Bronson Reed Reveals How Defeating Kazuchika Okada Helped With His WWE Return

During a recent appearance on The Overnight Crowd, WWE Superstar Bronson Reed spoke about his time between stints with the company - specifically competing in NJPW's 2022 edition of the G1 Climax tournament, and scoring a victory there over the promotion's biggest star, Kazuchika Okada. Reed explained:

"These are things that are unprecedented. People didn't think that I would be able to do it, but I knew that [in] my time away from WWE, I needed to make sure that I was staying impressive. Being able to get a victory over someone like Okada - who you rarely see lay on his shoulders for three seconds - meant a lot to me. But it also meant a lot to me to be able to come back to WWE with purpose and with a newfound chip on my shoulder."

Reed initially signed a WWE contract in 2019 and competed as part of the NXT brand, during which time he won the North American Championship. However, he was released in 2021, before being re-hired late last year. He made his surprise return on an episode of Raw in December 2022.

After his initial release from WWE, Reed also spent time in IMPACT Wrestling, facing the likes of PCO, Tomohiro Ishii, and current company champion Josh Alexander.

H/T to Fightful.