More details have emerged about the situation between Jonathan Gresham and Ring of Honor/All Elite Wrestling.
On July 24, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that Gresham requested his release ahead of ROH Death Before Dishonor, where he was scheduled to defend his ROH World Championship against Claudio Castagnoli. Gresham lost the gold to Castagnoli at the pay-per-view.
Sapp then reported an update, which provided more details. Regarding the meeting between Gresham and Tony Khan, where the champion reported cussed the AEW president out, Sapp cited sources who stated that Gresham was heated and displeased with the direction of the booking and his character specifically. The report notes that Gresham spoke with QT Marshall in the week leading up to the show, and Sonjay Dutt was also “point of contact.”
However, with Gresham’s frustration stemming from his creative, he didn’t get answers from Khan, and they didn’t have a meeting until the day of the show. The report went on to describe the process of talent speaking to AEW coaches and others, who relay the messages to Khan, particularly those about booking.
Sapp went on to describe how AEW sources believe that Gresham had his mind made up ahead of the meeting. The ROH Champion was said to be heated, likely due to his passion about ROH and his character. Gresham’s vision for his creative direction reportedly differed from what Khan had in mind. Specifically, Gresham didn’t favor his heel turn, but Khan and ROH believed it was part of a “bigger picture.”
The report also noted that several former AEW talent have discussed a lack of communication within talent relations, so Gresham’s case isn’t an isolated incident.
WrestleZone will provide more details as they become available.
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