Jim Ross In Hospital With Rib Injury Following NJPW Show

Jim Ross is reported to be in hospital this morning awaiting test results on a possible broken rib. Ross is believed to have sustained the injury during Juice Robinson vs Jay White at the Cow Palace on Saturday.

White suplex Juice into the guardrail on the outside which crashed into the announcer’s table and knocked Ross off his chair. AXS TV posted highlights of the move below:

.@JoshLBarnett has had enough! ?#G1USA #NJPW @njpwglobal pic.twitter.com/4g6v7dfBwU

— AXS TV (@AXSTV) July 8, 2018

Following the spot, Josh Barnett stormed the ring but was quickly sent back to his position.

Ross posted the following regarding the matter, stating that the spot was neither planned nor discussed with him:

“For the record, the ‘bump’ I took at ringside at #G1SanFrancisco was not storyline driven matter nor was it discussed,” Ross Tweeted. “I think I broke a rib. Couldn’t put my roller bag in the overhead today after a sleepless Sat night.”

Barnett also confirmed on Twitter that Ross’ injury is not part of a work.

Not a work

— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 8, 2018

Jim Ross and New Japan Pro Wrestling fans have had a tumultuous relationship since the legendary announcer began calling the shows for AXS TV. While Ross is a well-known name in wrestling, many NJPW fans have voiced their preference for Don Callis and Kevin Kelly’s commentary on New Japan World.

Following a previous New Japan special in Long Beach, Tama Tonga was openly critical of Ross’ commentary during his match. Ross has been criticized for not being as knowledgeable about NJPW’s product as much as Callis or Kelly as well. Additionally, Barnett has been criticized by the Young Bucks for not trying to get the talent over enough.

Ross published a response to these criticisms on his blog back in March.

“I read some of the criticisms about my work and the broadcast in general but essentially people want, the die-hards who follow New Japan World, they want their team. They want Kevin Kelly and Don Callis to do the show. I don’t blame them. I don’t even get mad about it. The only thing that gets frustrating is when you’ve got wrestling fans who’ve got like 40 followers on Twitter that tell you, “your career sucks,” and that you should be dead or not allowed to be on television. That’s kind of crude, I think. Does that really feel necessary for not knowing the certain name of a certain hold?”