Jim Ross on Tony Khan Wanting Him to Stay Home During the Coronavirus, Discusses AEW Continuing Its Shows Through the Pandemic

– The Wrestling Inc. Daily recently interviewed WWE Hall of Famer and AEW broadcaster Jim Ross, who discussed his absence from AEW TV during the coronavirus pandemic and more. Below are some highlights from WrestlingInc.com.

Jim Ross on speaking with Tony Khan about staying at home during the outbreak: “Tony Khan and I had a very long and thoughtful talk that he initiated. I’m an asset for that company in his view, and mine too, and he said I’ve got to protect you because he knows I won’t protect myself. So, the decision was to stay home for a couple of days and I’m not gonna be on Dynamite this week or next until we see where this thing is headed. If it gets worse, I’m 68 and in a high-risk group. I don’t wanna die. I don’t wanna get the flu because my ego says I’ve gotta be on TV. ‘Oh I can’t lose my spot, because then I won’t get my push!’ Stop. Please.”

Jim Ross on wrestling still going forth while other sports have shut down: “You’re comparing apples to oranges as we’re not the NFL, NBA or MLB. We’re a theatrical presentation and a TV show. All of those empty arenas are empty studios. It’s not about selling tickets at this point in time as it’s about giving the audience a little break from this insanity that we’re all dealing with. It’s an entertainment show and I applaud all of those guys that are braving the elements and challenges of the coronavirus to put on an entertaining show on Wednesday nights.”

Ross on AEW continuing to put on empty arena shows: “It’s important for us to maintain some continuity. I don’t have the format and I can’t tell you what they’re gonna do on Wednesday, but I know that the effort will be there. I’m gonna be watching the show on Wednesday just like a fan, which I love. That’s the thing about not knowing the finishes – I don’t need to know your finish. I don’t need to know your spots. If I’m not good enough to recognize what you’re doing or you’re not good enough to tell me a story, then we have issues… It’s an interesting time in our lives and I don’t think pro wrestling is in danger, but we’ve gotta maintain our growth as best we can under the circumstances. We’ve got to be smart and take into consideration what this virus is. We can never lose sight of what we’re facing right now.”

His thoughts on WWE pulling back on how much they were pushing NXT after Survivor Series: “They have bigger fish to fry right now as far as WrestleMania and that whole fiasco, unfortunately. I’m still a big fan of WrestleMania and I’m proud of my opportunities to work many WrestleManias over the years. But I don’t know – you can only do so much. Obviously, they went head-to-head with us on Wednesdays to hopefully slow down any growth that we might have. They thought we were such on feeble ground that they thought, ‘This won’t last long. The money will run out.'”