Jim Ross undergoes successful brain surgery and is recovering
2 sources • 4 min read • Latest: Aug 12, 2026, 4:52 PM
Last updated Aug 12, 2026

Jim Ross, a legendary pro wrestling announcer and AEW broadcaster, underwent successful brain surgery on the morning of August 12, 2026. The surgery was necessary to drain excess brain fluid, which involved inserting a shunt. Ross's co-host, Conrad Thompson, reported that Ross is recovering in the hospital and is expected to return home by Friday. As Ross faces health challenges, including previous skin cancer and a serious fall, he has openly discussed his journey and the emotional support from friends and colleagues in wrestling. His future in AEW remains uncertain as his contract is set to expire soon.
- •Jim Ross had cerebral surgery to manage excess brain fluid.
- •Conrad Thompson confirmed Ross's successful surgery on social media.
- •Ross is expected to be discharged from the hospital by Friday.
- •His contract with AEW is nearing expiration, raising uncertainty about his future.
- •Ross has faced multiple health issues in recent years, including cancer.
- 4:52 PMCageside Seats — Jim Ross’ brain surgery was a success
- 4:35 PMWrestling Inc — AEW Broadcaster Jim Ross Has Reportedly Undergone Successful Brain Surgery
"Good news from Oklahoma today (Aug. 12), as Conrad Thompson shared that his podcast partner Jim Ross has undergone brain surgery and the legendary pro wrestling announcer is recovering in the hospital. JR shouldn’t be there long, though: Happy to report that our pal @JRsBBQ had a successful procedure this morning! I heard from his lovely daughter this morning that everything went well and good ole JR is expected to be back home by Friday! Please keep JR in your prayers as we hope for a speedy recovery! Happy to report that our pal @JRsBBQ had a successful procedure this morning! I heard from his lovely daughter this morning that everything went well and good ole JR is expected to be back home by Friday! 🤠 Please keep JR in your prayers as we hope for a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/I4ISoxdc9o — Conrad the Mortgage Guy (@HeyHeyItsConrad) August 12, 2026 The 74-year-old Ross announced the surgery last month, and just yesterday explained more about what it entailed: Thanks for the outpouring of support regarding my upcoming brain surgery. A hole will be drilled in my skull and a small tube will be inserted reachinto my stomach to better manage/drain excess brain fluid. I’m optimistic. Thanks to all. 🤠 — Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) August 11, 2026 Thanks for the outpouring of support regarding my upcoming brain surgery. A hole will be drilled in my skull and a small tube will be inserted reachinto my stomach to better manage/drain excess brain fluid. I’m optimistic. Thanks to all. 🤠 Earlier this week on his Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash spoke about meeting with Ross and his longtime Raw commentary partner Jerry “The King” Lawler last week before the surgery. Nash reflected on the role JR played in his career as well. He also spoke openly about the losses the three wrestling legends have experienced in recent years, and dealing with those while going through the aging process themselves: “I got to see JR Saturday night, I got to see JR and ‘The King’ [Jerry Lawler] and catch up with them. JR is going in for a procedure, so everybody out there, give a prayer for JR. It’s funny because, in my career, I always say that Vince [McMahon] was the first person that ever saw anything in me. And that’s wrong because when I first signed with WCW, Jim Ross had a sports show on the radio and he would have me in studio — maybe every couple months — but he would just have me in and we’d just talk sports and talk shit. He saw something in me, and I look at it as, I know that Jim carried a lot of weight at WCW early. And I think he kept me employed when it came down to making cuts, I’m sure a couple of times, the early years. “It was great to see him. It’s like, here’s King, JR, and Nash. And Jerry lost his son, JR lost his wife, and I lost my son. I just looked at them, I said, ‘JR, from all of the shit that the three of us have been through, it would have been so much easier to fucking eat a bullet or at least a handful of fucking pills to this point.’ I said, ‘But here it is, all of us four years into it, and we’re fucking still wanting to live.’ “And Jim says, ‘Fuck yeah. I’m getting a fucking shunt put into my fucking brain.’ Like, ‘Yeah, I want to live.’ Everybody talks shit, and — life is so precious, and you don’t realize how precious it is until you get [near the end] — and I’m not talking about the back nine, I’m talking about when you can see the fucking clubhouse.”
