Jim Ross is currently balancing his commentary duties between AEW Dynamite and Collision, with the legendary announcer next set to appear on Dynamite: Fight For The Fallen this Wednesday to conduct a backstage interview with Kenny Omega. He was last seen on AEW TV, calling the AEW Collision main event, featuring AEW Trios Champions House of Black taking on AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR and “Real” AEW World Champion CM Punk.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross detailed some of the biggest backstage differences he perceives between Dynamite and Collision.
“The atmosphere at Collision, in my opinion, is entirely different than the mindset and the atmosphere at Dynamite,” Ross said. “There’s less people, less crew, less talents, so it’s a lot calmer; I think the talents have more time to work their matches out. It’s just a different atmosphere, is what I’m trying to say, and it’s a good atmosphere. Always fun, good seeing the talents. We got a good crew going.
“I think Punk and Tony Khan pretty much put that roster together and I like it. That’s good talents. They’re motivated. They like the ownership of that show and the fact that they can make a difference and I think that’s cool. All good, man. It’s all good. I’m looking to it. I enjoy being around the talent.”
Ross took an extensive leave of absence from AEW this past June in order to recover from a fall he suffered in his home. Following the incident, he provided commentary for the main event of the debut edition of AEW Collision but seemed to be facing issues with his voice. Ross later took to social media to apologize to fans for his performance and announce that he was stepping away from the promotion in order to heal.
After a month and a half away, the WWE Hall of Famer made a surprise return on the August 8th episode of Collision, providing commentary for the show’s main event, which saw Ricky Starks challenge CM Punk for the so-called “Real” AEW World Championship that Punk unveiled weeks prior, claiming he never lost the AEW World Championship.
Ross was diagnosed with skin cancer in late-2021 but announced he was cancer-free that December. However, he continues to battle with health issues relating to his treatment years later, including a wound in his leg and ongoing sciatica issues. He recently noted that his AEW contract is coming up soon, and there is no update on if he will re-sign with the promotion.
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