“I dealt with the pain” - Jim Ross recalls painstaking moment during Sting’s retirement
Jim Ross recently recalled working through severe pain during Sting's retirement match.
Good Ol' JR is regarded universally as a wrestling legend for his exemplary work as a commentator in WCW and WWE. The 72-year-old veteran signed a new deal with AEW earlier this year, although lately, he has been calling the action primarily on pay-per-view events.
One of the Jacksonville-based promotion's most important pay-per-views this year was Revolution 2024, which featured Sting's final wrestling match. The Icon, alongside his partner Darby Allin, successfully defended the AEW World Tag Team Championship in a bloody and violent Texas Tornado match against The Young Bucks, thereby retiring as a champion. Jim Ross called the action for the match, although he has revealed that he was in considerable pain while doing so.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, JR recounted enduring the pain stemming from having 28 staples in his right hip. He'd had hip replacement surgery but failed to schedule a follow-up to have the staples removed.
"I had my right hip replaced, and it's healing nicely, but my surgeon and I failed to schedule a follow-up, so I didn't realize I had 28 staples in my hip," Ross said. "It was my first trip after the hip surgery. I kept thinking to myself, 'This is painful.' I thought it was me. Really, it was the staples causing all the pain."
Ross revealed that he had rejected the option of pain medication prior to calling the main event bout. He also voiced his admiration for Sting and their long-running relationship, which goes back to The Vigilante's early days in Mid-South Wrestling. He stated that his desire to lend his commentary for Sting's retirement match drove him to cope with the pain.
"Sting means the world to me," Ross continued. "Everybody talks about Sting in WCW, but I met Sting when he was tagging with Rick Steiner — and before that [with] Jim Hellwig — in Mid-South. ... He's such a natural babyface. It's hard to boo the guy. So I dealt with the pain. There are people out there in this world who have it a lot worse than me." [H/T, Wrestling Inc]
Jim Ross provided a positive health update
During the same interview, Jim Ross provided a major update regarding his health. The WWE Hall of Famer revealed that he was in better condition than he'd been for some time and that his right hip was on the mend.
Ross also disclosed that he had been vaping as an alternative to traditional pain medication.
"My health is better than it's been in over a year, I'm happy to say," Ross said. "My right hip, that's healing and getting better. My radiation wound from skin cancer...and I'm cancer-free...is still healing. Vaping has helped. It's allowed me to stop taking pain medication and get me through the night. I'm feeling good. And I'm still doing what I love."
It remains to be seen whether Jim Ross will return to the commentary desk for AEW's next pay-per-view, Double or Nothing 2024.
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