Let me preface this by saying that I’m a really big fan of Jonathan Gresham. I think that, in terms of technical prowess, he has very few peers as a wrestler. Bryan Danielson, Zack Sabre Jr., and that’s probably about it. Maybe one more that I’m not thinking of, but I’m pretty sure that’s it. With that out of the way, let’s get started.
A Short Background
When Tony Khan made the announcement that he had purchased Ring of Honor earlier this year, it opened up a myriad of booking possibilities. Perhaps some of the lesser-used wrestlers on AEW’s roster would be able to get some shine in an NXT-like ROH weekly show, instead of being sheltered on Dark, sitting over there on the promotion’s YouTube channel. It could have been a breeding ground for younger talent that needed polish like Lee Moriarty or Marina Shafir, before moving up to main AEW television. Maybe there could be some crossover appeal (we’ve seen that with FTR, and their absolutely fantastic match with the Briscoes in April of this year). But above all else, one thing was clear: Jonathan Gresham would be the face of Ring of Honor.
Gresham’s run through Ring of Honor, specifically from 2019 onward, showcased just how good he had become. In fact, he was one of the best wrestlers in the world from a technical standpoint. Gresham could fold his opponent into a pretzel in about 1,005 different ways, each of them looking more and more brutal. His “octopus” gimmick as The Foundation was a hit with the ROH crowds of 2019, and really did make him feel like a big deal in the promotion. But unfortunately, I think that this point is where our problems begin.
Narcissistic Penguin 
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