his time in NXT, Reed was seen primarily as a babyface. If he was still with the company and asked to do more character work, he’s quick to point out that there are many things he could have done or, at the very least, suggested. 

“I mean, I could have suggested many things. I prefer to sort of be one [a character] that is sort of myself heightened at a ten, but we never got to see a heel Bronson Reed, so I would have liked to have seen that. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Chopper Read [Chopper]? He’s a well-known criminal in Australia and that’s sort of the way I would have wanted to take my heel character,” Reed said.

Reed previously explained that when he received the phone call on August 6, he thought it was his official call to join the main roster. You can find his full comments by clicking here.

Reed has also noted that he is in talks with the major companies, but his next move has not been revealed as of yet.

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