JONAH Shares Inspiration For Using A Mononym In IMPACT Wrestling

JONAH is ready for battle.

JONAH recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about the approach he’s taking to balance working in all different promotions right now. The “Top Dog” has working agreements with IMPACT and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and he’s also set to compete at PWG’s “Battle Of Los Angeles” on January 29. JONAH said he’s still the “Top Dog” no matter where he goes, and it’s an exciting time for him.

“I think it’s more about [my] brand. I’m still JONAH, I’m still the ‘Top Dog’ in each place, it’s just in these places I work with different people and that’s when you get to see the exciting matchups. I’m very happy to be able to do what I’m doing. I have an agreement with New Japan and an agreement with IMPACT and yes, it isn’t something set in stone or for a long-time,” he explained, “but hopefully, it does become that because there is obviously, a lot of perks that come with being contracted. For the time being, I’m really happy with being able to expand and do different things and being in the third-ever ‘Battle of Los Angeles’ for PWG as well, it’s pretty exciting.”

JONAH confirmed to WrestleZone that his contract runs through April’s Rebellion pay-per-view, which has since been confirmed as taking place on April 23 in Poughkeepsie, New York. JONAH spoke about getting the chance to be out on the road again and said he’s looking forward to getting the chance to make even more towns in 2022.

“My agreement with IMPACT is through Rebellion, so I know that I’ll be out there on this tour with them through Rebellion and I think it’s exciting to be on the road and to be in different cities and for different people to see IMPACT Wrestling instead of being in one place. I very much had that with what NXT became after the pandemic, it was set in one place in Florida, and not that that’s not great [having a steady venue], wrestling there is good,” he noted, “but it’s always good when you can go to different towns and get a feel from different crowds.”

He’s been billed as Jonah Rock and Bronson Reed in the past, but now he’s just known as JONAH. Asked about the decision to use a mononym, JONAH said he briefly thought about returning to using a last name, but the one he has now is impactful, and shared one of the inspirations behind the styling of it.

“I was going by Jonah Rock, and then when I went to WWE, I really wanted to keep ‘Jonah.’ I didn’t mind what last name they gave me. I didn’t even mind if I was just Jonah one word and they weren’t having it. They wanted something that was their own, and that’s where Bronson Reed was created. So as soon as I was released, I’m like there’s 100% nothing else in my mind that I’m going back to Jonah. I think JONAH on its own is impactful. I always make sure to have it in all capitals, as you said, which is inspiration from one of my favorite rappers of all time, MF DOOM, who recently passed away. He would always spell his name in all capitals and I think it stands out.”

JONAH lost to Josh Alexander in a thrilling match at IMPACT Hard To Kill on January 8, but he’ll be back on the company’s next round of television shows. IMPACT taped content in Dallas that will air this week; read a spoiler report of what will air at this link.