The following are highlights of a new Busted Open Radio interview with Jim Ross:

Whether or not he regrets missing out on signing AJ Styles when he was in WWE: “I missed on him. He just started getting rolling and he was just starting on the WCW roster when the WWE bought out WCW. Our team missed on him. We could have hired him, but he did not have the skill set he has now. In hindsight, the right thing occurred. He got more experience and ended up in TNA. I would suggest that his long run in TNA is what kept him from getting hired. From talking to him, he would be a huge asset to anyones roster.”

His contract with WWE ending: “I look it at it a little differently. I’ll never be able to pay back the debt I owe to the wrestling fans since 1974. I’ve been on this amazing journey and the genre of wrestling/sports entertainment whatever you call it. The fans have invested in my work and they have invested in my BBQ sauce, followed me on Twitter, downloaded the podcast. I’m just very grateful. This hasn’t been a sad week. I had to go through a certain period of time from a legal standpoint to fulfill all of my obligations for WWE. I’m now completely out there. I’m not looking for work. There’s plenty to do. I’ve said it a bunch of times, coming to WWE in 1993 was the best career move I ever made. I don’t owe them money and they don’t owe me any. We’re done. I have no regrets. The only thing I would have liked differently was the 3 bells palsy attacks and have to constantly explain to people why I don’t smile. I’d like to be more HD friendly. I wouldn’t change a thing and a lot of things are on the horizon.”

His new interview with Sting & Sting in WWE: “We go all the way back to the mid 80s so we really started way back. I don’t go for the dirt immediately. I let it come out naturally. I can tell you, the funny thing is people don’t understand business. Just because he showed up at Comic Con doesn’t mean he has a contract with WWE. He’s got a contract with Mattel from what I understand. He has a contract with 2K. He has some sort of agreement with WWE to basically sell T-shirts, like a licensing/marketing deal. It’s not a traditional legends deal. Him being in San Diego means zero about him wrestling there. People are getting pissed at me because I’m telling the truth. Wrestling people are not supposed to always be honest, so I say to the best of my knowledge he doesn’t have a wrestler contract, so the lock on Sting being in the ring in some point in time with WWE is there is no lock. If you’re going to have Sting wrestle, book it right. If I was there I can book it in 30 minutes easy. He wrestles once. And if he wrestles once and he says “win lose or draw I’m done”. That match is at Wrestlemania because it takes everything full circle. He’s said he wants to wrestle one Wrestlemania before calling it quits. He doesn’t need to win the Royal Runble. He doesn’t need to come on Raw every Monday. That’s stupid. He could make them a lot of money. I believe that the guy has paid his dues and deserves his Wrestlemania moment.”

Why WWE hasn’t signed Sting yet and should they: “There’s no logical reason why they shouldn’t. He has no drug or alcohol issues. He is in good health. A lot of those younger kids grew up watching him. That’s how I got Shawn Michaels to come back from his hiatus. I said if you don’t want to wrestle, that’s fine. Come back and be a positive influence in the locker room with your born again Christian faith and your outlook on life and how you screwed up your life and fixed it. You would be a positive influence. That’s how Shawn Michaels came back to WWE. He came back to help the young guys, got the itch, and he was better than he ever was. Have Sting around people. Have him at PR functions. There’s a lot of big time players that were one time big wrestling fans. I find it amazing that they say to me ‘man I remember when you said this.’ and sometimes that gets them a gig or interview. Sting has been on national television for how many years without missing a beat. He’s been on TBS, he’s been on Impact, he has a name and has been on ongoing TV forever. Why wouldn’t you have that story and have that great story. I hear WWE supposedly has 30 writers. If you tell me that 30 writers can’t come up with a storyline that would appeal to Vince McMahon, I’m sorry that they’re in that condition, a company that I have been and forever loyal to and a company I feel like I contributed a little bit back in the day when we were almost out of business in the mid 90s. Sing is in great shape. He goes to the gym. He doesn’t drink or smoke. Would you bring him back long term? No. But for one big match as part of an ensemble cast.”

