Following his release from WWE in August 2021, Bronson Reed resumed his old persona as Jonah Rock on the independent wrestling scene and gained attention in NJPW. Despite his release from WWE in August 2021, Bronson Reed made a surprising return to Monday Night RAW on December 19th. During a ladder match between The Miz and Dexter Lumis, Reed interfered and helped The Miz secure the victory. It was later revealed that Reed had signed a contract with WWE before his return.
Before his release, Reed had been a prominent member of WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, where he had a successful run as the NXT North American Champion. Before returning to WWE RAW, he also had stints in NJPW and IMPACT Wrestling.
Reed was asked about when he received his WWE contract during an appearance on Main Event Radio ahead of the WWE Elimination Chamber premium live event. He responded by saying that he had “a little bit of time to myself just to get ready to come back,” and that he was happy to be back in the swing of things and heading into WrestleMania season.
