AEW commentator Jim Ross has revealed just how dire his recent health situation became, admitting there were moments when he genuinely believed his life was coming to an end. Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross did not soften the reality of what he went through.
Ross acknowledged that the severity of his condition was not widely understood at the time. Reflecting on those dark moments, he said, “There were days that I thought, well, my run is over and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to make it under this physical thing.”
He explained that his recovery has been slow and frustrating, especially given his age. “It’s been challenging. You find yourself healing slower the older you get. That’s not a revelation. People know that. But it’s frustrating when you’re the object of that statement. It still kills me to travel a little bit because I get still sitting in a chair in a seat. I got to heal and I’m not healed yet.”
The emotional toll of the health scare was compounded by the absence of his late wife, Jan, whom Ross described as his constant source of strength throughout his life. “I miss Jan so much because she was my rock. No matter how sick I got or whatever how bad things were, she was always the shining light and I don’t have that shining light any longer.”
Ross added that during his most difficult days, he leaned heavily on the support of friends and fans. “Except for all the fans, friends like you… people like that I gravitate to,” he said.
Despite the bleak outlook he once feared, Ross expressed gratitude for still being alive and able to continue doing what he loves. “Life is good and I’m alive and God bless. I’m happy that I am,” he said later in the episode, acknowledging how close he came to not having that perspective at all.
He even framed his survival in blunt terms, reflecting on his age and the loss of his father at a younger point in life. “I’m on house money right now and loving every damn minute of it,” Ross said.
Ross also made it clear that the podcast itself became a form of therapy during his illness. When recording stopped while he was sick, he felt the absence deeply. “When I was sick and we weren’t recording, I missed it. It’s just a great way to express yourself and to feel what the audience is thinking.” That connection helped pull him through a period when the future felt anything but certain.
For those who don’t know, Good Ol’ JR beat cancer earlier this year.
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