The journey to becoming one of the most promising names in WWE has not gone anywhere near how it should have for Bronson Reed.
After being released from his contract in late 2021, Adelaide-born Reed returned to the juggernaut professional wrestling company the next year, landing a comfortable spot on the mid-card, though still not one of the top stars.
Then in mid 2024, Reed found himself in a program with one of those top stars, Seth Rollins, and in the ensuing months, he began to be pushed as one of the company’s key prospects. However that was brought to a screeching halt in November last year when, during a match at one of WWE’s major premium live events, Survivor Series, Reed jumped off the top of a cage and broke his talus bone in half.
The Australian wrestler’s push was over and Reed was put on the shelf again.
“I just remember I jumped off the cage and, I’ve jumped off of that height before… and never once did I put my foot down,” Reed tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ. “And for some reason, when I jumped off that cage, my instincts kicked in and I put my foot down, and then that’s what broke my talus bone in my foot, which is a terrible injury to have ’cause it’s hard to rehab from. So in the moment, I remember it happening, and I wasn’t even in pain. I think I was in more shock, like, ‘Oh no, what’s this gonna mean?’
“I stood up and I walked backstage. The doctors didn’t think I had anything broken because I was able to walk. But then [WWE chief content officer Paul Levesque] came and sat with me backstage, and he was trying to reassure me… I went to stand up and I couldn’t stand up.”
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Given he’d already been let go once, Reed thought this could be another dead end for his relationship with WWE. Even more devastating was the fact he was been primed for a feud with another top WWE superstar, CM Punk, prior to the injury.
The injury meant Reed would miss the popular Royal Rumble, WWE’s debut on Netflix in January, and WWE’s flagship event, Wrestlemania.
But something Levesque (also known by his ring name Triple H) told him something that gave him a reason to be optimistic: “He called me himself, and he said, ‘Just worry about rehabbing and getting yourself right again…when you come back here, you’re gonna be in the right spot.”
Luckily for Reed, that’s exactly what happened. Fast forward to May 2025, and Reed returned as part of the company’s biggest heel (pro wrestling term for bad guy) faction, alongside current World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, fellow prospect Bron Breakker and arguably WWE’s greatest ever talker, Paul Heyman.
The group, now coined The Vision, now regularly feature in the main event scene and Reed is bigger than ever. This past weekend, he wrestled one of WWE’s biggest names in recent years, Roman Reigns, at its Clash in Paris.
“I think for me, a big change is when I got released from WWE and I came back, I sort of came back with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, knowing that I need to be as confident as possible and show them I can do this. I’m supposed to be here,” he says.
L-R: Bronson, Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker
When the WWE returns to Perth this October for its Crown Jewel premium live event and WWE Raw and Smackdown shows, Reed will get the opportunity to show his home country how far he’s come.
And though he’s currently featured as a heel, he’ll have a tough time getting the thousands in attendance at RAC Arena to boo him.
“If they cheer me, hell yeah, I’m, I’m all for it. I’m Australian. I hope they cheer for me.But if they boo me, I’m used to that as well, you know?” Reed laughs.
“At the moment, especially with our group, Seth Rollins is a heel, but he gets everyone sings his song. Bron is a heel, but everyone likes to bark for him. So I’m sort of that third guy that makes sure that the people are booing!
“But in Australia, it’s the one place where I don’t mind if I get cheered.”
WWE’s takeover of Perth and Melbourne will also include John Cena’s final appearance in Australia, current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and fellow Australian superstar Rhea Ripley. Tickets are available via Ticketek here.
