Jim Ross would ‘trade places’ with late wife
Jim Ross would "trade places" with his late wife if he could.
The legendary WWE announcer tragically lost his wife Jan Ross last month at the age of 55 after she passed away following a motorcycle accident and he admits he wishes he could have taken her place.
He said: "If I could, I would trade places with my wife. I’ve had a great run, had a great life, and I don’t want to leave my kids, my granddaughters, my friends. I’m like anybody else. But she was 10 years younger than me, she was in spectacular health, she was the nicest, kindest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life. And it should have been me in that situation.
"She used to tell me all the time, ‘If something ever happens to me, don’t let me be a body that somebody just cares for – [someone] who can’t talk, can’t communicate, can’t clean themselves, can’t eat. [Her doctors] were somewhat explicit that she would never be the person that I knew if she was able to live. And I knew, unequivocally, when they said it that that was not the person she wanted to be."
And whilst the 65-year-old presenter knows his "life will never be the same again", he has taken some comfort in knowing four other lives have been saved through organ donation.
He added: "Since she passed, four people have had their lives saved with her organs, and I feel so proud of her.
"And it may not mean a damn thing to you or me if we don’t know someone who was a recipient of an organ from a donor, but because of this [those people] are alive, they’re productive, they have their family - they’re doing everything that all of us want to do.
"She was my whole life, and my life will never be the same but - and I think this is what she would say - you’re challenged to work through this, come out on the other side whole, and do positive things."
Despite Jan’s tragic passing, Jim made the decision to head to WrestleMania 33 and found the whole thing very "cathartic" as he deals with the huge loss.
He told Fox Sports: "It really was cathartic. I needed this. I needed to be able to express myself."
