Jim Ross' AEW Contract Expiring In August

Jim Ross has revealed that his All Elite Wrestling contract is due to expire in August 2026 and he is unsure about his future with the promotion.

"Tony Khan's been really good to me and I see it written about online from time to time, 'Ross must have a hell of a deal.' All that, and I do have a hell of a deal. I'm in a good spot. I don't have a lot more time left on my contract. I talked to Barry Bloom, my agent. He was in New York, and we chatted about my status, and I’m just gonna let it play out. If Tony Khan wants to keep me, he will, and if he doesn't, then he won't… My deal is up, I think, sometime in August. I believe that's true. That's how focused I am on my contract. I'm past the worrying about it stage and all that. I'm just not gonna do it. It takes the fun out of things," Ross said on Grilling JR.

The legendary commentator signed a new one-year deal with AEW in August 2025 to provide commentary at pay-per-views and make sporadic appearances on AEW TV. The 74-year-old has been a part of All Elite Wrestling since 2019.

Ross was on commentary for the AEW Continental Championship match between Jon Moxley and Kyle O'Reilly at Double or Nothing, but Ross revealed that he had a "horrible experience" over the weekend due to suffering a fall and from back issues ahead of the pay-per-view.

"It was not a good travel weekend for me… I was supposed to get picked up Saturday morning at like 6 o’clock. I had a chat with my travel guy regarding that matter. Why would you fly me out at 6 in the morning for a Sunday night show? It makes no sense. You know, I’m not 17 anymore. So anyway, we had the alarm set. My driver was gonna pick me up, and all of a sudden, I fell. I hadn’t had a fall in weeks. So I fell, and busted my ass, a ways from my phone. I don’t know how you do it. There’s gotta be a way to - I guess just to put it in my pocket. Hell, I don’t know. If I had my phone with me, I could have gotten a little bit of help. As a result of that, I missed my flight," Ross added.

"I got into my room on Saturday night, I think it was… I laid on the bed, put my ass on the edge of the bed, and just relaxed. Well, little did I know, my back was going to go out on me. So now I’m in the hotel with my back out and I can’t function. So it was just a horrible experience."

JR noted that he is feeling sore following the weekend.

"Sore. Sore. It's like taking a big hit in a football game. I’m sore as hell. But, you know, I asked to go to work. So I can’t blame anybody but myself. I’ve got to find a doctor. I got a neurologist now. He’s talking to me about my risk area for dementia and all that bullsh*t. I have the worst luck sometimes. Golly. But, just real sore. I got to find the right doctor that can get me back rolling, because my legs are really weak, and on Saturday morning, one of my legs just went out from under me. It went like a piece of spaghetti. Wasn’t good," he continued.

"So, anyhow, flying back - I could have stayed home, maybe I should have. But I like working, and I love pro wrestling. So, that's my little sad story. But I'm glad that I went… I’d like to have worked another match. But, I’m not complaining - I guess I am complaining but I am not hell-bent for I should have called another match or two. But, I know this, I sure miss doing that."

Jim Ross has suffered from serious health issues in recent years. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2025 but underwent a successful surgery in May of last year. He returned to AEW at All In 2025, calling two matches despite suffering a fall just days before the show. Ross suffered another fall in January 2026 which left him lying on his living room for five hours.

H/T Fightful