Jim Ross’ AEW Return Outlook Grim After Another Worrisome Health Update

Jim Ross is dealing with severe headaches as he continues to recover from brain surgery.

The 74-year-old went live on YouTube after Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite for a new episode of his Grilling JR podcast. Ross said he wants to get back to his part-time commentary role with AEW, but his health has to come first. He has doctor’s appointments coming up for headaches that have been waking him up at night and for a spot on his kidney.

“I’m proud to be a part of AEW. I still got my playbook, I still got my jersey, I just got to get healthy. We’re working on that right now. CT scan tomorrow, then back to the neurosurgeon later this week,” Ross said.

Ross underwent surgery on Aug. 12 to have a shunt put in, which drains excess fluid from his brain. He has already had the shunt adjusted three times since the operation. He said the incision is healing well, but the headaches have become a problem.

“This shunt is problematic. Having blistering headaches. They hurt so bad that I wake up in the middle of the night more often than not, 2-3, 4 o’clock in the morning because I got a headache. I watched too many John Wayne movies over my lifetime to say that I’m complaining because 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. So that’s the situation. My wound on my skull is healing nicely.”

Ross had been dealing with memory and balance issues before the surgery, and he hopes the shunt will help with his balance. He suffered several falls in the months leading up to the procedure. Those falls left him with a broken wrist, two broken toes, and an injury to his groin.

“I’m breaking s*** right and left,” Ross said. “And it’s not any fun whatsoever.”

Ross revealed the mass on his kidney about two weeks after his brain surgery. Later in August, he shared that his oncologist did not believe he had cancer and that the mass was small enough to be removed through surgery.

His health has kept him off AEW programming in recent weeks. Ross was not able to travel to London for AEW All In in August, and he watched AEW All Out from home on Sept. 26. Ross said the frequent trips to the doctor have been stressful, but they have also given him perspective, because there is often someone in the office facing a harder battle than his.

“So then it’s a matter of being grateful. And I’m grateful to have known PAC,” Ross said. “I love the fact that what he stood for, the professionalism and the honor and the dignity.”

Ross added that wrestling has helped him get through a difficult stretch.

“God bless pro wrestling. It means so much to us in our lifetime,” he said. “And for me, the last 51 years, I’ve been immersed and I don’t feel burned out. I feel very blessed, very lucky that I’m still able to put sentences together from time to time.”

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