The Consolidated WWE Superthread

MatstaDogg

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I strongly recommend swapping from WWE to AEW.

such a better product at the moment
Yeah i had been watching AEW from their beginning but lately I have stopped watching all wrestling.
 

Ecca

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They are actually doing an ok job of the empty arena stuff.

And throw in the talk is Jericho podcast and you are golden
Yeah i had been watching AEW from their beginning but lately I have stopped watching all wrestling.
 

Wahesh

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Not the most celebrated debut in wwe history, by a long shot. When all is said and done, he’s lucky he still has a job considering the amount of cuts wwe has made to its roster lately and he seems genuinely thrilled to have made his debut, so good on him. Hopefully it will lead to better things for him.
Yeah i had been watching AEW from their beginning but lately I have stopped watching all wrestling.
They are actually doing an ok job of the empty arena stuff.

And throw in the talk is Jericho podcast and you are golden
Have you guys heard the latest for Money in the Bank?

On the April 17 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that the two Money in the Bank ladder matches would take place at WWE's global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. A new "Corporate Ladder" gimmick was also added to the matches, in which the participants must travel from the ground floor of the building to the roof in order to locate the briefcase, which itself will be suspended above a ring on the roof.

I can't help but think that this would suck balls.
 

Wahesh

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@MatstaDogg it looks like WWE are finally going to break the IIconics up if the aftermath of this match is anything to go by...

 

Wahesh

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In other news, Drew Gulak's contract expired and it has not been renewed. He's a free agent now.
 

MatstaDogg

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@MatstaDogg it looks like WWE are finally going to break the IIconics up if the aftermath of this match is anything to go by...

Wouldn't surprise me but they are better together because they work well off each other. Anyway, I got no idea what's happening in the world of wwe except that Becky is pregnant.
 

MatstaDogg

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@Wahesh I was meant to post about this last week but popular Japanese and Stardom wrestler Hana Kimura took her own life after being bullied online. She was only 22 years old and had a bright future in the wrestling industry.

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Wahesh

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@Wahesh I was meant to post about this last week but popular Japanese and Stardom wrestler Hana Kimura took her own life after being bullied online. She was only 22 years old and had a bright future in the wrestling industry.

View attachment 15072
:( Such a shame. So young and beautiful. No one should be subjected to the derogatory act of bullying - especially considering that it was due to her mixed race.
 

Wahesh

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Man she looks pretty bad when it comes to her makeup choice - I don't like those ear rings that stretch the piercing in the earlobes lol.
 

Bulldog Wrestler

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Has the potential to be the top female star for the next 10-15 years, if WWE don't screw it up.
 

Bulldog Wrestler

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Australian WWE superstar Bronson Reed reflects on pro wrestling journey ahead of another title opportunity

Written By
Liam O'Loughlin


This time of year is as special as it gets for WWE superstars - and Bronson Reed knows there will be plenty of eyes on him.

The 32-year old will again seek to claim the NXT North American Championship this Thursday and Friday, as he competes on the brand's next TakeOver pay-per-view event, Stand and Deliver.

It won't be the first time that Reed - real name Jermaine Haley - will be on the big stage, but heading into WrestleMania 37, this time is even more daunting.

Speaking to Sporting News ahead of this week's TakeOver event, Reed opened up on the incredible journey from Adelaide to Orlando.

On his TakeOver expectations and renewed confidence
Reed fought for the NXT North American Championship last year in a ladder match, but this time around, it's a completely different scenario.

The 150kg behemoth will compete in a six-man gauntlet match on Night 1 of the event, and if he is successful, will take on champion Johnny Gargano 24 hours later.

He believes his previous experience in front of the bright lights is going to serve him well.

“I’m feeling really good. We as WWE superstars train all year round, and this time of year is big for us – WrestleMania week, two nights of TakeOver. I’ve been getting prepared for this for a little while, and I feel confident going into TakeOver Night 1," he said.

“I think the first time I was on a TakeOver, it’s a big stage and bright lights – you are little bit frazzled by that.

