Jim Ross said this week that his AEW contract will end soon, and he added that his announcing days may already be over.
On the Thursday episode of his Grilling JR podcast, the legendary commentator said that while he wants a proper send-off into retirement, he would accept his fate if his AEW boss Tony Khan decided his services were no longer needed.
Before he and co-host Conrad Thompson got onto the subject of his contract, they spoke about Ross’ health. The WWE Hall of Famer has missed significant
time from his duties on the AEW announce desk due to a prolonged hospitalization.
Last month, he returned to his podcast and announced he would soon undergo surgery to have excess fluid drained from his brain. He said the procedure could help with his memory and added he had been found passed out at his house prior to his nearly 40-day hospitalization.
Speaking about the surgery on Thursday, JR said an August 12 date had been set for the shunt.
“I don’t want to say I’m looking forward to it, but I guess I really am to get to that point and to get it over with,” Ross said to Conrad. “I have never had brain surgery before. So they’re going to put a — what do they call it? A shunt? So I’m getting a shunt put in my brain. They said I’m only going to be in the hospital a day.”
Ross is pushing to work AEW’s All In event on August 30 at London’s Wembley Stadium. He noted that his contract expires some time this month and would thus need some kind of new negotiation. However, he acknowledged the possibility that his broadcasting career has possibly already ended.
“I hope that my ending, my career ending, is planned. And so I don’t just show up one Wednesday night on Dynamite and say, ‘Well, I got some news for you folks, I’m done.’ That might sound cool and edgy, but I would like to be able to know that I’m leaving,” he said. “I think that’s important for my psyche. And I don’t know, maybe I’m looking at it wrongly, but in any event, that’s where I’m thinking — just have a good, clean ending.”
JR continued: “I’ve had a blessed career…I’ve had a unique life, and I realize that it’s [his career] coming to an end. I get it. If you ask me, ‘JR, how much longer you think you’re going to do announcing?’ Well, I think my contract’s up this month. So I’m done, pretty much.
“I don’t want to be done, but if Tony Khan said, ‘You know, JR, thanks for the efforts and thanks for being here and all that stuff.’ Then I’d have no problem with that. Because what else? How could I be such a greedy bastard and want more in my career than I’ve already received?”
What do you think, Cagesiders? If the end of JR’s announcing days is upon us, should Tony Khan give him a proper send-off? Let us know in the comments.
