- 14 hours ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00We got the opportunity right on the night of his first Monday Night Raw in months,
00:07his return to Monday Night Raw.
00:09Bronson Reed came from the ring to sit down with us here on the Raw Recap
00:14and have a little conversation.
00:18Welcome to WWE now and welcome back to the WWE.
00:23Bronson Reed, fresh off of his first Monday Night Raw back
00:28and Bronson Reed, a wise man once told me
00:30that the most awesome returns are done
00:35where the guy is either wearing sunglasses
00:38or a leather jacket upon his return
00:40and you're rocking that leather jacket, my friend.
00:43Welcome back.
00:45Thank you. Thanks for having me.
00:46I mean, I think for a long time, I've been a cool guy.
00:50You know, Bronson Reed isn't just a big guy that destroys people.
00:53I'm very handsome as well.
00:55Kevin Nash once told me that.
00:56So now Big Sexy 2.0 is here and I'm taking over Mondays again.
01:01At what point while you were gone, did you kind of make the decision
01:04when I come back, I'm going to be physically transformed?
01:08I'm going to be one of these guys that returns after months
01:11and just looks like a completely different specimen.
01:15I think for me, you know, it was a personal choice.
01:17I wanted to get in different shape.
01:20I also think I've been in this business for such a long time
01:23that if you don't evolve, you die.
01:25And I think the character of Bronson Reed,
01:27if you watch it over the last few years, is constantly evolving.
01:31And yes, I've had some roadblocks.
01:33You saw me jump off of a cage, break my foot,
01:36had to come back from that.
01:37And I was a different iteration of myself that time
01:40when I came back and joined the Vision.
01:41Now this time, tearing my bicep in Atlanta,
01:45then last night returning in Atlanta in the same arena,
01:49I had to make sure I was a new version of myself yet again.
01:52It's actually interesting, you know,
01:54I mean, when you frame it like that,
01:55a lot of times when people go away from injury,
01:58you get worried that the confidence is going to get shot.
02:01You know what I mean?
02:01Especially like you come back and as an athlete,
02:05you're wondering if you still have it in you,
02:07if you're still going to be that guy,
02:09if you're going to be worrying about an injury.
02:11But I feel like when you bring up the foot,
02:14coming back from that injury,
02:16you were clearly on a different level
02:18and the Vision did what the Vision did.
02:20But I feel like even in the last, you know,
02:2324 hours between Sunday night's main event
02:25and between just the promo time
02:29as well as the beatdown on Obafemi tonight,
02:32it feels to me like you are in a highly confident place
02:40and in a spot where it feels like you have returned
02:44to kind of stake claim
02:47to what you believe is yours on this roster.
02:50Yeah, you know, I don't think it's any secret
02:55how long I've been in the wrestling business.
02:57You know, next year marks 20 years for me.
02:59I've always wanted to be a pro wrestler.
03:00That's what I've done since I was 18 years old.
03:03So for me, being in that ring comes so natural.
03:06Like that's my home.
03:07And so I'm very confident in what I do
03:10and I have been for a long time.
03:12And I think I have some of the sharpest tools
03:14in the trade right now.
03:16It was more so that I kept getting those roadblocks.
03:19You know, even if you go back and you see me in NXT,
03:21I did get released.
03:22I had to go prove myself again,
03:24show the world how great I am.
03:26And I'm very happy to do that.
03:27And now you're right.
03:29Now that I have transformed myself, lost 45 pounds,
03:32I'm moving around a lot different.
03:33I'm very confident in my skills even more.
03:36So I can do more things in the ring.
03:37So the chip on my shoulder is definitely growing
03:39and it's just going to keep on growing.
03:42Well, Bronson, when your name comes up,
03:45it always is synonymous with your signature move,
03:48the tsunami, which is just devastated.
03:51So many different people took LA night out
03:53for a significant amount of time among so many others.
03:56You come back a different version of yourself,
03:5945 pounds lighter.
04:00Was there any part of you that when you climbed up
04:04to hit that first tsunami
04:06that had any type of concern about the impact
04:09now that you're such a different version of yourself
04:12and a different athlete?
04:15Yeah, I think, you know, I see this a lot online as well.
04:18People saying it's not going to be as impactful,
04:19but they're completely wrong.
