BJ Whitmer Parts Ways With Ring of Honor

[Big Red Machine]

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Posted By: Ryan Satin December 20, 2018

Pro Wrestling Sheet has learned ROH employee BJ Whitmer has parted ways with the company.

Sources confirm Whitmer resigned this afternoon from his position in Ring of Honor. We’re told BJ had been unhappy with management for months and that was his reasoning for quitting.

Whitmer made his ROH debut in 2003. After a hiatus from the ring, he returned in 2012 and went on to form The Decade with Jimmy Jacobs and Roderick Strong.

As of late, Whitmer has been doing color commentary for ROH, training at the ROH Dojo and working as an operations manager for the company. He also worked in a backstage role during ALL IN.

[Big Red Machine]

There is apparently a lot more to this story. Stuff about a leaked e-mail that I'm trying to track down.

[KILLdozer]

Psh. Who cares about Really Odd Horses?

[cero2k]

Psh. Who cares about Really Odd Horses?

all the potential combinations of words and you came up with 'Really Odd Horses'?

anyway, i didn't even know Whitmer was still with ROH to be honest

[KILLdozer]

Psh. Who cares about Really Odd Horses?

all the potential combinations of words and you came up with 'Really Odd Horses'?

anyway, i didn't even know Whitmer was still with ROH to be honest

It was the strangest I could come up with at the time.

[Big Red Machine]

Psh. Who cares about Really Odd Horses?

all the potential combinations of words and you came up with 'Really Odd Horses'?

anyway, i didn't even know Whitmer was still with ROH to be honest

Office stuff, but also certain things like timing out the PPVs (it has been said that the reason that has been much better this year than in past years was that Whitmer was doing it, not Delirious). he was also doing production stuff, a role he also apparently helped out with for All In.

[Big Red Machine]

Droppeth, the other shoe has:
(From PW Torch)

-Longtime ROH wrestler B.J. Whitmer resigned from his position at Sinclair last week. Whitmer hadn’t been wrestling in recent years and had filled a number of roles behind the scenes for the company including working as a producer and filling in as an announcer in front of the camera when needed. He was also coaching at the ROH Dojo twice a week as a trainer. The news was first reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet.

Whiter had been upset since September when he was not allowed to take a guest coaching spot at the WWE PC back in September. Sources say Whitmer was upfront about taking the guest coaching spot with ROH management back in September and had gotten approval from ROH GM Greg Gilleland. He was in his office at Sinclair when Joe Koff came with a rep from human resources and told him that he couldn’t be the guest coach at the WWE PC and that if he took the role he would be fired if he did it. The Sinclair HR person told Whitmer he’d be violating a conflict of interest clause by taking the role of guest coach at the WWE PC. Whitmer was employed by Sinclair and was not under a wrestling contract with the company.

Whitmer’s frustration with ROH management grew over the last few months and he decided to leave the company. Sources have indicated that they feel ROH booker Hunter Johnston (Delirious) might have been behind the move, as he is known to send Koff to be the “bad cop” when he has an issue with a talent or worker behind the scenes. One longtime source close to the situation said Johnston is a “turtle and a snake.” The source went on that he hates confrontation, but will be the first to tell Joe to be the bad guy. Other sources indicated they didn’t know if Johnston was involved in this particular instance, but it fits a pattern of behavior he has exhibited in the past.

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Whitmer is expected to end up with a role behind the scenes in All Elite Wrestling.

Radican’s Analysis: It’s a shame Whitmer was treated so poorly when it he had given everything he had to ROH for over a decade as both a wrestler and worker behind the scenes. Whitmer was well-liked according to sources and is expected to end up with a position in another wrestling company in the near future. It must have been extremely frustrating for Whitmer to have Koff confront him with a Sinclair HR person in his office after he was told he could do the guest coaching spot at the WWE PC.

Some reports indicated that Whitmer was upset about Danny Cage being brought in as the business manager of the ROH Dojo where Whitmer as co-head coach along with Delirious, but sources close to Whitmer indicate that wasn’t the case. Cage doesn’t have a good reputation from the people I’ve spoken too. One person said Cage has zero qualifications to coach anywhere let alone the ROH school. Another source familiar with the situation said Cage, who has a bad reputation in some circles, will prove to be a distraction.

[cero2k]

What is Whitmer thinking he can go play with WWE and ROH is going to be happy about it

[Big Red Machine]

What is Whitmer thinking he can go play with WWE and ROH is going to be happy about it

Because his contract wasn't exclusive, apparently. And if ROH didn't want him to do it, they shouldn't have ever said yes in the first place.

[cero2k]

Doesn't matter what the contract says. You don't flirt with the competition and assume everyone will be happy about it

[KILLdozer]

Doesn't matter what the contract says. You don't flirt with the competition and assume everyone will be happy about it

Are they even competition anymore or were they ever?

