Jim Ross had a great time in his return to the AEW Commentary desk. After some time away amid health issues, Ross made his AEW return on the first AEW Dynamite of 2026, which took place in his home state of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
During the latest episode of his Grilling J.R. podcast the AEW broadcast team member reflected on his return saying it was a feel-good moment for him with his family in the building.
“Oh, it was great. I had a great time. My kids were there, a couple of my grandkids were there. So, it was good. I had a great time, and the team, the AEW team welcomed me back. They were glad to see me, and almost as glad as I was to see them. So, it was good. It was good. Working in Tulsa brings back a lot of memories. That’s where I got my start, in Tulsa, working for ‘Cowboy’ Bill Watts and Leroy McGuirk. It was a feel-good moment, quite frankly.“
“I think it took a minute to get settled in. It was good, it was good. I didn’t know what to expect to be honest with you but, my natural instincts took over, and I had a lot of fun. That was the key thing. That’s the key thing about doing commentary. If you don’t have fun doing it, it’s not gonna work for you, so, it’s all good man.”
“I got a text this morning at 1:30 from Tony Khan saying what a great job he thought I did on the show, and those kind of things make you feel good to be honest with you. So, he gave me a chance to come back and I asked him earlier in the day what I was going to do… I was originally gonna do two main events, which I’d been doing. But, Mike Mansury, the director, said, ‘Let’s use J.R., he’s here. Let’s use him for all the show,’ and I think there was some concerns about my stamina, because I have been sick but I feel great now and it’s just rebuilding. Rebuilding that energy and so forth so, I just had a great time. It was a fun, fun day… Saw a lot of talents, got the chance to talk to a lot of talents. They seek me out for information or feedback or, ‘Did you see this? What you’d think of that?’ So, I’m very blessed to still be a part of the AEW family, and working for Tony Khan is absolutely a blessing, without question.”
“I think I’m gonna be in Orlando in two weeks, according to T.K., Tony Khan. He’s using me judiciously. He’s very concerned about my health and I tried to convince him I’m good. I did a two-hour show last night. I don’t know when the last time I did a two-hour show. It’s been a while, but I felt like — we’re obviously getting positive reviews. But, I’m very happy of how it worked out, and maybe I convinced Tony Khan I can go out and do a two-hour show… But I think my next assignment’s gonna be in Orlando. We’re gonna be doing Dynamite in Orlando in two weeks.” H/T: Fightful.
