Jim Ross has another health battle on his hands. After recently revealing he was waiting on biopsy results following multiple mole removals, the WWE Hall of Famer has now disclosed that doctors found a spot on his kidney while ongoing issues with his brain shunt have left him dealing with severe headaches and another round of medical testing.
While speaking on the October 1 edition of Grilling JR, Jim Ross said he has spent virtually the entire week going from one doctor’s appointment to another before revealing two new medical concerns.
“I’m good, Connie. Good. I’ve been up to my ass in doctor’s appointments this week. I saw a little spot of something on my kidney, and so we’re running a lot of tests. My shunt’s bothering me in my brain, so I’m gonna get a scan tomorrow and get that back to my neurosurgeon so he can tell me what the hell’s wrong. It may just need to be adjusted. That’s my take on it.”
Ross didn’t have any additional answers at that point, but later in the episode the subject came up again after a fan wrote in saying his daughter’s shunt could be adjusted without surgery. That prompted Ross to explain he’d already gone through that process several times himself.
“I’ve had mine adjusted. I’ve had mine adjusted three times. So it’s not a recent situation, but, you know, at some point I’ve gotta be able to sleep. And I feel fatigued a lot.”
Ross then shared another important update on the kidney issue, revealing that his oncologist is sending him to another specialist while doctors continue trying to determine exactly what they’re dealing with.
“My oncologist is sending me to a specialist in Oklahoma City for a little place on my kidney, but they’re not sure if it’s cancerous or not. So it’s been a stressful week. Really has.”
That clarification is major because Ross did not announce a new cancer diagnosis. Instead, he made it clear that doctors are still investigating the spot and don’t yet know whether it is cancerous. The conversation later shifted back to Ross’ brain shunt after he spoke about wanting to return to AEW commentary once he’s healthy enough.
“I’m proud to be a part of AEW. I still got my playbook. I still got my jersey. I just gotta get healthy. And we’re working on that right now. So, CT scan tomorrow, then back to the neurosurgeon later this week. The shunt is problematic.”
When Conrad Thompson asked exactly what was happening with the shunt, Ross summed it up in just a few words: “Yeah. Having blistering headaches.” He then explained that the headaches have become so severe they’re disrupting his sleep on a regular basis.
“It hurts so bad that I wake up in the middle of the night more often than not, you know, two or three or four o’clock in the morning because I got a headache. And that’s not normal.”
Ross admitted he doesn’t like complaining about pain, but said these headaches have reached a point where they’re becoming debilitating.
“I’ve watched too many John Wayne movies over my lifetime. I say that I complain ’cause I have a headache. The only thing I could say is that it probably would remind me of what I think, anyway, a migraine headache is. They could be debilitating.”
Despite everything he’s dealing with, Ross did offer one encouraging update. While the shunt remains a concern, he said the surgical wound from his previous brain operation is healing well.
“So that’s the situation. My wound on my skull is healing nicely. So, but it’s a matter—it’s a situation with the shunt.”
Ross also reflected on how the excess fluid that led to the shunt may have contributed to the repeated falls he suffered over the last year. Ross even ran through some of the injuries those falls caused over the past year.
“I think that’s why I was falling so damn much. You know, I didn’t have my equilibrium, and then I’d try to get in the same gait that I would if I didn’t have these issues. And so when I got in a hurry, sometimes that’s when, uh, KD barred the door and I bust my ass. You know, I broke my wrist this last year. I broke—messed up my groin and messed up my knees. I broke two toes the day—the morning of my surgery. I’m breaking shit right and left, man.”
For now, Ross remains in a holding pattern. He’s awaiting further scans on his brain shunt, additional evaluation from a kidney specialist and answers about the spot doctors discovered, while continuing to deal with the headaches and fatigue that have made the past week especially difficult.
Hopefully Ross gets some encouraging news once the additional testing is complete, and wrestling fans everywhere will undoubtedly be hoping the legendary commentator is back to feeling like himself again soon.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