"Now that I have had that experience, and the people that are in this match I have wrestled against a bunch, I do feel more confident going into this TakeOver than the last."

On his childhood, sporting career and early pro wrestling memories
Most kids growing up in Australia and all around the world get into watching WWE at some stage - but very few actually take it up.

And while Reed figured out he wanted to become a pro wrestler during high school, he dabbled in a wide array of sports before that.

“I was one of those kids that dabbled in everything. I did a year of soccer, I played footy for two years – as in AFL, I have to say that because if you say football here, they talk about gridiron. I played rugby for two years as well, and I played basketball for two years,' he said.

"I sort of just dabbled in everything as a child and through high school, until I finished high school and I got into pro wrestling.

“I was always a fan of pro wrestling, since I can remember. I had my uncle who lived with us at the time, he was a huge wrestling fan, so as a little kid at 2-3 years old, he was watching wrestling on TV and I guess I was sitting there watching as well. From there, I just became a fan.

"As a little kid, I was always like one day I’m going to be a wrestler, but you don’t know if that is going to happen. As a teenager, I saw some local wrestling and that’s when I was like maybe I can do this, join a school and learn how to do it locally."

On his humble beginnings in the Australian independent scene
In the past five years, the Australian pro wrestling scene has come on leaps and bounds from when Reed broke in back in 2007.

At that time, there were no Aussies competing in WWE or on a global stage, but now there are a plethora of big-name talent from Down Under.

But if you ask the man himself, he wouldn't change a thing about his early career.

“A lot of people ask me about that – I wouldn’t change the way I did it at all. It was very hard work," he said.

"When I started wrestling in Australia in 2007, getting to somewhere like WWE wasn’t really a thing that you thought of because there were no Australians in WWE. That wasn’t even in the back of my mind, I just wanted to be a pro wrestler and go out and entertain fans.

"That’s the biggest difference with where we are now, compared to when I started – now people can join a wrestling school, and there are a few reputable ones in Australia. They can have that in their back of their head and think if I get good at this, I can go overseas and get signed."

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On travelling the world and being signed by WWE
Getting to the big stage of WWE isn't easy, and Reed had to jump through plenty of different hoops to get there in 2019.

Stints in Japan, Europe and America all held him in good stead when he finally did get signed - but it wasn't all smooth sailing once he arrived.

“If the scouts at WWE get an eye on you and they see you are making moves around the world, that looks very good," he said.

"You can stay in Australia and wrestle in Australia, and they are starting to notice that a lot more and there is a lot of great talent in Australia. But if you can break out and be a great talent in Australia, but also a great talent in the UK, USA and Japan, they help your resume to get to somewhere like WWE.

“The hardest thing about joining WWE was just leaving Australia to be honest. I lived in Australia my whole life – even though I travelled all around the world for wrestling, I always got to come back home. Now I live in Orlando – I love it, I love the USA – but it is a little bit different to back home.

"The other thing is that WWE is such a big global product, and it is all a television product as well. It’s a little different to wrestling on the independent scene in front of live crowds and just focusing solely on that crowd.

"Now you have to focus on the crowd, but also the different cameras around you as well."

On changing his name from Jonah Rock to Bronson Reed
While he has been going by Reed for two years or so, Haley came through the ranks under the ring name of Jonah Rock.

The South Australian product revealed that he actually pitched his WWE ring name to the creative team, and it was something they jumped at straight away.

“I knew I couldn’t keep the Rock in WWE, I had to get rid of that part of the name," he laughed.

"I did want to keep Jonah, but after some deliberation I got to spitball some names and I was actually the one that came up with Bronson Reed. That’s what I am today. I gave them a bunch of different names, and that’s the one that stood out to them.

"I think Bronson is such a strong sort of name, it sort of fits me perfectly.

"For so many years I was Jonah, and that’s what I responded to. Now, I haven’t had anyone call me that in two years’ time and now I’m Bronson, and I completely forget that I once was Jonah."

On his favourite opponent since moving to WWE
Reed has had the opportunity to rub shoulders with some truly elite talent during his time working in NXT.

