Jonathan Gresham captured the original ROH World Championship on Saturday at Final Battle, closing an era of honor.
The original title was held by the likes of CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, two names synonymous with ROH and two men who sent in video messages during ROH Final Battle.
While the future of ROH is currently unknown -- the company hopes to return in April with Supercard of Honor -- Gresham looks to carry the legacy of the brand.
“Final Battle was a night that was full circle for me,” Gresham told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. “I spent a lot of time with the fans at ringside. There were so many people there I knew—from the independents, from seminars, fans from smaller independent shows, like NOVA Pro [in Virginia], guys that stayed on my couch during our travels—and everyone kept telling me they had to see me win the Ring of Honor title. I have enjoyed this entire ride, so all of that meant the world to me.”
Speaking about the title, Gresham said, "As champion, it is up to me to keep the spirit and the essence of Ring of Honor alive. I will preserve and protect Pure wrestling as Ring of Honor world champion. I am going to make this championship the best wrestling title in the world. In order to do that, I need to wrestle two men who helped make the Ring of Honor title the best in the world: Bryan Danielson and CM Punk. At one time, being the Ring of Honor champion meant that you were the world’s best professional wrestler. But that moniker was taken away, and my mission is to restore honor to the title. I need to step in the ring with those two men. Until then, I’ll take on all challengers for the Ring of Honor title. I plan on defending the title, but I will only defend it under Pure professional wrestling rules, which is the way it always should have been.”
Danielson and Punk are both signed to AEW, but there was AEW and ROH crossover at Final Battle with FTR confronting new ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes, teasing a future bout between the two teams.
Speaking to Fightful, Gresham explained his wrestling philosophy, how he structures matches, and more. You can view the interview by clicking here.
