In a shocking and deeply concerning announcement, former Ring of Honor World Champion Jonathan Gresham has revealed that he suffered two strokes earlier this week. In a detailed post on his social media Thursday night, the 37-year-old wrestler shared the terrifying details of his medical emergency and his current road to recovery.
Jonathan Gresham Shares Details of Devastating Health Scare
Gresham began his post by describing the harrowing ordeal, which began on Tuesday when he woke up with alarming and debilitating symptoms. He found himself unable to walk, see, or move the entire left side of his body and could barely speak.
“It took me 30 minutes to dial 911, but I finally did. I woke up in the hospital, couldn’t remember what had happened,” Gresham wrote. “They told me they had done an MRI and I had two strokes.”
His account paints a terrifying picture of a world-class athlete suddenly finding himself completely incapacitated and fighting just to call for help.
A Terrifying Ordeal and an Uncertain Cause
Gresham went on to explain that while doctors have run numerous tests, the exact cause of the strokes remains a mystery. He noted that all the tests have come back clean, leaving medical professionals unsure of what triggered the event.
“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,” he wrote.
He also shared a powerful and humanizing detail about his wife, current WWE NXT superstar Jordynne Grace, who saw him being taken away by paramedics on their Ring doorbell camera and immediately flew from Orlando to Atlanta to be by his side. It wasn’t until Grace showed him a picture of his own face, which was visibly affected by the strokes, that the reality of the situation truly set in for him. “I never thought this would be something for me to worry about at 37 years old,” he added.
The Road to Recovery and an Outpouring of Support
Jonathan Gresham, who is widely regarded as one of the best pure technical wrestlers in the world, known by the nickname “The Octopus,” last competed at the Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIV event last Saturday, where he faced WWE’s Pete Dunne. He has now announced that he will be taking the next two to four weeks off to focus on his recovery and on getting medically cleared. He concluded his post with a message of resilience, stating, “I will be back soon.”
Jonathan Gresham’s shocking and brave announcement has been met with a massive outpouring of love and support from fans, fellow wrestlers, and promotions across the entire wrestling industry. The news is a sobering reminder of the fragility of health, even for world-class athletes. As “The Octopus” begins his journey to recovery, the entire wrestling community is united in wishing him a full and speedy return to health, whenever that may be.