Whether or not Sting has to wrestle for WWE to cement his legacy: “No. I think he wants to do it as a personal goal. When I was trying to hire him after WCW closed, he was owed so much money by Time Warner he would have been foolish to have come worked for us. I feel like he should be in the WWE Hall Of Fame even if he doesn’t wrestle a match. If the WWE is what they say they are, they are the gatekeepers for the business now. You shouldn’t have a 20 year career in the WWE to qualify, and when he goes in you should maximize that chance.”

A Sting vs. The Undertaker dream match: “As it’s working out now, that dream match with the Undertaker doesn’t exist anymore. A match with Undertaker was to try and beat the streak, so that mystique is over. That whole attraction of Undertakers streak is now a DVD. It’s over. You can’t replicate that. Stings opponent could be a lot of things. It could be a hot shot heel. I’m not big on him having to win his last match. If he wins, great. If he doesn’t, well as far as I know him, he could care less. Him winning his last match isn’t the issue. Him building up his last match, him being a part of the program, the promotion, the hype and finally being able to have that entrance and performing at Wrestlemania, that’s the end game. Maybe you could have that match with Undertaker and have that be a one off where both of them retire and go out guns blazing. ‘You were the guy up here (WWE) I was the guy down there (WCW) I just want to know who was best’. No returns, no returns, no appearance on Raw the night after, that’s it. I think they can have a great presentation. On the other side, you could have a hot young heel like Seth Rollins for example. Have him take a beating from Sting and have Rollins go over in the end. There’s so many ways to go about this, but bottom line is he deserves the opportunity. Austins not going to be there to wrestle. I highly doubt The Rock will be, so what are you gonna do?”

The Undertaker’s Streak ending: “If you listen to my podcast, Shawn Michaels explains the whole story. The decision was made 4 hours before Wrestlemania started by Vince McMahon after sitting down and talking to Undertaker. I’m thinking it was to promote the network, which is the be all end all to WWE right now. They need to get subscribers.”

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena: “I do fantasy booking on my podcast. Brock Lesnar is going to win the title at Summerslam. He’s going to be put into beast mode until April. At the Royal Rumble Roman Reigns will win the Rumble and Lesnar will pass the torch to Reigns at Wrestlemania. Reigns isn’t ready now. He needs to be protected now and the producers on the road have to work with him and coach him up. He has to be ready in April. He’s good enough now to win the Royal Rumble. I think that Lesnar is in beast mode and is not touched until April. He has to be booked like a heel but when he is working with Cena, there is going to be a tremendous amount of people cheering for Brock Lesnar. You can’t have that trend continue. He has to be a heel. You don’t want him going into Wrestlemania 31 as a face. That’s what I would do and I don’t care if wrestling fans are like ‘that’s predictable. I won’t watch!’ Yes you will.”

Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.

As part of WWE’s 2014 Second Quarter earnings results released on Thursday morning, WWE also reported pay-per-view buyrate information for WrestleMania, Extreme Rules, Payback and Money in the Bank.

These figures are for traditional pay-per-view buys, not including people who watched the shows on the WWE Network.

• WrestleMania XXX drew 690,000 buys, down from 1,039,000 last year
• Extreme Rules drew 108,000 buys, down from 231,000 last year
• Payback drew 67,000 buys, down from 186,000 last year
• Money In the Bank drew 122,000 buys, down from 199,000 last year

WWE released their 2014 Second Quarter Earnings results on Thursday morning. On the surface, the numbers don’t look so hot:

The company reported a Net loss of $14.5 million, or $0.19 per share, compared to Net income of $5.2 million, or $0.07 per share, in the second quarter last year. Excluding items affecting comparability, adjusted Net loss was $13.5 million, or $0.18 per share in the current year quarter, compared to Net income of $5.2 million, or $0.07 per share, in the second quarter last year. WWE Network reached 700,000 subscribers at quarter end.

If they lost $13.5 million in the quarter and reported “only” 700,000 WWE Network subscribers, why did the stock spike over 10% after the results were reported?

It’s all about Wall Street’s expectations and their revised business outlook for for the remainder of 2014, which is looking a lot better thanks to the company’s aggressive cost cutting measures.

Analyst Capital IQ Consensus was expecting a loss of $0.20 per share. WWE reported a loss of $0.18 per share, better than expected. Revenues rose 2.6% year/year to $156.3 million, also better than the $154.7 million expected.

