Jim Ross already has his eyes on getting back behind the AEW commentary desk. The legendary announcer says a return at AEW All Out in Chicago on September 26 is very much in play if his recovery keeps moving in the right direction.
While speaking on Grilling JR, Conrad Thompson asked Ross directly whether fans could see him put the headset back on when AEW heads to Chicago for All Out. Ross didn’t dance around it. He said the trip is possible as long as his condition continues improving.
“Yeah, man. It’s in the cards if I continue to improve at the rate that I currently am. No doubt about it.”
One major difference for Ross is the travel. He was unable to make the trip to London for AEW All In, but Chicago is a much easier journey from Oklahoma City. Ross explained that the short nonstop flight makes All Out a far more realistic goal. Ross also made it clear that he has already told AEW he wants to return to the booth as soon as he can safely handle the travel.
“Because it’s a non-stop flight from OKC to Chicago. I’m not flying to London. I’m flying short hop, so to speak. Two hours. And to me, that’s a pretty short hop.”
“But I’ve made it very known that I want to return to help on some of the main events as soon as I’m able to travel better.”
The issue isn’t whether Ross believes he can still call a match. He says he can handle that part right now. The concern from his doctors is keeping him steady on his feet and avoiding another fall.
“As far as just looking at the match, interpreting what I see, and articulating it, I can do that now. But they’re worried about my falling and they want me to get a little bit more steady on my feet.”
Ross then revealed another complication that has made getting around even tougher. He suffered a fall on the morning of his surgery and later learned that two toes on his left foot were broken.
“I had a fall.”
Ross explained that he didn’t even know the toes were broken until doctors took X-rays at the hospital.
“But I, two of my—my big toe and the toe next to it on my left foot are both broken.”
“So I broke my toes before I went to do my surgery, and I didn’t know they were broken. I didn’t know until they X-rayed them in the hospital when I was there.”
That injury has made his balance problems even harder to deal with because Ross has had to wear a walking boot while recovering.
“That slowed me down a little bit because it’s hard to keep your balance when you wear a walking boot on your left foot and a flip-flop or a tennis shoe or something on your right. It’s hard to navigate that very quickly.”
Despite everything he has been dealing with, Ross made his goal pretty clear. If the broken toes don’t stop him and his recovery stays on course, he plans on making the trip to Chicago.
“So if my broken toes aren’t an issue, for God’s sakes, what else can go wrong then? I’m going to be there.”
Ross also addressed where Tony Khan stands on the potential return, making it clear AEW wants him there as long as he is physically able to make it happen.
“And I think—I don’t say that Tony Khan expects me to be there. He wants me to be there if I’m able. That’s for that. And he’s doing—he’s been great with my sickness. Never a negative call.”
Ross missed AEW All In because traveling to London simply wasn’t worth the medical risk, but All Out is a very different situation. Chicago is only a short flight away, Ross says he can already handle the commentary side of the job, and now the biggest obstacle is making sure he can safely get around. If the next few weeks go his way, Good Ol’ JR could be back on the headset in time for one of AEW’s biggest shows of the year.
Do you want to hear Jim Ross back on commentary at AEW All Out, and which match would you want him calling if he makes it to Chicago? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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.
