Bronson Reed credits Paul Heyman with the creation of the "Mr. Nice Guy" character.
Reed, a former NXT North American Champion, was released by WWE in a wave of cuts in August 2021. He then had a successful run with IMPACT Wrestling and NJPW before he returned to WWE in December 2022. Since he arrived on WWE Raw, he has enjoyed some success, and WWE recently tweaked his character by presenting him as "Mr. Nice Guy". Reed commented on this persona in a video package on the April 17 episode of WWE Raw.
Speaking on Out of Character with Ryan Satin, Reed was asked about the "Mr. Nice Guy" character and whether it was his idea. He responded by noting that Paul Heyman came up with it. Reed noted that Heyman is a great mind of the business, so he felt compelled to go with it when Heyman suggested the idea.
“That wasn’t actually my idea. I’ve been watching a few different Australian television shows that has a character that’s sort of similar to what I do, and the ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ was actually Paul Heyman. He suggested that. Obviously, when such a great mind of the business like Paul Heyman suggests anything, you should go with it because he knows what he’s talking about. Huge ECW fan, so if he has an idea, of course. Of course, that’s what I’m gonna go with. But yeah, Mr. Nice Guy, it is representative of what you see, like is chatting right now. I am that nice guy, you can speak to me. It’s just, when I step into the ring, that’s when the beast is unleashed. That’s when things change, and I gotta make my money. My money is by cracking skulls," Reed said.
Reed also highlighted the importance of getting ideas from other forms of entertainment. He noted that he watches movies and television shows, and he tries to take from them in order to freshen things up and produce the best stories possible in wrestling.
“I love television shows, but I’m a huge movie buff as well. I’m constantly watching movies and television shows, and I try to sort of take from them as well because as much as I love pro wrestling, I feel like when the guys take from other pro wrestlers, especially if it’s current guys that you’re working with, it just becomes a lot of the same. I think we need to try and take from other avenues or be inspired from other forms of art, and that’s how we sort of get the best stuff going in pro wrestling," Reed said.
In the same interview, Reed noted that he would rather win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship than dethrone Roman Reigns. Check out his comments here.
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