Released AEW star admits to "acting very unprofessionally" in argument with Tony Khan prior to departure

A former AEW and ROH star has opened up about his controversial exit from Tony Khan's promotion. Last year, it was reported that former ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham and the AEW president were involved in a heated backstage confrontation which eventually led to Gresham requesting and being granted his release.

In a recent interview with Haus of Wrestling, The Foundation finally broke his silence regarding the entire debacle. In the interview, Gresham went into great detail about what led to the argument and admitted that he acted unprofessionally in the situation.

“I can admit that I was acting very unprofessionally while trying and failing to convey the message to my former employer. After weeks of feeling like I wasn’t being heard or blown off, I was frustrated, to be honest. All I wanted was to be heard and for the communication to be had. If they had agreed and liked my ideas and what I wanted to say, great, if not, I would have appreciated the time and just accepted the outcome.” [H/T: Haus of Wrestling]

Gresham further explained how his fruitless efforts in trying to organize a meeting with Khan were a stark contrast to the way he was treated before the billionaire owner of AEW bought Ring of Honor.

Gresham was also under a considerable amount of stress due to his mother being in hospital for about a week, he said in the same interview. The frustration, stress, and feeling of disrespect all led to Gresham's eventual outburst.

“I shouldn’t have yelled or cursed in a professional environment and I deeply regret my behavior. Since then, I’ve gained some introspection through therapy, like I was saying before, and self-reflection and I just want to set the record straight. That day at the meeting, I wasn’t supposed to have that meeting, actually. Like I told you before, I’d been asking for meetings with TK and it was finally where we were both at a Ring of Honor show and he was like, ‘Oh, let me talk to Gresham.’ When he finally had time, I imagine.”

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No bridges were burned between Jonathan Gresham and AEW

Despite the fiery nature of Jonathan Gresham's departure from AEW and ROH, The Foundation told Haus of Wrestling that he and Tony Khan exchanged warm words and shook hands to end things on a somewhat good note.

"TK, he didn’t have to, but he came over to me and said some really nice things. He told me that no bridges were burned, he shook my hand and he said he knows that I am not a bad person."

While the former ROH World Champion's run under Tony Khan's roof was shorter than many fans expected, at least both the parties involved seem to have buried the hatchet.