Jim Ross gives health update

[Chris]

On his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross gave an update on his health after suffering a fall last month.

Ross suffered the fall on the same day of AEW's Collision premiere episode. Despite being injured, Ross still flew to Chicago to be part of the Collision broadcast. He was on commentary for the show's CM Punk & FTR vs. Samoa Joe, Jay White & Juice Robinson main event. Ross struggled through the match with a hoarse voice.

Following the Collision episode, Ross apologized for the way he sounded and announced that he was going to step away to heal.

Ross noted on Grilling JR that the fall happened when he tripped over his CPAP (machine used to help with sleep apnea) cord while going to the bathroom in the middle off the night. He fell face-first into his end table after tripping.

Ross said he believes he suffered a concussion in the fall. He had headaches, unsteadiness, and blurred vision after falling. Ross admitted that it was a mistake to get on the airplane and fly to Collision. He thought he was doing the right thing for the company, the fans, and himself, but it was the wrong thing for everyone.

Ross said he's feeling pretty good right now and thinks he's getting better every day.

I’m feeling pretty good. You know, I think I’m getting better every day. I just had a string of bad luck, health wise, which is very unusual for me because, knock on wood, I’ve been very blessed with good health. But when you get to be 71, and you’re trying to live a young man’s life in a young man’s business and going on the road every week, it can get very challenging. So that’s kind of what I found myself in that situation. But what happened was, you know, it’s a hell of a story, at least it was for me. I got up and not unlike a lot of other people, I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so I hopped out of bed to go to my bathroom, and apparently I tripped over my CPAP cord. And when I did, I fell face-first into the end table next to my bed and the corner of it hit over here somewhere. So I had a huge knot immediately, eye swelled shut almost immediately. But I was so sleepy and so out of it that I just got back in bed. I think I actually went to the bathroom. Mother Nature won that match, and then I got back in bed.
And then the next morning, when I woke up, that was my flight out to Chicago to do that first show that we're talking about here, Collision, and that’s all I was thinking about. I woke up and I had a badass headache. But okay, a headache ain’t gonna keep JR out of work. But I had a bad headache, which was a result of the concussion. And my only thought was, ‘I gotta finish packing and get on the road.‘ That’s kind of what I did, but I was very unstable. Everything was very foggy, and I’d have been better off staying at home period, but hard-headedness and being stubborn, and I felt like I had a commitment that I’d made that I wanted to fulfill.
So I got dressed rather slowly. And my driver, I have the same driver that drives me to the airport [and] picks me up, brings me home every week, he knows if I’m not standing there ready to go, to come upstairs where I live. But I was downstairs waiting and on a little unsteady ground, and flew to Chicago. And as the day went on in Chicago, my voice kept going in and out, and I don’t know what the hell that was. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll get over it. I’ll drink a lot of hot tea or hot coffee or whatever -- hot something, and make that work for me.’ But it was just too much to overcome. And I apologize for how I sounded. I didn’t intend to sound that way. I didn’t want to sound that way. And I know I disappointed a lot of people. I disappointed me. I don’t think it made anybody in AEW real happy how I sounded, but I was doing the best that I could.
So after that show was over, I went back to the announcers’ locker room, where we all dress, all of us, collectively, a little community place, and I sat there for a little bit and thought, ‘Man, I can’t keep doing this. I don’t feel good. Something’s not right. I got here, I did the best I could. But boy, I need to get home.’ So good old Rafael Morffi, who’s taken care of me so much on the road over the years, helped me get back to the hotel. I tucked myself in, and I didn’t even get undressed that night. I wanted to make sure I could not waste any time making that flight the next morning. So I flew home, headache and all, and I’ve been here ever since. I’ve been out of the house a few times to go to Publix, go to the grocery store, maybe two or three times in the last several weeks. Other than that, I’ve got people that are helping me get groceries or whatever I need, prescriptions, things like that. But I was too unsteady to drive and sure as hell too unsteady to walk around a grocery store. So I had my housekeeper buy me a little cane, which I’m embarrassed to say I’ve used a little bit, not outside, but here in the house to help me get around so I don’t have any more falls.

Ross said he's very lucky that he woke up after the fall and that he didn't bleed out. He had a lot of blood on his pillowcase when he woke up.

Ross said he doesn't have a return date for when he's going to get back on the road, but he will be back in AEW. Ross said he appreciates Tony Khan for being patient with him and encouraging his good health.

But as far as going back on the road, I don’t have a return date. Tony Khan’s been very nice as far as, ‘Take all the time you need, and if you want to take several weeks off or the summer off, or whatever you’d like to do, just get healthy.’ So I appreciate the fact that he’s being patient with me and that he is encouraging my good health because that’s really the main thing, and it gives us all an eye-opener. There’s nothing more important than our health. And so many times, we take it for granted. I have for years. So I’m gonna be a little bit more aware of my health, I’m gonna be a little bit more aware of how I take care of myself, but in the meantime, I’ve been here at home.

Ross said it's heartwarming that fans, along with wrestlers in both AEW and WWE, have reached out to support him after the fall.

Doctors told Ross that the way his voice sounded on Collision may have just been because of the stress of his injury.

AEW announced last month that Ross would provide "expert analysis" as part of the Collision broadcast team. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are the commentary team for the show, with Ross slated to join them during main events.

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/jim-ross-gives-health-update-after-fall-doesnt-have-aew-return-date-yet

 

[Deezy]

TK even makes his commentators work with concussions.

 

[Cwalker]

Respect for working but man sometimes you gotta know when to throw the towel in

 

[Chris]

Jim Ross has no timetable to return to AEW but is hoping to be at All In next month in London.

The legendary broadcaster has been off the road since suffering a fall before the debut edition of AEW Collision. According to comments he made recently on Grillin JR, however, other health-related issues are preventing him from returning to work. Ross is still dealing with impacts from his 2021 battle with skin cancer and his doctors are concerned about the possibility of infection if he was to travel.

"I had a rough week on my leg," Ross said. "I'm not changing doctors, I'm just adding to doctors. I went to my wound doctor, he said, 'I gotta get you to a specialist who can give you an antibiotic shot.' I said, 'Why can't you do it?', 'That's not what I do.'"
"It's been a challening week, let's say. I think we've made some improvement, we've got a good gameplan but I just need a break, I need a break in the action so to speak and move on."

Ross first revealed he had been diagnosed with skin cancer on his ankle in October 2021. He underwent radiation treatment and was eventually declared cancer-free that December. Ross has been dealing with the after-effects of the treatment since.

"I don't have any timetable on returning to work. I gotta get better. I can't start traveling again when they're worried about infection and being on an airplane or an airport with an open wound, is not ideal, to say the least. It'll work out. I'm positive, I'm optomistic and I want to get back to work."

Ross also revealed he has been dealing with issues related to his sciatic nerve.

Despite his health issues, Ross is hopeful to return to AEW at All In next month from Wembley Stadium in London.

"I really want to make Wembley but right now, that's what it is, I don't know if I can but boy, I hope so. I don't want to say I have a target date but you gotta have some kind of goal, so Wembley is my goal."

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/jim-ross-gives-health-update-aiming-to-return-at-aew-all-in

 

[Deezy]

It's like his body is trying to tell him something.

Stay home and play with your grandkids.

 

[Cwalker]

JR has to take his time. Like Deezy said, your body tells you everything.

Don't rush yourself back