The revenues were bolstered by a number of factors, including North American live event attendance increasing by 11% in the quarter.  However, a major factor in the company’s improved outlook is their identification of “efficiencies” –

We identified efficiencies across WWE, which include a 7% reduction in staff, and improved our 2015 OIBDA outlook by $30 million.

WWE® Reports 2014 Second Quarter Results and Improved 2015 Business Outlook

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2014. For the quarter, the Company reported a Net loss of $14.5 million, or $0.19 per share, compared to Net income of $5.2 million, or $0.07 per share, in the second quarter last year. Excluding items affecting comparability, adjusted Net loss was $13.5 million, or $0.18 per share in the current year quarter, compared to Net income of $5.2 million, or $0.07 per share, in the second quarter last year. WWE Network reached 700,000 subscribers at quarter end.

WWE’s core business metrics remain strong, and WWE Network continues to be the single greatest opportunity to transform WWEs business model. During the quarter, we developed plans to make WWE Network available globally starting August 12, and completed a long-term content deal in Canada with Rogers Communications,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Additionally, we identified efficiencies that will improve our 2015 OIBDA outlook by $30 million. Based on these initiatives, we are optimistic about our potential to drive long-term growth.

As we expanded WWE Network to 700,000 subscribers, our earnings performance surpassed our guidance, which targeted a Net loss ranging from $15 million to $18 million. Our key metrics continued to show strength as average North American attendance increased 11%, representing the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. Raw and SmackDown TV ratings increased 5% and 3%, respectively, marking SmackDown’s 7th quarter of growth among the past 8 quarters, added George Barrios, Chief Strategy & Financial Officer. We identified efficiencies across WWE, which include a 7% reduction in staff, and improved our 2015 OIBDA outlook by $30 million. We developed plans to make WWE Network available in over 170 countries, and entered a 10-year deal that provides for the WWE Network launch as a traditional a-la-carte Pay-TV channel in Canada and renews our television licensing agreement for Raw and SmackDown. The progress in our strategic initiatives reinforces our view that successful execution of our WWE Network strategy can generate meaningful economic returns.

To read the full earnings report, visit SeekingAlpha.com.

WWE has announced their 2014 Second Quarter Results, including an updated subscriber count for the WWE Network. Here are some highlights from the press release and investor conference call:

– WWE Network had 700,000 subscribers as of June 30th, a net addition of 33,000 subscribers. They gained 161,000 new subscribers and lost 128,000 during the second quarter .

– WWE Network is going International on August 12th, premiering in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.  The WWE Network hits the UK until October.

– WWE Network will be introducing a new payment plan structure later this year. You can still pay $9.99/mo with 6-month commitment, or pay $19.99 month-to-month at $19.99. The monthly plan is still an excellent value for fans who want to buy pay-per-views ala carte without a 6-month commitment.

– WWE Network is launchig on some smart TVs and Blu-ray players in mid-August.

Here’s the WWE Network section from the WWE 2014 Second Quarter Results press release:

The quarter was highlighted by the ongoing ramp up of WWE Network, which attracted gross additions of 161,000 subscribers since WrestleMania on April 6th and ended the quarter at 700,000 subscribers, reflecting a net addition of 33,000 subscribers. To drive ongoing subscriber growth, the Company continues to execute a five-part strategy that includes making the network available in new geographies, creating new content, expanding distribution platforms, developing new features and enhancing its marketing. Critical aspects of this strategy include making WWE Network available in international markets and completing a new partnership with Rogers Communications, which provides the rights to distribute the network in Canada.

