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Benjamin "BJ" Whitmer, 45, who had been with AEW since its formation in 2019 as a Coach/Producer, was let go from the promotion this week in the wake of Whitmer being arrested on the evening of Sunday 6/4 in Kentucky.
An AEW Spokesperson issued the following:
"B.J. Whitmer has been terminated following his arrest on domestic violence charges. While talent and staff are ultimately responsible for their own personal actions, this behavior is intolerable within AEW. AEW has reached out to offer support to those impacted by his behavior."
Court records indicate that Whitmer has been charged with strangulation, 1st degree, a Class C felony in Kentucky, carries a potential penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison. Whitmer has also been charged with burglary, second degree. In Kentucky, that charge is described as knowingly entering or remaining in a dwelling with the intent to commit a crime. It is also classified as a Class C felony in Kentucky, potentially punishable by 5-10 years in prison.
There are no additonal details on the circumstances of Whitmer's arrest as of this writing. He was released on $25,000 bond the afternoon of Monday 6/12.
Before Whitmer is officially indicted on the charges, the case would need to go before a grand jury. There are no current court dates listed for Whitmer.
We are told that once AEW learned of Whitmer's incarceration and the charges against him, AEW immediately investigated the allegations and he was dismissed from the company.
Whitmer had been with AEW as a Coach/Producer since it was originally formed and would occasionally appear as a Judge for ROH Pure Wrestling matches. Prior to AEW, he had been with Ring of Honor off and on dating back to 2003, initially as a wrestler. Later, he transitioned into working behind the scenes full-time during the Sinclair Broadcast Group ownership era, working on travel and production aspects of the company. Whitmer also worked as a trainer for the ROH Dojo and on-screen at times as a color commentator for the promotion during the Sinclair era. He exited ROH in advance of moving to AEW.
Whitmer first broke into professional wrestling back in 2000 in the greater Cincinnati area. Beyond his time in ROH, he also wrestled for Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, former WWE developmental territory the HWA, CZW and scores of other independent promotions. He had stepped out of the ring due to neck and back issues related to spinal stenosis, last wrestling in 2017.
PWInsider.com is attempting to reach Whitmer for comment but has thus far been unsuccessful.
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