"Podcaster Conrad Thompson reveals that his Grilling JR co-host and AEW broadcaster Jim Ross underwent successful brain surgery on Wednesday morning
Sources
External links- Cageside SeatsAug 12, 2026, 4:52 PMJim Ross’ brain surgery was a success
Good news from Oklahoma today (Aug. 12), as Conrad Thompson shared that his podcast partner Jim Ross has undergone brain surgery and the legendary pro wrestling announcer is recovering in the hospital. JR shouldn’t be there long, though: Happy to report that our pal @JRsBBQ had a successful procedure this morning! I heard from his lovely daughter this morning that everything went well and good ole JR is expected to be back home by Friday! Please keep JR in your prayers as we hope for a speedy recovery! Happy to report that our pal @JRsBBQ had a successful procedure this morning! I heard from his lovely daughter this morning that everything went well and good ole JR is expected to be back home by Friday! 🤠 Please keep JR in your prayers as we hope for a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/I4ISoxdc9o — Conrad the Mortgage Guy (@HeyHeyItsConrad) August 12, 2026 The 74-year-old Ross announced the surgery last month, and just yesterday explained more about what it entailed: Thanks for the outpouring of support regarding my upcoming brain surgery. A hole will be drilled in my skull and a small tube will be inserted reachinto my stomach to better manage/drain excess brain fluid. I’m optimistic. Thanks to all. 🤠 — Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) August 11, 2026 Thanks for the outpouring of support regarding my upcoming brain surgery. A hole will be drilled in my skull and a small tube will be inserted reachinto my stomach to better manage/drain excess brain fluid. I’m optimistic. Thanks to all. 🤠 Earlier this week on his Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash spoke about meeting with Ross and his longtime Raw commentary partner Jerry “The King” Lawler last week before the surgery. Nash reflected on the role JR played in his career as well. He also spoke openly about the losses the three wrestling legends have experienced in recent years, and dealing with those while going through the aging process themselves: “I got to see JR Saturday night, I got to see JR and ‘The King’ [Jerry Lawler] and catch up with them. JR is going in for a procedure, so everybody out there, give a prayer for JR. It’s funny because, in my career, I always say that Vince [McMahon] was the first person that ever saw anything in me. And that’s wrong because when I first signed with WCW, Jim Ross had a sports show on the radio and he would have me in studio — maybe every couple months — but he would just have me in and we’d just talk sports and talk shit. He saw something in me, and I look at it as, I know that Jim carried a lot of weight at WCW early. And I think he kept me employed when it came down to making cuts, I’m sure a couple of times, the early years. “It was great to see him. It’s like, here’s King, JR, and Nash. And Jerry lost his son, JR lost his wife, and I lost my son. I just looked at them, I said, ‘JR, from all of the shit that the three of us have been through, it would have been so much easier to fucking eat a bullet or at least a handful of fucking pills to this point.’ I said, ‘But here it is, all of us four years into it, and we’re fucking still wanting to live.’ “And Jim says, ‘Fuck yeah. I’m getting a fucking shunt put into my fucking brain.’ Like, ‘Yeah, I want to live.’ Everybody talks shit, and — life is so precious, and you don’t realize how precious it is until you get [near the end] — and I’m not talking about the back nine, I’m talking about when you can see the fucking clubhouse.”
- Wrestling IncAug 12, 2026, 4:35 PMAEW Broadcaster Jim Ross Has Reportedly Undergone Successful Brain Surgery
Podcaster Conrad Thompson reveals that his Grilling JR co-host and AEW broadcaster Jim Ross underwent successful brain surgery on Wednesday morning
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