• Customer Engagement: Viewer data indicates that, on average, 91% of subscribers access the network at least once per week and use 2.5 devices to consume network content. Moreover, consumer research indicates that 90% of subscribers are satisfied with WWE Network (with 51% extremely satisfied and 39% somewhat satisfied).
• International Availability: The Company plans to make the U.S. version of WWE Network available on an over-the-top basis starting August 12th in over 170 countries and territories, including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Spain and the Nordics, among others. The network is expected to be live in the U.K. by October 2014. Plans for the network in Italy, UAE, Germany, Japan, India, China, Thailand andMalaysia will be communicated at a later date.
• Canada: The Company has entered into a new 10-year partnership with Rogers Communications, a leading media enterprise in Canada, under a landmark television programming and WWE Network agreement. The partnership facilitates the launch of WWE Network as a traditional a-la-carte Pay-TV channel in Rogers cable systems with a preview beginning August 12 and thereafter through other Pay-TV providers outside Rogers footprint. The partnership also renews Rogers license of the Raw and SmackDown television programs, and grants Rogers distribution rights to the Company’s pay-per-views.
• Consumer Marketing: To enhance awareness, additional marketing investment is planned around the popular SummerSlam pay-per-view event in August. The Company will also introduce new payment plans in August, including a $19.99 monthly plan (with no commitment) and an upfront one-time payment option for its existing $9.99 per month offering (with six month commitment).
• Other Developments: Content coming to WWE Network includes The Monday Night War and WWE Rivalries, the most recent addition to the networks program schedule, both of which provide a documentary-style look at some of the greatest moments in WWE history. Expanding current distribution, WWE Network is launching on several smart TVs and Blu-ray players in mid-August. The Company also plans to deliver a new “resume play” feature later this year.

WWE Diva Nikki Bella recently appeared as a guest on shock-jock radio program “The Kidd Chris Show.”

In addition to a number of outside-the-box type questions, the Total Divas star was asked about Beth Phoenix’s genitalia, John Cena’s ex-wife and how far she would be willing to go with a homeless woman to end world hunger.

The official description for the appearance, which you can check out above, reads as follows:

“WWE Diva chats about her relationship with John Cena, her thoughts about his ex-wife, and how far she would go sexually to stop world hunger!”

If media player fails, click here.

WWE Hall Of Famer and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura appeared on “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday to dicuss his recent victory over Navy Seal Chris Kyle in his defamation lawsuit, a victory that pocketed “The Body” a nice $1.8 million pay day.

You can watch Ventura’s appearance on the CBS morning talk show via the video player above.

The following are highlights of a new Between The Ropes interview with Jeff Hardy:

On whether or not he was worried that he wouldn’t get one more chance with TNA a few years ago following his personal problems: “Oh yeah, definitely. It was a dark, depressing time in my life after Victory Road 2011 was real … it was a sad time for me cause they could have easily fired me and let me go. As far as them giving me that second chance and letting me prove myself, TNA saved me. They saved my life pretty much.”

On hIs thoughts on the talk that Spike TV will not renew Impact Wrestling once the current deal expires: “I just hear that negotiations are ongoing. People have their doubts but me, I’m the type of guy that, you know, I have faith in TNA wherever we end up. I have faith that, you know, a year from now we’re still going to be on Spike. I don’t read Twitter timelines. I don’t follow the social network at all. So, I don’t know. I feel good about being in TNA and as far as I’m concerned I’m going to be on Spike this time next year.”

On if he would like to finish up his career with a return to the WWE like Kurt Angle has said he wants to do: “From time to time I’ll turn on Raw and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the WWE Universe man, because they, what a … the crowds. When I watch, it hurts a little bit. I’m going ‘oh man, that’s my creatures man, my fans’. They’ve supported me so much. And even on the Instagram posts that’s all I ever see. ‘Go back to WWE. You said you’d come back. It’s never forever, it’s just for now’. I mean, ultimately, when the time is right, who knows. But I started there and whether it’s 10, 15 years down the road I would like to end there.”

You can download a MP3 for the complete audio of the above Jeff Hardy interview by clicking here.

While Sting has still yet to sign an official deal with WWE, he was able to appear the San Diego Comic Con recently with WWE involvement because of the fact that he signed a deal directly with Mattel.

It’s being said that the feeling regarding Sting’s momentum is that it is higher than that of The Ultimate Warrior, who re-entered the current WWE scene via a direct deal with 2K Sports for WWE video game promotion. Basically, because of the perception that Sting can actually still wrestle a match, whereas it was made clear in the case of Ultimate Warrior that he couldn’t, that he has more momentum going for him right now than Warrior did during similar circumstances last year.

