Jim Ross Provides Cancer Surgery Update, Addresses Potential AEW Retirement

Published: May 26, 2025 by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: May 26, 2025 by Jamie Toolan

Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.

AEW commentator Jim Ross has provided an update on his impending surgery following his colon cancer diagnosis.

Jim Ross shared the news of his diagnosis on Thursday, May 15 via a post on social media – stating that he would be undergoing surgery in the “next week or two”.

In a new episode of Grilling JR, JR revealed that his surgery is scheduled for 6am on Tuesday, May 27, with his cancer located in two places.

JR said:

“Getting ready for surgery, and that’s always stressful but I’ve prepared myself mentally and physically to endure the situation.”

ADVERTISEMENT

JR said that the doctors’ plans are for him to remain in hospital for six days post surgery, with the Hall of Famer planning to “slow  down” as he recovers.

Despite this however, JR remains keen to continue working in AEW, stating his belief that he could continue to hold the schedule he had in the company prior to his diagnosis:

“I’m thinking I’ll really slow down after the surgery. I’ll talk to the doctor, and see what he says. I’ll try to really slow down when this is over. Make a few autograph appearances, which I love to do, and see what Tony Khan’s got ready for me in AEW.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“I could still do my schedule I had, but I don’t know if anybody else believes that. I believe it. I still would love to do the pay-per-views in AEW, but I don’t know if Tony will want me on, I don’t know.”

JR revealed that he received phone calls from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Tony Khan following his diagnosis, among others.

“I was at home and I got a call from Steve Austin. And when we got off the phone, I looked at my phone and we talked for 43 minutes. 43 minutes. And here’s what your friends do. They call you, they talk to you, and at the end of the conversation, they tell you they love you.

ADVERTISEMENT

“That’s what Steve did. So that’s what I got. And that cheered me up. And it made me feel strong and vibrant.”

“Tony Khan called me, which was nice. You know, the Khan family has done an amazing job of taking care of JR since I signed with their company. He’s very talent friendly. Maybe too friendly at times.”

JR then addressed his potential retirement from AEW, saying he currently has no plans to call time on his legendary broadcasting career and hopes to still be in attendance at AEW All In Texas on Saturday, July 12.

“I don’t plan on retiring, I plan on getting healthy and getting well and doing something for somebody and we’ll see how that works out.”

ADVERTISEMENT

We at WrestleTalk continue to wish Jim Ross a safe and full recovery ahead of his surgery and will provide updates on his status as they become available.

For more AEW news headlines check this link here.

Transcript via F4WOnline

To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!

Trending

Get the latest wrestling news straight to your inbox

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from WrestleTalk