The likes of Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor are considered to be in the upper-echelon of in-ring performers across the globe.

But one of his favourite opponents is actually somebody who has now moved up to the Raw brand.

“That’s a tough one - I’ve been able to wrestle against a lot of great wrestlers since moving here to NXT," he said.

"I was a big fan of wrestling Damian Priest, who is now on Raw and doing great things. I probably would say he was one of my favourite opponents.

"Roderick Strong as well – he is someone when you step in the ring with him, he challenges you every step of the way. You know you’re in a fight when you’re in there with Roderick Strong."

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On the importance of Australian representation in WWE
Across the WWE today, there would be close to double-figures in terms of Australian talent.

The likes of Reed and Indi Hartwell have been fixtures of NXT in recent months, while Rhea Ripley and Peyton Royce are doing good things on Raw.

Reed knows just how important it is for the influx of Aussie talent in WWE to continue.

“I think it’s very important. I think representation is a big thing, and to have other Australians for kids growing up now and they can see Australians in WWE," he said.

"They can go ‘hey if I do start wrestling, maybe I can end up there’ and the dream seems a little bit more attainable than never seeing something that is like yourself on TV.

"The newer generation of Australian wrestlers at the moment are getting to learn from a lot of us guys and where we’re at now, and that’s going to help them out for the future."

On Rhea Ripley's rise to two WrestleMania title matches in a row
At just 24 years of age, Rhea Ripley is certainly flying the flag for Australia.

Last year, she faced Charlotte Flair - daughter of Hall of Famer Ric Flair - on the biggest stage in pro wrestling. This year, she is again in the title picture, this time set to face Asuka.

“It's very exciting," Reed said.

"I never thought one person from Adelaide would be in WWE, let alone both of us doing pretty well. She is killing it – she’s wrestling at WrestleMania, she killed it last year at WrestleMania as well. I think she is one of those talents that is going to continue to do that over the next few years.

"The world is her oyster – she is going to be having incredible matches for a long time."

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On working with former NRL star Daniel Vidot
Many in Australia would be following the journey of Daniel Vidot, who played over 100 NRL games across stints with the Dragons, Broncos and Raiders.

A former Samoan international, Vidot is now working his way up the ranks in WWE - and Reed was full of praise for his fellow Aussie.

“I’ve been able to work with Vidot one-on-one at the Performance Center where we train. He is a hard worker when it comes to the weights room and stuff like that," he said.

"Transitioning from rugby, finding your feet in pro wrestling is a very different thing. In this last year or so, I think he has picked it up really well. I was actually able to be a tag team partner with him a few times on the local loops here for NXT.

"Give him a little bit more time, but once he gets on TV, I think he is going to be someone that excels really quickly."

On the next breakout star from Australian and advice to aspiring wrestlers
For everyone back in Australia, seeing people like Reed and Ripley succeed is exciting - and can also be a beacon of hope.

Reed revealed that he still keeps his eye on the local scene in Australia, and also gave some words of advice to those aspiring to enter the pro wrestling industry.

“I’m still in touch with the local Australian scene all the time. I’m always watching in Sydney with PWA, back home in Adelaide it’s Wrestle Rampage and in Melbourne it’s MCW.

"There is one person I think people need to keep their eyes on, who I think the world of and a wrestler I actually helped train a little bit, and hopefully one day he will be here or killing it in Japan. His name is Tommy Knight – a wrestler in Adelaide. I think he is one to watch.

“The first thing for me in terms of advice is to find a reputable wrestling school. Look for those people – someone like myself and find out where I trained, and go train there. Find out where Billie Kay and Peyton Royce and see that they came from these schools, and go to those schools. Obviously it helped them to get to the point they are today, so the first thing to do is find a reputable wrestling school.

"The second thing to do is to do the hard work. Pro wrestling is very hard – it might seem like fun, but it’s a hard job."


If you want to see Reed perform, the first night of this week's TakeOver event will be broadcast live on FOX8 on Thursday at 10am.




 
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