One WWE source claims that the company is hopeful to secure an official deal with Sting by SummerSlam, since he will be coming to Los Angeles, California, the site of this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, for the event, even though at this point he is not scheduled to participate in the show itself in any fashion.

Former WWE ring announcer, wrestler and color commentator Ricardo Rodriguez has been released by WWE – and the company is making a big mistake by letting him go. He was not being used much, but he was so talented and was able to play so many different roles in the company.

Rodriguez arrived as an introducer to the similarly debuting Alberto Del Rio in 2010. Rodriguez was the one with personality. Del Rio is often called boring and for good reason. He never has anything interesting to say and he seems to just repeat himself in feuds. WWE seemed very high on him, but it became apparent that Rodriguez was more popular than Del Rio. Hence, why Del Rio has been demoted to Superstars and Main Event.

Eventually the two split up, that is after a face run. Del Rio attacked Rodriguez who would begin to manage Rob Van Dam later on. That was a strange combination. Since then, Rodriguez performed on NXT as El Local and would provide commentary at the Spanish announce table on pay-per-views.

El Local was a great character that didn’t really make it full-time on the main roster. In NXT, he was recently teaming with fellow luchador Kalisto. It seemed as though they made for a very exciting babyface tag team. The perfect rivals to the Ascension. But recently, Kalisto began teaming with Sin Cara instead.

Rodriguez wrestled, managed, was a commentator and was successful in every area. While I can’t understand the commentary since my Spanish is not at that level, Rodriguez is very talented in the ring and on the microphone. He matched up well with Santino Marella’s comedy role. Maybe that’s how we ended up with a Tuxedo match for the first time in almost a decade.

Ricardo may have asked for his release, but it doesn’t surprise me that WWE agreed to it. WWE has been making cuts in all areas, including talent. Brodus Clay, Curt Hawkins, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal and even Josh Mathews have been let go. WWE could have continued to use Rodriguez as El Local, but they never utilized him to his full potential. They gave Kalisto a replacement in Sin Cara. The man formerly known as Hunico is not nearly as entertaining and doesn’t have much of a personality under the current gimmick.

What does the future hold for Ricardo Rodriguez and El Local?

There is always the independent scene in the United States and Mexico is an option as well. Rodriguez tweeted that he missed wrestling and that will most likely be his focus going forward. Wherever he has the best opportunity to wrestle, you will see him. He has a talented wrestler and entertainer and may he have much success in the future.

What are your thoughts on the release of Ricardo Rodriguez? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Seth Guttenplan is a math and computer technology teacher for special education students in New Jersey. In his free time, Seth writes about wrestling. Follow Seth on twitter @sethgutt

It looks like a match between The Usos and the team of Big E. and Kofi Kingston may take place at SummerSlam for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, as opposed to the previously reported idea of a fatal four-way match between four tag-teams for the titles.

Outside of that match and the other officially announced matches, as well as the rumored matches we have talked about here on the website over the past few days, it would seem that the lineup for this year’s SummerSlam is now finalized, perhaps with the potential addition of a “Kickoff Show” match or two.

Ricardo Rodriguez has been released from WWE. He tweeted on Wednesday:

I have come to terms with WWE on my release. I want to thank them for a great 4 years. But I miss wrestling

— Ricardo Rodriguez (@RRWWE) July 30, 2014

WWE.com has also posted a message on the company website wishing him well in his future endeavors.

Tomorrow (7/31), WWE will announce their Second Quarter 2014 financial results, including an updated number of subscribers to the WWE Network.

WWE’s stock got absolutely crushed earlier this year when it was announced that the WWE Network had less than 700,000 subscribers and their TV deal with NBC Universal came in substantially lower than the company was telling investors they would receive.

It’s been widely reported that WWE will be making drastic cuts to their budget this year and the company is already taking pre-emptive measures to offset potential negative backlash following Thursday’s investor conference call.

According to PWInsider.com, up to 10% of the WWE’s employees will be laid off soon to show Wall Street that they are making serious efforts to cut costs.

– Brock Lesnar has been added to the post-SummerSlam edition of WWE RAW on August 18th in Las Vegas and the September 15th RAW from Lafayette, Louisiana, the “go-home” show before Night of Champions.

