Jim Ross suffered fall prior to AEW Double or Nothing
He was still able to provide commentary at the pay-per-view, but AEW Double or Nothing weekend was a rough time for Jim Ross.
The 74-year-old announcing legend shared on his Grilling JR podcast that he suffered a fall the day before Double or Nothing that forced him to miss his flight. When the fall happened, Ross did not have his phone near him, which made it difficult to get help. His flight had to be rebooked for later in the day.
“It was not a good travel weekend for me,” Ross said. “I was supposed to get picked up Saturday morning at like 6 a.m. I’ll have a chat with my travel guy regarding that matter. Why would you fly me out at 6 in the morning for a Sunday night show? It makes no sense. You know, I’m not 17 anymore.
“So, anyway, we had the alarm set. My driver was going to pick me up, and all of a sudden, I fell. I hadn’t had a fall in weeks. So I fell and busted my ass away from my phone. I don’t know how you do it. There’s got to be a way to, I guess, just put it in my pocket. Hell, I don’t know. If I had my phone with me, I could have got a little bit of help. As a result of that, I missed my flight.”
Ross said the air travel experience right now is the worst it’s ever been in his life. After getting into New York City on Saturday, he had a beer with Excalibur and saw some people in the hotel lobby. When he got into his room, Ross experienced some issues with his back.
“I got in my room on Saturday night, I think it was. I laid on the bed, put my ass on the edge of the bed, and just relaxed. Well, little did I know, my back was going to go out on me,” he said. “So now I’m in the hotel with my back out and I can’t function. So it was just a horrible experience.”
Ross enjoyed Double or Nothing but wishes that he got to call more than one match (Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly). If he knew beforehand that he was only going to be doing one match, Ross would have talked to Tony Khan about it.
On Monday, Ross returned home. He is feeling sore and needs to find a doctor that can help with the weakness he experienced in his legs. Ross said, going forward, he’ll make sure to always have his phone close by.
“Sore. It’s like taking a big hit in the football game,” Ross responded when asked how he’s feeling now. “I’m just sore as hell. But, you know, I asked to go to work. I can’t blame anybody but myself. I’ve got to find a doctor. I got a neurologist now, he’s talking to me about risk area for dementia and all that bullsh*t.
“I have the worst luck sometimes. Golly. But just real sore. I got to find the right doctor that can get me back rolling, because my legs are really weak. And on Saturday morning, one of my legs just went out from under me. It went like a piece of spaghetti. So, anyhow, flying back — I could have stayed home, maybe I should have. But I like working, and I love pro wrestling.”
Jim Ross’ AEW contract status —
Ross noted that his AEW contract, after signing a one-year extension in summer 2025, is coming up this August. He isn’t worrying about the situation and is leaving the decision in Khan’s hands.
“I don’t have a lot more time left on my contract. I talked to Barry Bloom, my agent. He was in New York, and we chatted about my status. I’m just going to let it play out,” Ross said. “If Tony Khan wants to keep me, he will. If he doesn’t, then he won’t.”
Ross’ role in AEW is to help out with commentary at PPV events. If Khan wanted Ross to do more, Ross would be happy to do that. But Ross is content with his current schedule and feels Khan has been “really good” to him.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.