This isn't even 'anti-vanilla midget" talk...seriously. These "Round old hats" guys...aren't even anything near what they "supposedly" used to be. I'm surprised they're even still going really.

I get the idea, but from what I've seen these Sinclair guys and the last 10 years have NOT been good to them.

[Big Red Machine]

Doesn't matter what the contract says. You don't flirt with the competition and assume everyone will be happy about it

If they didn't want him to be allowed to do such things, they should have put it in the contract. And either way, if you don't want him to do it, you just tell him, you don't say yes and then say no later.

[cero2k]

Doesn't matter what the contract says. You don't flirt with the competition and assume everyone will be happy about it

Are they even competition anymore or were they ever?

This isn't even 'anti-vanilla midget" talk...seriously. These "Round old hats" guys...aren't even anything near what they "supposedly" used to be. I'm surprised they're even still going really.

I get the idea, but from what I've seen these Sinclair guys and the last 10 years have NOT been good to them.

ROH just outbid WWE and AEW when they signed Bandido. It's not a ratings war, but there is definitely competition

[KILLdozer]

Doesn't matter what the contract says. You don't flirt with the competition and assume everyone will be happy about it

Are they even competition anymore or were they ever?

This isn't even 'anti-vanilla midget" talk...seriously. These "Round old hats" guys...aren't even anything near what they "supposedly" used to be. I'm surprised they're even still going really.

I get the idea, but from what I've seen these Sinclair guys and the last 10 years have NOT been good to them.

ROH just outbid WWE and AEW when they signed Bandido. It's not a ratings war, but there is definitely competition

Still drinkin' from the holidays? Only because they let them have him I'd say. There's no one out that could ultimately beat the figures they'd lay down if they really wanted to sign someone.

[cero2k]

Doesn't matter what the contract says. You don't flirt with the competition and assume everyone will be happy about it

If they didn't want him to be allowed to do such things, they should have put it in the contract. And either way, if you don't want him to do it, you just tell him, you don't say yes and then say no later.

No one is saying he isn't allowed, he didn't get fired, it's just common sense. They are two opposing companies, if I want to go and code a project for Google, I need to quit my current job. If he's not loyal to ROH, then fuck off and do your thing, otherwise you tell them " sorry I have to decline, appreciate the offer, but I work for ROH and it would look bad. Maybe in the future we can work together"

And it's two different people that gave him the yes and no, you want to blame them for having different opinions and expressing them at different times, go ahead, but no one is flip floppying here.

[Big Red Machine]

Doesn't matter what the contract says. You don't flirt with the competition and assume everyone will be happy about it

If they didn't want him to be allowed to do such things, they should have put it in the contract. And either way, if you don't want him to do it, you just tell him, you don't say yes and then say no later.

No one is saying he isn't allowed, he didn't get fired, it's just common sense. They are two opposing companies, if I want to go and code a project for Google, I need to quit my current job. If he's not loyal to ROH, then fuck off and do your thing, otherwise you tell them " sorry I have to decline, appreciate the offer, but I work for ROH and it would look bad. Maybe in the future we can work together"

And it's two different people that gave him the yes and no, you want to blame them for having different opinions and expressing them at different times, go ahead, but no one is flip floppying here.

Two different people gave him the answers, but according to the article, it's the same person making the decisions, but using someone else to be the bad cop. It's a tactic bookers and promoters have used for years. Why do you think everyone hated JR and Johnny Ace during their tenures when it was always Vince making the decisions?
And if the reason he got different answers is because Koff and Delirious had different opinions, then Koff should have talked to Delirious before telling BJ he couldn't do it, and if Koff is the boss and he is overruling Delirious on this, Delirious should have apologized to BJ.

[cero2k]

you're getting the story wrong, Greg Gilleland said yes, Delirious said no and sent Koff as delivery boy, and that HR person had the perfect reasoning. It still stands, Whitmer has to be stupid to think it's ok to go work for WWE while being part of ROH.

[Big Red Machine]

you're getting the story wrong, Greg Gilleland said yes, Delirious said no and sent Koff as delivery boy, and that HR person had the perfect reasoning. It still stands, Whitmer has to be stupid to think it's ok to go work for WWE while being part of ROH.

If Greg didn't have the authority, he shouldn't have said yes, and if Delirious had vested such authority in Greg, Delirious needs to respect what Greg told the talent. Whitmer has a lot of reason to be frustrated.

[cero2k]

If Greg didn't have the authority, he shouldn't have said yes, and if Delirious had vested such authority in Greg, Delirious needs to respect what Greg told the talent. Whitmer has a lot of reason to be frustrated.

Whitmer has all the right to be frustrated, what he doesn't have is common sense.