– David Otunga will be appearing on this afternoon’s episode of ABC’s General Hospital at 2pm EST. Otunga appears as himself and visits the character Alice, who is a former pro wrestler.

– WWE Hall of Famer Booker T threw out the first pitch at last night’s Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics MLB baseball game:

Now onto more important questions @BookerT5x, what did you think of the spinaroonie???? @WWE @astros pic.twitter.com/0lF67GGDo0

— Houston Astros Orbit (@OrbitAstros) July 30, 2014

Vince Russo is “officially done” with TNA Wrestling. He tweeted on Wednesday afternoon:

“Officially DONE w/TNA. Today they “suggested” a break, I declined. Finality was better for me.Details coming”

.. or is this part of another huge SWERVE to fake out wrestling fans?

According to reports, Russo was contacted earlier today by John Gaburick and was told that his consulting services were no longer needed.

The news that Russo was secretly working for TNA was not well received by Spike TV and very well could have been the nail in the coffin for TNA’s TV deal.

The Monday, July 28th edition of WWE RAW scored a final cable rating of 3.06, according to Nielsen Media Research. That marks a decrease from the 3.15 final number that the show drew the previous week.

Monday’s RAW averaged 4.317 million viewers, which was also down from the previous week’s average of 4.43 million viewers.

The hourly breakdown in terms of viewership for Monday’s RAW is as follows:

Hour One: 4.39 million viewers
Hour Two: 4.51 million viewers
Hour Three: 4.05 million viewers

Courtesy of WrestlingDVDNews.com, the following are a couple of teaser clips from the new WWE-produced, “Ladies And Gentlemen, My Name Is Paul Heyman” DVD documentary.

http://youtu.be/OyWYXfOflCc

http://youtu.be/cul0vwEUIeg

http://youtu.be/7nOBg4eQPfQ

Rob Van Dam recently spoke to News.com.au to promote the upcoming WWE tour of Australia. During the discussion, Van Dam talked about how nobody does sports entertainment quite as good as WWE.

Van Dam said, “I’ve been doing this so long that I am privy to a lot of changes. When I started out there were many different companies … you could leave and go to a different territory and there were so many different styles. What we have now is WWE has survived the test of time and all the other companies have fallen off the face of the earth.”

RVD continued, “Now the WWE is a hybrid of all the different kinds of wrestling. I kid you not, it really is the cream of the crop, the best in the business. If you’re not in the WWE and bouncing around in the Indy shows you’re not with the best.”

Check out the complete interview at News.com.au.

Paige, who doesn’t wrestle in the traditional wrestling boots, recently spoke to WWE Magazine about the reason behind this move.

The following is what Paige had to say about why she wears Dr. Martens, which are a British foot wear brand, instead:

“I’m used to it. You have to break them in so I had to wear them on the streets. They’re very good, very British. I’m sticking to my guns. I’m really happy they’re back in fashion again because I love them and I own a pair, so I might as well put these babies on.”

– Several wrestling legends, as well as current talent have been praising Paul Heyman and John Cena for their promo work in the opening segment of this past Monday’s RAW. WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, for example, tweeted the following:

@HeymanHustle serves up a tremendous promo for @JohnCena on #RAW. Cena returns fire with an A-1 promo. Great work by both guys. #wwe

— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) July 29, 2014

– The tag-team combination of Heath Slater and Titus O’Neil is now being called “Slater Gator.”

– The new nickname for Summer Rae and Layla’s duo is “The Slayers.”

Last week, we posted the Full Content Listing for WWE’s upcoming “Sting: The Ultimate Collection,” in stores September 23rd. Now, WrestlingDVDNews.com has released a list of the exclusive bonus features Blu-Ray release, 20 in all.

