Jim Ross provides an extensive update.
Ross suffered a fall ahead of the premiere of AEW Collision on June 17, and he was set to call the action in the main event. The WWE Hall of Famer worked the show despite the injury, but his voice was clearly affected. After the show, Ross stated that he would be stepping away to heal, and he hasn't been at an AEW show ever since.
Speaking with Conrad Thompson on Grilling JR, Ross provided an update on his health and how he is feeling. He also recalled how he fell and got hurt in the first place.
“I’m feeling pretty good. 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, 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 yo 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. When I did, I fell face-first into the end table next to my bed, and the corner 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," Ross said.
Ross continued by describing how, despite the injury, he still flew out to Chicago to work the premiere episode of AEW Collision. He noted that he felt unstable, and on the plane ride over, his voice was going in and out, but he thought he could get through it. The legend also stated that he has been at home recovering ever since.
"The next morning, when I woke up, that was my flight out to Chicago to do that first show, Collision, and that’s all I was thinking about. I woke up and I had a bad-ass 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, 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, 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. 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 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 tend 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, and I sat there for a little bit and I thought, ‘Man, I can’t keep doing this. I don’t feel good. Something’s not right. I got here, I did the best that 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 the 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 the grocery store, maybe two or three times in the last few 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," he said.
As for his potential return, Ross stated that he does not have a date for it. He noted that Tony Khan has told him to take all the time he needs, even if that means the entire summer. Ross made it clear that he's going to be more mindful of his health going forward.
“I was very lucky I woke up. I was very lucky I didn’t bleed out because I had a lot of blood on my pillow cases. I had to fight through it, and I’ve been fighting through it ever since. The concussion was one issue. I’m working on our book. I got a manuscript here that we’ve written, and I’ve been trying to get to it to read it, but I haven’t been able to see good enough out of one eye. So I’m getting back on that track. I’m trying to get caught back up on that deal, 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, 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. So many times, we take it for granted, and 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," he said.
Ross later emphasized that he should habe stayed home, as getting on the plane after his fall was a mistake. He stated that he thought he was doing the right thing for the company, the fans, and himself, but it wound up being the wrong decision.
"My mistake I made was just being hardheaded and stubborn and getting on that airplane on that Saturday morning and flying to Chicago. I should have backed off, I should have stayed home, and I didn’t. I just thought I was doing the right thing for the company and the fans and myself, but it was the wrong thing for all of us. I should have stayed home," Ross said.
Ross went on to say that he generally feels better, and he plans to return to the road. However, he again admitted that he doesn't know when that return will be, and it may not be as soon as he would like. Ross highlighted his mission to do what's best for his heath and be smarter. Ross also noted that he has not called his last match, but he doesn't know when the next one will be.
"Headaches come and go. I do think I’m in general feeling much better. I do plan on going back on the road. I just don’t know when. It may not be anytime as I’d like or as soon as others would like, but at some point in time, we all have to come to the realization that we have to do what’s best for our health. I have not done that in my career all the time, so I need to change that philosophy. It’s time to be smarter. I haven’t called my last wrestling match. I just don’t know when the next one’s gonna be," Ross said.
Due to the injury' Ross' performance on the June 17 episode of AEW Collision was not up to his usual standard, and he explained his voice was shot by the time he was set to call the main event. He recalled how the doctors told him the issues with his voice might have been linked to the stress he was feeling, as he likely had a concussion.
"I was always scheduled to come in and do the main event, but by the time I got there, my damn voice was shot to hell, and I don’t understand exactly why. I talked to the doctors, they said it could have just been the stress of your injury, your body reacting to what it was feeling. I shouldn’t have gone out there with a concussion. I should not have gone out there with my head splitting," Ross said.
Fightful will provide more information about Ross' status as it becomes available, and we wish him well in his recovery.
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