Jim Ross Recalls Being In Severe Pain Calling Sting's Retirement At AEW Revolution

Earlier this year, the career of legendary wrestler Sting came to an end at AEW Revolution, with he and tag team partner Darby Allin defeating Matthew and Nicholas Jackson of the Young Bucks. Fittingly, Jim Ross was present for commentary during the match, as he was throughout much of Sting's career. Recently speaking to Sports Illustrated about the night, Ross revealed that he had to fight through severe pain to call the bout.

"I had my right hip replaced, and it's healing nicely, but my surgeon and I failed to schedule a follow-up, so I didn't realize I had 28 staples in my hip," Ross said. "It was my first trip after the hip surgery. I kept thinking to myself, 'This is painful.' I thought it was me. Really, it was the staples causing all the pain."

The AEW commentator opted not to take any pain medication ahead of the match to ensure he was at the top of his game. Ross credited the energy of the crowd in Greensboro, North Carolina that night for getting him through the performance. Even if he had known how difficult calling the match would eventually be, Ross said he wouldn't have missed it.

"Sting means the world to me," Ross continued. "Everybody talks about Sting in WCW, but I met Sting when he was tagging with Rick Steiner — and before that [with] Jim Hellwig — in Mid-South. ... He's such a natural babyface. It's hard to boo the guy. So I dealt with the pain. There are people out there in this world who have it a lot worse than me."

Ross' most recent appearance was at AEW Dynasty, calling the match that saw Swerve Strickland defeat Samoa Joe to win the AEW World Championship. The commentator recently signed a new contract with AEW that will see him continue his career into next year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Sports Illustrated with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.