Current WWE Raw star Bronson Reed has addressed criticism surrounding his WWE return following his successful run with NJPW.
After Reed was let go by WWE in August 2021, the star had dominant runs with both IMPACT and NJPW.
Many thought that NJPW was preparing to push Reed as a major star following his victory over Kazuchika Okada in the 2022 G1 Climax tournament.
Reed ultimately returned to WWE under the Triple H regime, making his comeback on the December 19, 2022 edition of Raw.
Speaking on the Out of Character podcast, Reed recalled the reaction to him rejoining WWE after his NJPW push.
Discussing his WWE return, he said:
“I beat Okada and now I’m back in WWE. People were like, ‘Ah, he could have done this with this company, but now he’s here.’
“To me, I went to Japan and I did something pretty incredible that a lot of men haven’t done in the past 10 years, and that’s pin Okada in the G1.
“I was a standout in that tournament and I made sure to stamp my name in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Now that chapter is shot, and now I’m back in WWE, and I want to do the same thing.
“I want to come to WWE and wrestle guys like Bobby Lashley, maybe future world champions and things like that and stamp the Bronson Reed name here in WWE.
“You’re always gonna have those haters that hate you either way. I had the same thing when I was released and I was being put in a place like New Japan.
“People were like, ‘Oh, he doesn’t deserve to be here, or or go back to WWE or whatever.’ Then I come back to the WWE and it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah. You should have been in New Japan.’
“There’s always someone hating you for something, but I feel like if you don’t have any haters, you’re not successful, so I’m doing pretty good.”
Noting that he wasn’t hesitant to return to WWE, Reed said:
“No. It is something I weighed up. I did have an offer from them as well as at the same time speaking with Hunter and WWE. For me, it was the unknown that attracted me so much to WWE.
“There was so much that I wanted to do my initial run. I got to NXT, I’d become North American champion, but I never got to be in a RAW or SmackDown or do any of the premium live events like a Royal Rumble or WrestleMania, Backlash, any of these things.
“So that was the big thing that persuaded me is I wanted to be a part of those things and see how I go because I feel like WWE is obviously the mecca of pro wrestling, but it’s also the place where people can either become something really special, or they can sort of stay stagnant, and I want to see if I can become special.
“That’s why I came back and already I’ve been at Elimination Chamber, about to be on Backlash, and I’m going to keep gunning for more.”
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