Bam Bam Bigelow was the spark that ignited Jonathan Gresham's passion for pro wrestling.
Speaking with the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, the Ring of Honor Pure Champion was asked about the validity of the influences listed on his Wikipedia page. One name, in particular, stood out to co-host Petey Williams; Bam Bam Bigelow. According to Gresham, the WrestleMania XI main eventer was the one who initially got him interested in wrestling. He said the following:
"So it's not so much an influence, he's the figure that got me into pro wrestling. I was at my cousin's house and my cousin would always powerbomb me. I knew what a powerbomb was but I didn't watch wrestling. I had to have been 6 or 7 years old at the time. So he was always kicking my ass, putting me in figure four's and stuff, and this one day he didn't kick my ass because wrestling was on. So we sat in the living room and I saw Bam Bam Bigelow on television. At the time I saw him, I think he was leaving, and he just looked cool. So I never told anybody, I just started looking for wrestling again. I would try to watch whatever show he was on. So for a long time, I was just watching for Bam Bam Bigelow. Then it turned into me watching the whole show. Then it turned into me saying I'm going to be a wrestler but not knowing how. So that's pretty much... Bam Bam Bigelow is who got me into wrestling."
On the latest ROH Week-By-Week, it was announced that Jonathan Gresham will defend his ROH Pure Championship against Dak Draper at Ring of Honor's 19th Anniversary Show on Friday, March 26.
Fightful will have live coverage of the event. You can keep up with the updated lineup at Fightful's events section.
If you use the quote above, please credit Wrestling Perspective Podcast with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
