Why WWE Released Bronson Reed, Triple H Unaware Of Releases

Bronson Reed being released by WWE was Vince McMahon’s call. Also, Triple did not know NXT talent were being released last week until it was actually taking place.

Why WWE Released Bronson Reed

For about a month now, WWE has been having some NXT wrestlers appear on Main Event or before TV starts. Typically, WWE does this to get a better idea of wrestlers they are looking to call to the main roster.

Bronson Reed worked a few of those matches. Then, when he dropped the North American Championship, it seemed he was headed to RAW or SmackDown.

Instead, he was released in a surprise move. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon made the decision.

WWE already planned to bring Reed up to the main roster. But, after watching his matches, McMahon changed his mind.

Therefore, since he was not joining the main roster, McMahon saw no need to keep him around. Remember, McMahon wants to redo NXT to make it more developmental like OVW or FCW.

Reed signed with WWE in January 2019 and debuted as part of the first Breakout Tournament. He won in the opening round, before losing in the quarterfinals. 

After working some random matches, Reed was inserted into the North American title picture around March of this year. After a few tries, the Australian won the belt in May. 

He dropped the title after forty-two days to Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. He returned to NXT a month later and lost to Adam Cole.

The match with Cole ended-up being his final one in WWE. For someone his size, Reed has amazing skills and will likely not have trouble finding a new promotion.

Meanwhile, he already called out AEW’s TNT Champion Miro. Reed could make an appearance once his thirty-day non-compete clause ends.

Triple H Unaware Of Releases

Last Friday, WWE held SmackDown and nothing too special happened on the show. Although, there was lots taking place behind the scenes as the show unfolded.

During the two hour show, WWE decided it would be a great time to release NXT talent. In the end, twelve wrestlers and one referee were let go.

Now, WWE releasing a large number of employees is nothing unusual. They have been doing it frequently since the pandemic started and already over fifty wrestlers were let go in 2021.

In, what can only be considered a surprise, two key people were left out of the loop during the releases. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that Triple H and Shawn Michaels were unaware of cuts. 

In fact, they did not know until Johnny Ace started making calls. NXT is Triple H’s baby and Shawn Michaels stepped up recently to help talent.

So, not including them in plans is absurd. Also, we noted how some are blaming Triple H for losing the Wednesday Night War to AEW.

The way WWE has been going, there is no telling what is next when it comes to releases. If you like to bet, there seems to be a good chance more people will be let go in the coming weeks and months.