Bronson Reed Thought He Was A "Made Man" Before WWE Release

Bronson Reed's 6 August WWE release came as a surprise to the former NXT North American Champion.

Speaking on his new JONAHDROME podcast, the 33-year-old claimed that a conversation with Triple H, coupled with the impression that he was due for a long reign with NXT's secondary men's singles title, had led to him thinking he was a "made man" in the company (h/t Fightful):-

“I thought I was a made man. In speaking to Hunter after the match, I shook his hand, hugged him, and he said, ‘Bronson, you are money.’ From there, I thought I was a made man. Everything moved so quickly. I was champion for a few weeks, I got put into some different storylines, and I thought I was going onto more singles-based storylines as North American Champion. Speaking upon creative, it seemed to me from creative that I was going to be North American Champion for a long time, at least until the end of this year. Then things, all of a sudden, changed.”

Reed's name was the most surprising on the list of wrestlers released by WWE on 6 August, which also included Mercedes Martinez, Bobby Fish, and Jake Atlas.

Of those let go that day, Alex Zayne (the former Ari Sterling) has made the biggest post-WWE splash by appearing for both IMPACT Wrestling and Ring Of Honor. Martinez has several indie dates confirmed, Fish is heading to MLW, and Atlas has retired from wrestling.

An Australian national, Reed faces potential visa issues to keep competing in the United States:-

Tomorrow I become a free agent.I am confident in myself and my abilities. Although being terribly mismanaged by a company recently makes me nervous about having to find a new employer in 60 days.

Thanks for all the support! I'm sure I'll be back to kicking ass in no time! pic.twitter.com/ordFMB6Kpg

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— JONAH (@JONAHISHERE) September 8, 2021

The big man has teased hopping to NJPW and AEW since leaving WWE. No such moves have materialised, though Reed has only legally been a free agent for 12 days.