AEW star lavishes praise on Jim Ross following tragic real-life event

Jim Ross is a legendary figure in professional wrestling and used his level of experience to bring the best out of a lot of people. Recently, an AEW star opened up about how JR helped him through a very tough period in his life.

The star in question is Mike Santana, who returned to AEW on the "Fyter Fest" edition of Dynamite in August after an extensive period on the shelf with an injury.

In February 2020, during The Inner Circle's lengthy feud with Jon Moxley, Mike Santana had a very raw sit-down interview with Jim Ross, which was heavily praised for how open Santana was.

During his recent appearance on In the Weeds, the 32-year-old star revealed that his emotions were very real as his dad had passed away a few weeks earlier. Upon learning this, Jim Ross made sure to make Santana feel as comfortable as possible.

"That happened right after my dad passed away. We were in Jacksonville, my dad passed away, I found out New Year's Day. I was in Jacksonville get ready to do a show, I get a call, I had to rush back home. I took two weeks off and came back, which I think still, to this day, was the worst thing I could have done. That sit down, it affected me so deeply, losing my dad, because we were so close. That sit down was real as hell. I remember JR telling me, I was kind of nervous because I was still very emotional at that time and my biggest worry was not being able to keep it together, emotionally. JR comes to me and is like, 'Let's just talk, no character stuff, just talk. We're going to have a conversation. That's it. Pretend like the cameras aren't there.' He did a great job of just relaxing me." [H/T Fightful]

Santana had nothing but nice words to say about JR, stating that all of the greats have had interviews with the legendary voice of wrestling, which made the former Inner Circle member want to make the most out of a very emotional situation.

"It was very special. Just to sit down with JR in general. All the greats have done it. They've all sat down with him and had interviews and moments that have put them on a whole different playing field. That's another thing I was thinking about. 'Take advantage of that moment, make the best of it.'" [H/T Fightful]

Jim Ross has had his own real-life issues while a part of AEW

Given how long Jim Ross has been in the business, it's hardly surprising that he has had his fair share of health issues in recent years.

It was revealed in late 2021 that he was battling cancer, taking a period of time away from TV to have radiotherapy. The battle has been on and off since then, but JR did announce in August 2023 that he was officially cancer-free.

JR is still a regular member of the AEW broadcast team, sitting in for select matches on pay-per-views and the main event of Collision every Saturday night.

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