04:21I understand that like the mass of what I was
04:25landing on someone from 10 feet in the air,
04:27of course, that's going to hurt anyone.
04:28Of course, it's going to keep him down.
04:29But now I can accelerate it even more
04:32because I am lighter.
04:33I can jump higher.
04:34I can jump further.
04:35And I come down with even more force
04:36because I can pretty much propel myself better.
04:39So the tsunami actually is maybe the only finisher
04:44right now I know in WWE that has never been kicked out of.
04:47Since its inception in 2019 in NXT,
04:51no man is kicked out of the tsunami,
04:52and I plan on keeping it that way.
04:54Yeah, and it's resulted in a pinfall victory over Roman Reigns,
04:57which I think also not a lot of people can say,
05:00especially about this version of Roman Reigns.
05:02But that's the other thing, too,
05:03because I think I've seen this same crowd online, right,
05:06that we're sitting there talking about the relation
05:08to weight loss and aura loss.
05:11And I think that that was a concern, right,
05:13when the Instagrams were going out.
05:15Is he going to lose his aura?
05:16But I think what people fail to realize
05:18is that saying, quote-unquote, I lost 45 pounds
05:22does not exactly paint the picture of what you did.
05:26I mean, I don't know that I've ever seen
05:27your shoulders go across that wide.
05:29You're sitting there with your arms crossed right now,
05:32and your chest is protruding.
05:34I mean, you look like a massive power lifter.
05:37Look at the size of those arms.
05:40Like, you don't even look.
05:41Here's the thing.
05:42Here's the thing.
05:43I lost 45 pounds,
05:44but I actually gained an inch in either arm.
05:46So I'm 20-inch arm, like it's not,
05:49like this is the harsh reality of what I did
05:52is I didn't just lose weight and become skinny fat
05:54like a lot of the neckbeards online
05:56that are talking about me.
05:57I actually put in hard work,
05:59and I was lifting six times a week.
06:02I'm doing my cardio.
06:03I'm doing everything I can
06:05to be the best version of myself.
06:06And you know what?
06:07I think it's very true.
06:09If you want to be successful,
06:10you're going to have haters,
06:11and I'm going to be very successful,
06:13so please keep hating me.
06:15Yeah, I have to imagine.
06:17The correlation between people
06:19who leave comments online
06:22and use a tape measure to measure their arms
06:25is probably very few.
06:27I don't think that there's a lot of people.
06:29I will say, you know, I will admit,
06:31I guess I did get the tape measure out
06:32because, you know,
06:33that's how I know how big my arms are.
06:35So I guess I'm admitting that I did do that.
06:38Bro, if I was going up to 20 inches,
06:42yeah, I'd have the tape measure out too.
06:43Well, listen, they grew.
06:44You had to remeasure
06:45because you had to get new suit jackets.
06:47You know, that jacket.
06:48Also, that leather jacket you're wearing,
06:50come on.
06:51You had to get that poppin'.
06:53No, that's true.
06:54That's true.
06:54What goes on in your head
06:56when you realize, like,
06:57I mean, the return is obviously
06:58going to be a big deal, right?
06:59And I'm sure that as you're putting in
07:01all this work
07:02to kind of show everybody,
07:04hey, this is what I'm doing.
07:05The minute they see you,
07:07they're going to know
07:07that you haven't exactly
07:08just been sitting on your ass
07:09while you've been at home.
07:11You've been working
07:12as hard as you've ever worked before.
07:14But when you realize
07:15that not only is that going to pay off,
07:17but it's going to pay off
07:17in a moment
07:19where you're in there
07:20taking out
07:21another one of these people
07:23that in the WWE,
07:25another one of these superstars,
07:26we were talking about this before.
07:28I mean,
07:29going into SummerSlam,
07:31the tagline of Obafemi
07:33and Brock Lesnar was,
07:35they're both unbeatable.
07:37One is going to be proven
07:38as unbeatable
07:40and one is going to be beatable.
07:41Obafemi came out of that match
07:43as unbeatable
07:44and in your return,
07:46you laid him out.
07:47I can't imagine
07:49that if you had been able
07:50to concoct any scenario,
07:52you could have come up
07:53with a better moment
07:54to return on.
07:55Of course.
07:56And this is the thing,
07:57like,
07:58beforehand,
07:59like I said,
08:00you know,
08:00at my heaviest here in WWE,
08:02I was 350 pounds.
