Jonah Addresses Whether Being 'A Triple H Guy' Led To His WWE Release

Considering the fact he was a dominant force in "WWE NXT" as a former North American Champion, Bronson Reed's release in August 2021 took most people by surprise. The former WWE Superstar — who now goes by Jonah, has weighed in on being cut by the company, admitting he "100%" thinks the fact he was seen as a "Triple H guy" could have led to his release. 

"That could be a reason why, which sort of sucks because Hunter has such a great mind for wrestling and he's done so much for that company, for WWE," Jonah told "NBC Sports Boston." "He was so instrumental to all the guys at "NXT" when it was the black and gold brand at helping them ... reaching their potential. He was very hands on with the talent, and I had no bad words to say about Hunter or my time at NXT."

"But it did seem like that shift is a reason why a lot of us did get released," Jonah said. "You see a lot of guys that Hunter did put his faith into like myself or Keith Lee or Karrion Kross, these guys that he made into champions all of a sudden be released." Interestingly, since Triple H took charge of WWE's creative, he has brought several familiar faces such as Kross, Dakota Kai, and Johnny Gargano back to the company, showcasing the connection that he did create with many of the former "WWE NXT" wrestlers.

Before Jonah's WWE release he had been given the opportunity to tryout for the main roster, and he knows "for certain that Triple H was the one that put me forward to Vince." Ultimately, the former WWE Chairman didn't bring him up from developmental, and instead he was cut from the company entirely.  "I don't know if that put an 'X' on my name or anything like that," he said on Triple H being the one to vouch for him. "I like to think not, but you always are going to speculate and have these theories in wrestling, because another thing that unfortunately happens with these releases is they don't give you a reason."

"They'll cite it to budget cuts, so then you're left thinking, when I had my call with John Laurinaitis ... I instantly asked him why, I'm not gonna let you get off the phone that easy, and he sort of mumbled around and then said, 'oh, it's just a no for now,' but still didn't give me a reason just gave me a bunch of words basically," Jonah recalled. At the time WWE was releasing a large bulk of talent, and Jonah had been told by Laurinaitis that "the door is always open," during his official release, which was an obvious contradiction.

"I'm like, 'well, if you like what I'm doing why are you releasing me,'" Jonah questioned. "I didn't end on any bad terms or anything like that so you never know there could be a time when you see me again walk through that door, but for now I have different ventures I want to do." It has recently been reported that WWE could be interested in re-hiring Jonah, who could potentially be the latest name to return, but he is scheduled to work for NJPW until at least September 25 as part of their Burning Spirit tour.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "NBC Sports Boston" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.