Good Ole’ JR is not going anywhere.
For the past couple of months, it’s been confirmed that Jim Ross’ contract with AEW was coming up. Now Ross himself stated that his agent was in talks with Tony Khan in hopes of getting a good deal. It appears that’s come to fruition. The AEW announcer himself confirmed that he’s officially signed a one-year deal with the promotion.
“I signed a new contract for a year. Got that done before I left. One year, next summer. Next August, I think it is,” Ross said. “My schedule is basically to work pay-per-views and assorted appearances on TV. I expect to do all pay-per-views and we’ll see where that takes us. I’m happy with my deal… Tony and I spent a lot of time together in London, talking about my deal and his plans for me. I’m still figured in very strongly.”
That’s definitely good news. Jim Ross has been a voice for AEW since it’s inception back in 2019. Though he doesn’t do the weekly appearances anymore, he still adds valuable commentary whenever he’s in the booth.
In the midst of the contract negotiations, there were rumors that Ross was actually in talks with WWE. Jim Ross was the voice of several generations in WWE so it wouldn’t be a particular surprise if he ended up back there, but the AEW announcer clears that up now by saying that he was never in talks with his former employer.
“I saw somewhere online, somebody sent me something where I was negotiating with WWE to go back. I hadn’t heard that one. I haven’t talked to them. No plans to go back,” he stated.
Role stated during his podcast that he’s currently happy with his role in AEW and he really enjoys working with young talents.
“I like being where I am. I like the schedule I have, the freedoms I have. I enjoy working with these young talents,” he said. “I’ve developed a good relationship with a lot of those kids at AEW. I’m happy where I am, I really am. Not a lot of stress and pressure.”
Jim Ross re-signing with AEW isn’t too much of a surprise as he’s stated numerous times in the past that he wants to end his career in the promotion. The history between Ross and WWE is hard to ignore so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he made a future appearance, but for now, he’s bound to AEW.