Kemo
10-29-2021, 10:12 PM
Nick Hausman sat down with former NXT North American Champion JONAH, f.k.a. Bronson Reed. JONAH was shockingly released last August, and he reflected on his release during the interview. Also talking about what it was like to work with legends of the business in Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
“Very much a pinch yourself sort of moment. I grew up idolizing these guys, especially Shawn Michaels,” JONAH revealed. “I’ve been a wrestling fan since I can remember, since the age of three, since I was first watching VHS tapes, and around that time, early ’90s and mid ’90s, that was the time of Shawn Michaels. I remember being a kid watching the boyhood dream come true and all of those things.
“For then, years down the line, for me to be texting back and forth with ‘HBK’ saved in my phone, sometimes I have to pinch myself and be like, ‘Oh, wow, I’m actually talking to Mr. WrestleMania,’ but it does become work, and then you become used to each other and then you tend to forget. But every now and again, I make sure to remind myself that hey, young Jonah would be so happy right now.”
JONAH then recalled what Triple H and Michaels’ reactions were when the news came out that he was released by WWE.
“I remember Hunter sitting down with me and telling me plans that we had going forward. He was always a big advocate for me and wanting me to be successful,” JONAH noted. “He was actually the one that suggested for me to do the dark matches for the main roster saying that I was ready for those matches. I don’t think he ever thought I’d be released, and I haven’t been able to speak to him since. I know he’s obviously been going through some health problems and stuff like that, but Shawn, as soon as I was released, five minutes later, he texted me, shocked, telling me to, ‘go and prove them wrong.’ That was his words to me.
“He’s such a great mind for wrestling, but also, I think in these sort of times, you sort of see who does care for you and who doesn’t. I had a lot of people reach out to me from NXT coaches, stuff like that, but then, there was a lot that didn’t, and to have him reach out and still want me to be successful, he let me know I can contact him at any time for advice and stuff like that. It shows that it’s not just about business at the end of the day. You do build these friendships and genuinely want people to succeed.”
“Very much a pinch yourself sort of moment. I grew up idolizing these guys, especially Shawn Michaels,” JONAH revealed. “I’ve been a wrestling fan since I can remember, since the age of three, since I was first watching VHS tapes, and around that time, early ’90s and mid ’90s, that was the time of Shawn Michaels. I remember being a kid watching the boyhood dream come true and all of those things.
“For then, years down the line, for me to be texting back and forth with ‘HBK’ saved in my phone, sometimes I have to pinch myself and be like, ‘Oh, wow, I’m actually talking to Mr. WrestleMania,’ but it does become work, and then you become used to each other and then you tend to forget. But every now and again, I make sure to remind myself that hey, young Jonah would be so happy right now.”
JONAH then recalled what Triple H and Michaels’ reactions were when the news came out that he was released by WWE.
“I remember Hunter sitting down with me and telling me plans that we had going forward. He was always a big advocate for me and wanting me to be successful,” JONAH noted. “He was actually the one that suggested for me to do the dark matches for the main roster saying that I was ready for those matches. I don’t think he ever thought I’d be released, and I haven’t been able to speak to him since. I know he’s obviously been going through some health problems and stuff like that, but Shawn, as soon as I was released, five minutes later, he texted me, shocked, telling me to, ‘go and prove them wrong.’ That was his words to me.
“He’s such a great mind for wrestling, but also, I think in these sort of times, you sort of see who does care for you and who doesn’t. I had a lot of people reach out to me from NXT coaches, stuff like that, but then, there was a lot that didn’t, and to have him reach out and still want me to be successful, he let me know I can contact him at any time for advice and stuff like that. It shows that it’s not just about business at the end of the day. You do build these friendships and genuinely want people to succeed.”