Jonathan Gresham Was ‘Heated & Unhappy’ With His Character Direction Before Asking For AEW Release

Jonathan Gresham became one of the best things about ROH over the past two years. He eventually became the ROH World Champion right before the company went on hiatus. More details regarding him asking for his AEW/ROH release have been revealed.

Jonathan Gresham defended the ROH World Championship against Claudio Castagnoli. In the end, Claudio would beat Gresham for the title. Things were not well before that at all.

As previously reported, Jonathan Gresham asked for his release from ROH/AEW and even cussed out AEW President Tony Khan before the show. According to Sean Sapp behind Fightful’s paywall, Gresham met with Tony Khan and others on Saturday at 4pm ET, ahead of the show.

It was said that Gresham was heated and unhappy with the direction and booking of his character. While the meeting was supposed to be private, the majority of the locker room and staff could physically hear the conversation.

Gresham wasn’t able to meet with Tony Khan until hours before the event. Generally, it is preferred for talents to speak with coaches, who would be in contact with Khan. Conversations about booking have to be relayed to Khan.

It was added that Gresham had talks with QT Marshall and Sonjay Dutt a good few times before the pay-per-view. Gresham reportedly had a vision for his creative direction, which was different from what Tony Khan and ROH had tentatively planned.

Gresham did not necessarily want to turn heel. It was also noted that the finish of the ROH World Championship match had been at least hinted to Gresham. It is not known whether he was aware he would drop the title during the show, either. At this moment, it is also not known whether he has been granted his release or not. We’ll keep you updated on this ongoing story.

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