08:03With the vision
08:05this last year
08:06before I injured my bicep,
08:07I was 320 pounds.
08:08And even at that size,
08:10even after all the things
08:11I've done,
08:12I was still sort of seen
08:13as an underdog.
08:14And I want that to change
08:15because I am not an underdog.
08:17Like you said,
08:17I am the man
08:18that beats the unbeatable people.
08:20So Obafemi,
08:22you know,
08:22being the very top
08:24of the mountain
08:24at the moment,
08:25I'm very happy
08:26to climb up that mountain
08:27than stay there
08:28on the bottom and die.
08:29I'd rather try dying
08:30climbing the mountain.
08:31So the thing is,
08:33if you go back
08:34and you look at
08:34Bronson Reed Law,
08:36I'll say it,
08:37I don't care where we are,
08:38but I beat Okada in Japan.
08:40I was,
08:41he was the unbeatable man
08:42at the time.
08:43I beat him.
08:44Roman Reigns,
08:45unbeatable.
08:46No one can beat him.
08:47I beat him.
08:48Now we are in the era
08:50of Obafemi.
08:52He's unbeatable.
08:53Just wait until I beat him.
08:56Oh.
08:57When you frame it that way,
08:58I mean,
08:58it's beautiful.
09:00It sounds like the future
09:01of WWE,
09:02right?
09:02Yeah,
09:03what about that?
09:03You know,
09:04you come back
09:04and you see the vision
09:05is completely evolved
09:07and I don't know
09:07that there are many factions
09:09that have had,
09:10I mean,
09:11so many different iterations
09:12and evolved so quickly
09:13and,
09:14you know,
09:15honestly,
09:15it's because of
09:16things happening.
09:18Injuries,
09:18whatever it is,
09:19you have to figure out
09:19where we're at now,
09:20where we're at now.
09:22For you to come back now,
09:23you join the vision
09:24and it's Seth
09:25and it's Braun
09:26and then Seth is out
09:27and then you're evolving
09:28and evolving.
09:29You come back now
09:30and it's Braun Breaker,
09:32it's Logan Paul,
09:33it's Austin Theory.
09:35Do you enter into this faction
09:38feeling like you're the leader?
09:40Do you enter in this faction
09:41feeling like you have to prove
09:43that you're a leader?
09:44Is there a leader?
09:45Well,
09:46here's the thing.
09:46I feel like with the vision,
09:47we're very different
09:48to every other faction in WWE.
09:50We don't need one clear leader
09:52because if you look at all of us
09:53in there,
09:53we're all stallions.
09:55Logan Paul is,
09:56look at him,
09:56look at what he's done
09:57outside of WWE even.
09:59The boxing matches he's had,
10:01everything,
10:01how successful he's been
10:02inside of WWE,
10:03he's a stallion.
10:04Austin Theory,
10:05you can put him in the ring
10:06with anyone,
10:07he's going to have
10:07a five-star match,
10:08a stallion.
10:09Braun Breaker,
10:10dubbed the future,
10:11he is my brother.
10:12I don't think there's anyone
10:13better than him
10:14in the business right now,
10:15a stallion.
10:16And then you have myself
10:17and I'm not going to say
10:18I'm the leader
10:18but you can say
10:20daddy's home,
10:21100%.
10:21You know what I mean?
10:22I have the experience.
10:24I've been in this game
10:25a long time.
10:26I know how to get
10:26a little gritty
10:27when you need to get gritty.
10:28You know,
10:29I'm happy to be
10:29that little bit of difference
10:31to the vision
10:31and all of us together,
10:33I think we're pretty unstoppable.
10:35Yeah,
10:35that's an interesting thing
10:36again that you point out
10:37because I think that
10:38the vision is shaped
10:39around this idea
10:40of what you just said,
10:41Megan,
10:41about being the future
10:42of the WWE
10:43but for you,
10:46you just said
10:47like you're the one
10:48who's looking at a clock
10:49more so,
10:50not that you're anywhere near
10:52being done with this
10:53but you're looking
10:53at a different clock
10:54than Braun Breaker
10:55is looking at,
10:56that Logan Paul
10:56is looking at.
10:57Are you looking
10:58at this thing now,
10:58now that you're back
10:59from this injury
11:00going,
11:01no,
11:02I'm not here
11:02to build on potential,
11:05I'm here to execute
11:06now,
11:07immediately?
