Bronson Reed believes his victory over Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel: Perth has become one of the defining achievements of his professional wrestling career.
Reed met Reigns in a major one-on-one contest in Australia last year, placing the powerhouse in the spotlight for one of the biggest matches of his WWE tenure. The bout featured interference and several major moments, but Reed ultimately put Reigns away after landing his Tsunami splash. For Reed, the result carries even more significance because it happened in his home country.
Speaking ahead of WWE Money in the Bank, Reed discussed what the victory means to him and why beating a performer of Reigns' stature continues to stand out.
“I think it’s very important. It’s sort of become almost a big staple of my career, the fact that I did beat Roman Reigns. I beat him in a one-on-one contest and I did it in Australia as well. I did it in my home country, and it’s one of those things I feel like even… as big as bad as I am going against someone like Roman Reigns, you’re still the underdog. So people just don’t believe that you can beat him.”
For more background on this topic, read Penta Reflects on Roman Reigns Battle, Says Money in the Bank Can Open the Door.
A Landmark Win in Reed’s Home Country
Victories over Roman Reigns are not treated like ordinary results in WWE. Reigns has spent years positioned among the most formidable and decorated names of his generation, and his aura has frequently made even established opponents feel like challengers attempting to overcome overwhelming odds. Reed’s comments underscore that dynamic: despite being one of WWE’s most physically imposing competitors, he still viewed the match as a situation in which many people would expect Reigns to prevail.
That perception made the Crown Jewel: Perth result particularly notable. Reed was not simply competing on a major international WWE event; he was doing so in Australia, with the opportunity to create a career-changing moment in front of a home-country audience. Delivering the Tsunami and securing the decision gave Reed an accomplishment that he can point to whenever his standing in WWE is discussed.
The setting also matters in the broader presentation of Reed. He has long built his identity around his size, strength, explosiveness, and willingness to overwhelm opponents with heavy offense. The Tsunami is the clearest representation of that style: a crushing top-rope splash delivered by a wrestler whose power game is normally associated with the mat and close-range strikes. Using that move to defeat Reigns provided a memorable finish on a stage designed for major spectacle.
Reed’s phrasing was also deliberate. He emphasized that he defeated Reigns in a one-on-one contest, a distinction that reinforces the importance he places on the outcome even with the match’s chaotic elements. In wrestling, wins over top-level names can shape a performer’s credibility for years. Reed sees the Reigns result as exactly that kind of resume-builder.
Why Roman Reigns Remains a Unique Measuring Stick
Roman Reigns has been a central figure in WWE’s modern era, and that position makes a victory over him especially meaningful. Whether a match involves championship stakes, family conflict, faction involvement, or a high-profile premium live event setting, Reigns has consistently been presented as an opponent who demands a different level of preparation and belief from those across the ring.
For Reed, that created an unusual contrast. He is hardly a conventional underdog in terms of physical presence. Reed has made a reputation by looking larger and more dangerous than many of the wrestlers put in front of him. Yet Reigns’ standing is strong enough that Reed said the challenger still becomes the underdog in the eyes of viewers. It is a useful illustration of the perception surrounding Reigns: opponents may be confident, powerful, and highly accomplished, but defeating him remains something audiences do not automatically expect.
That is why Reed’s statement is about more than a single win. He is identifying the match as a staple of his career, meaning it has become part of how he measures his own journey and how he wants WWE audiences to assess him. A victory in Australia over Reigns gives him a moment tied to both his professional ambitions and his personal background.
It also gives Reed a foundation for future arguments about where he belongs in the WWE hierarchy. When contenders pursue major matches or seek to establish themselves around championship pictures, the ability to reference a win over an elite opponent can be invaluable. Reed has made clear that his win over Reigns is not an accomplishment he intends to let fade into the background.
The Tsunami Continues to Define Reed’s Threat
The finish at Crown Jewel: Perth was fitting for Reed because it centered on the Tsunami. The move has become synonymous with his most destructive moments, serving as both a dramatic visual and a decisive exclamation point. It asks opponents to survive not only Reed’s size but also the impact generated when he comes off the ropes.
Against Reigns, the Tsunami did more than end a match. It gave Reed a signature image attached to the biggest victory of his career. That is often crucial for a wrestler attempting to cement a major breakthrough. Fans may remember the location, the opponent, the chaos around the contest, and the final move all at once. Reed’s Australian victory has those elements working together.
His reflection also suggests that the match remains an active part of his confidence rather than merely a past accomplishment. Reed did not describe the result as an isolated surprise. Instead, he spoke of it as evidence that he can do what others doubt he can do. The gap between perception and reality is central to his point: audiences may look at Roman Reigns and assume Reed cannot defeat him, but Reed has already done it.
That mentality is important as Reed heads into another significant WWE period. WWE Money in the Bank has traditionally carried enormous implications for performers seeking to change their trajectory, whether through ladder-match opportunities, major singles bouts, or the momentum that comes with appearing on one of the company’s most prominent events. Reed is set to face Oba Femi at Money in the Bank, putting another major challenge in front of him.
Reed Takes Momentum Into Money in the Bank
The upcoming match with Oba Femi presents a different type of test, but Reed’s comments about Reigns provide insight into how he approaches high-stakes opposition. Reed knows that imposing size alone does not always make him the favorite in the eyes of the audience, particularly when the opponent carries a commanding reputation. His experience against Reigns shows that he embraces the chance to overturn those expectations.
Femi brings his own imposing physicality and rising profile to the matchup, creating a contest that could be shaped by power, impact, and endurance. Reed’s history suggests he will be eager to turn the match into another statement opportunity. Having already called the Reigns victory a major career staple, he will undoubtedly understand the value of adding another notable result to his record on a major WWE stage.
Reed’s comments are also a reminder that WWE careers can pivot on one signature win. A wrestler may spend years developing an identity, accumulating victories, and searching for the moment that convinces fans they belong at the highest level. For Reed, Crown Jewel: Perth supplied that kind of validation. He defeated Roman Reigns in Australia, finished the match with the Tsunami, and emerged with a result he considers central to his legacy.
As Reed continues forward, the Reigns win will remain a powerful piece of his case. He may be viewed as an underdog against certain elite opponents, even with his intimidating presence, but he has already shown that expectations can be overturned. In his home country, against one of WWE’s defining stars, Bronson Reed delivered the biggest statement of his career—and he clearly has no intention of allowing anyone to forget it.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.