Former Ring of Honor World Champion Jonathan Gresham revealed that he recently suffered two strokes and will be taking a temporary hiatus from professional wrestling to recover. The 37-year-old technical wrestling standout detailed the terrifying medical emergency and his current condition in a post to his fans.
Gresham described the harrowing experience of waking up and realizing something was seriously wrong. “Two days ago, I woke up and couldn’t walk or move the left side of my body,” he wrote. “I couldn’t see and could barely talk. It took me 30 minutes to dial 911, but I finally did. I woke up in the hospital, couldn’t remember what had happened. They told me they had done an MRI and I had two strokes.”
Two days ago, I woke up and couldn’t walk or move the left side of my body. I couldn’t see and could barely talk. It took me 30 minutes to dial 911, but I finally did. I woke up in the hospital, couldn’t remember what had happened. They told me they had done an MRI and I had two… pic.twitter.com/q9tktPAlvB
— 🐙 (@TheJonGresham) August 7, 2025
He explained that doctors are still unsure of the exact cause of the strokes, as extensive testing has not revealed any underlying issues. “I’ve had a lot of tests run but everything has come back clean,” Gresham stated. “They’re not sure what happened, and the only thing they said was it could have been a possible complication from a bad case of COVID I had a couple of weeks ago. They said we may never know the exact reason.”
The news comes at a time when Gresham, a 20-year veteran of the industry, is a free agent. He is a former ROH World Champion, ROH Pure Champion, and ROH World Tag Team Champion. After Ring of Honor was purchased by AEW’s Tony Khan, Gresham had a brief run there before being granted his release. He then signed with TNA Wrestling, where his contract reportedly expired in early 2025. He is widely regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers in the world.
Gresham announced that he will be stepping away from the ring for a short period to focus on his health. “Needless to say, I will be taking the next 2-4 weeks off from wrestling to recover and get cleared fully by my neurologist,” he wrote. He also shared a story about the incredible support of his wife, TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace. “My wife saw me get carted off from the house on our Ring doorbell camera and somehow flew from Orlando to Atlanta in time that she was there when I woke up.”
He admitted that he was in disbelief about the diagnosis until his wife showed him photographic evidence of the stroke’s physical effects. “I wasn’t fully convinced I had a stroke until she showed me this photo of how my face looked,” he shared. “I never thought this would be something for me to worry about at 37 years old.”
Despite the serious health scare, Gresham ended his message on a positive and determined note, vowing to make a full recovery and return to the ring. “I will be back soon,” he promised his fans and followers. The wrestling community has responded with an outpouring of support, wishing “The Octopus” a speedy recovery.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
