Pro wrestler Jonathan Gresham talks drive to get back into ring after suffering two strokes

Jonathan Gresham is 1 of nan champion professional wrestlers connected nan independents correct now, but location was a infinitesimal successful clip erstwhile his profession could person been finished.

Gresham revealed successful August 2025 he suffered 2 strokes that could person been a complication from a "bad lawsuit of COVID." He vowed to return to nan ringing and he did. On Jan. 23, 2026, Gresham was astatine nan Beyond Wildest Dreams arena and defeated Ryan Clancy.

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Jonathan Gresham, right, appears successful a Ring of Honor match. (Provided to Fox News Digital)

He talked to Fox News Digital astir what keeps him going aft nan abrupt aesculapian issue.

"I am, really do you opportunity it? I dream I’m utilizing this word correctly, but I americium an empath. I consciousness for people. I realized this aft I came backmost from my strokes," Gresham said. "Before my strokes, and I talk astir this a batch actually, earlier my strokes, I was a very introverted personification but I cared very profoundly for group but my connections pinch group wasn’t arsenic I had hoped and I would ever benignant of beryllium bummed retired to myself astir these things. After my stroke, I retrieve sitting location connected nan furniture and my full near broadside was paralyzed and I couldn’t move and I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and nan adjacent day, God gave maine nan expertise to locomotion around. So, I looked astatine that arsenic a 2nd opportunity to unrecorded life a different way."

Gresham said, since then, he’s recovered nan expertise to open up to people more. He wanted to attraction connected helping chap pro wrestlers connected nan independent segment effort to find their footing successful nan industry.

"So, since then, I’ve grown person to group that I’ve known for years successful nan business. That’s because I’ve opened up much to them. Random people, that I meet connected nan thoroughfare and connected planes, astatine malls, astatine nan movies, I talk to people, I get to cognize people, I spell retired of my measurement to talk to group and get to cognize people," he said. "And because of this, I’ve created relationships that I would person ne'er had before.

Jonathan Gresham and Tiger Mask compete successful a bout during nan New Japan Pro-Wrestling 'Best Of Super Jr.' astatine Korakuen Hall successful Tokyo connected May 23, 2019. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

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"So, I’m looking astatine life a batch otherwise now. And that benignant of makes maine consciousness much for my comrades successful nan wrestling business. When I spot them aimless wandering nan independents and not knowing wherever to spell and erstwhile they talk to me, I tin consciousness their frustrations. I tin consciousness really frightened immoderate of these young group are and I desperately want to create a abstraction to research what pro wrestling tin be. I want them to research nan pro wrestling they person successful their mind."

Partly, Gresham suggested, is that nan accrued entree to pro wrestling gives emboldened fans to critique everything a wrestler does.

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He doesn’t want to person young people, trying to footwear down a doorway successful nan business, beryllium subjected to changeless criticism.

"So, premier example: erstwhile I started wrestling, I was caput complete heels successful emotion pinch Rey Mysterio and Bam Bam Bigelow. So, I had nan clip to execute and do what I loved astir pro wrestling and from that, I grew into who I americium today. Today, I started astir 2005, YouTube was astir but it wasn’t to nan constituent wherever each show that takes spot was being streamed aliases shown connected YouTube. So, I tin spell astir and suck and bask myself without that," he explained.

Jonathan Gresham and Tiger Mask compete successful a bout during nan New Japan Pro-Wrestling 'Best Of Super Jr.' astatine Korakuen Hall successful Tokyo connected May 23, 2019. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

"But now, each nan kids increasing up successful pro wrestling, immoderate show they do is going consecutive to YouTube aliases immoderate streaming platform. So, nan problem is now they’re gonna get critiqued, not conscionable by their coaches, they’re gonna get critiqued by fans who don’t cognize their communicative aliases attraction astir their communicative and they’re saying nan astir mean things to them aliases astir them and successful a abstraction wherever they tin get it instantly. So, they’re connected their phones and they’re getting thing but antagonistic things astir them online and it kinda spoils nan pro wrestling travel early on. And I want to thief create a abstraction wherever they don’t person to interest astir that aliases spell done that anymore."

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Gresham precocious went up against Fuminori Abe successful PRODUCE by Orange Crush’s first arena connected Monday. He was a co-producer for nan show.

The 2nd arena is group to return spot connected July 16 astatine White Eagle Hall successful Jersey City, New Jersey.