11:08Yeah,
11:08100%,
11:09like that match
11:10with Ober and Braun,
11:11it was who is the future,
11:12in my opinion,
11:14that is Braun.
11:16Other people,
11:16they'll say Ober
11:17but I'm not here
11:18to talk about the future,
11:19I'm here to talk
11:20about the now
11:20and Bronson Reed
11:21is the now.
11:23So I'm ready
11:23for all of my opportunities,
11:24I'm ready for everything.
11:25Like I said,
11:26I'm in the best shape
11:27I've ever been in.
11:28I have a wrestling IQ
11:29higher than anyone
11:30in this business,
11:31I don't care who
11:31you put up against me.
11:33I've been studying
11:34in this game
11:34for a long time,
11:35I've trained
11:36in the dojos
11:37in Japan,
11:37I've wrestled
11:38all around the world,
11:3920 something countries,
11:41there's no one
11:41that stacks up to me
11:42when it comes
11:43to wrestling IQ either.
11:44I'm ready
11:45and primed
11:46to be a world champion,
11:48to be a WWE champion
11:49so I'm going to
11:50take home my opportunities
11:51and I'm going to
11:51do it right now.
11:53Man,
11:54I love it.
11:54We got to have
11:55a much longer
11:57conversation one day
11:58about your history
11:59in this thing
12:00because I don't think
12:01that that's a story
12:01that people really,
12:03no,
12:03I don't think it's a,
12:04I don't think it's a story
12:05that people take
12:08knowledge of,
12:09the wrestling IQ
12:10that you have
12:11because of
12:12not only your experience
12:13but the depth
12:15of your experience,
12:16the places that you've been.
12:17Talking about going
12:18to Japan,
12:19like the,
12:20what we've seen
12:21of you in WWE
12:22is really
12:24only a limited scope
12:26of what you've
12:26actually done
12:27in professional wrestling.
12:29Oh yeah,
12:29100%
12:30and like,
12:31I think people
12:32are going to start,
12:33like if you really
12:33want to dig deep,
12:34you're going to see
12:34all these things,
12:35you're going to see
12:35like the guy
12:36that trained me,
12:37trained by Antonio Inoki,
12:39I got the hell
12:40beaten out of me
12:40for a couple of years
12:41before I even,
12:42you know,
12:42was ready to go
12:44around the country
12:45and wrestle as much
12:45as possible
12:46but,
12:46you know,
12:47I'm from a small town
12:48on the opposite side
12:50of the world,
12:51I'm never even supposed
12:52to be here.
12:53The fact that I am here,
12:54the fact that I went
12:55through the indies,
12:56I was told no
12:57multiple times
12:57by WWE
12:58that I finally
12:59made it here,
13:00I was released,
13:01I still came back,
13:02injury,
13:03injury,
13:03and still
13:05can't stop me.
13:06I am
13:07pro wrestling's
13:08version of a zombie.
13:09That's what I am.
13:10I'm the pro wrestling zombie
13:11and I cannot be stopped.
13:13You're going to,
13:14they're literally
13:14going to have to
13:15behead you,
13:15dude.
13:16They're going to
13:16physically take your head
13:18off your body
13:19because it's the only
13:20thing that they
13:21can do to stop
13:22Bronson Reed.
13:25Well,
13:25man,
13:26I appreciate you
13:28doing this.
13:29One of these days
13:29we'll sit down
13:30and we should sit
13:30down in person.
13:31Yeah.
13:32Just cutting out.
13:34Yeah,
13:34we were just
13:35cutting out for a moment
13:36but Bronson,
13:37we appreciate it,
13:38man.
13:39Congratulations.
13:39Welcome back
13:40and can't wait
13:41to see where
13:42this is going.
13:44Thanks for having me.
13:45Keep watching.
13:46You know,
13:46I think everyone's
13:48going to be
13:48pleasantly surprised.
13:49I think people
13:49are starting to
13:50jump on the bandwagon
13:52of Bronson Reed
13:53and for the ones
13:53that have been down
13:54since day one,
13:54they understand
13:55the hype
13:55and all the new
13:56people you might
13:57as well got on now
13:57because the train
13:58is going to take off.
13:59I love it.
14:01Choo-choo.
14:03Let's go.