Pre-Order Now From Amazon.com: DVD | Blu-Ray

Exclusive Blu-Ray Bonus Features:

– Blade Runners & Eddie Gilbert Interview
UWF • April 7, 1986

– NWA World Tag Team Championship Match
Sting & Barry Windham vs. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard
NWA Power Pro Wrestling • January 16, 1988

– “Ric Flair of the 80s”
NWA Pro Wrestling • February 26, 1988

– Sting wins PWI Most Popular Wrestler Award
Clash of the Champions IX • November 15, 1989

– Sting Imitates his Adversaries
WCW World Championship Wrestling • December 9, 1989

– “Horsemen Fever”
WCW World Championship Wrestling • January 20, 1990

– Sting and the Four Horsemen
WCW World Championship Wrestling • January 27, 1990

– Gordon Solie Interviews Sting
WCW WorldWide • February 10, 1990

– JR visits Sting in the Hospital
WCW World Championship Wrestling • February 17, 1990

– RoboCop Vignette
WCW WorldWide • April 28, 1990

– Wrestling Wrap-Up on Sting winning World Championship
WCW WorldWide • July 14, 1990

– Sting as World Champion
WCW WorldWide • July 21, 1990

– The Danger Zone with Sting
WCW Pro Wrestling • July 21, 1990

– Sting vs. Big Van Vader
WCW Saturday Night • October 15, 1994

– Sting & Hulk Hogan vs. The Bruise Brothers
WCW WorldWide • November 7, 1994

– Sting and Lex Luger in the Production Truck
WCW Nitro • August 5, 1996

– Sting joins the nWo Wolfpac
WCW Nitro • June 1, 1998

– Sting & Lex Luger vs. British Bulldog & Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart
WCW Nitro • June 29, 1998

– Sting’s Final Promo in WCW
WCW Nitro • March 26, 2001

The latest edition of WWE’s weekly sit-down interview hosted by Michael Cole is now online. This week, Cole sits down with WWE Diva Brie Bella.

Check out the video above to hear Bella discuss her recent dealings with Stephanie McMahon, their upcoming match at SummerSlam and more.

The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes Wrestling Show interview with “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase:

On Bray Wyatt and different characters: “I think [Mike Rotunda aka IRS] son, this Bray Wyatt is one of the best new characters that they’ve had in a long time. I really, really like it… I went back to work for them for a short time back in ’06, and they said, “Watch the shows tell me what you think,” and I said, ‘Everybody’s the same.’ You know, back then I said, ‘Everybody’s bald head, tattooed, trying to be Stone Cold Steve Austin.’When I was there it was a variety of characters. You had the guy with the snake, you had the rich Snidely Whiplash- me, and then you had a hillbilly, you had a sumo wrestler, you had all these characters. To now, nobody wears a ring jacket anymore, everybody looks the same. So I think they’re starting to get back to that and that’s good.”

On the Undertaker’s Streak: “My personal feeling is that wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t know for sure, I hadn’t spoken to anybody that night, I haven’t spoken to anybody since but, I was told, somebody said that when ‘Taker when he got back through the curtain, he collapsed. And I think that whatever the move was, I think he got knocked out and he didn’t kick out because he was out. As I was watching it I saw the expression on [Paul Heyman]‘s face I thought, ‘Something ain’t right.’ So I really think that wasn’t supposed to happen… If I were going to do it, the Streak was such a thing, a big deal with fans, I would either never beat him at WrestleMania or if I did beat him I would do it with somebody you’re really gonna give a big push… Obviously, Brock’s great, but he didn’t need it.”

Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross blog:

On Sting on The Ross Report: “The much anticipated Sting interview/conversation on the Ross Report podcast drops tonight at 9 pm eastern time on podcastone.com and perhaps just a little later on iTunes. It’s a two parter and a superb conversation with Sting about his career and his future. I hope that you will download it for free and do as many have done and that is subscribe to the podcast for free at iTunes. Many of you will hear and experience a side of Sting that you have never had the opportunity to do.”

On Vince Russo on The Ross Report: “Also, tonight I’m chatting with Vince Russo for a future Ross Report podcast in which should be an interesting conversation especially in light that Russo is being blamed for killing two, wrestling companies and even implicated in “murdering Owen Hart.” That’s some heavy stuff.”

On Monday’s RAW: “The show had some excellent moments without question and helped promote Summer Slam significantly. However, after a great start to the show that included the Heyman-Cena-Cesaro dealings the lack of in ring, bell to bell time was noticeable. It felt that the wrestling became an after thought after the hot start.”

On TNA: “If TNA goes to another cable TV outlet IF they leave @SpikeTV, I’d seriously consider changing the name of the company and attempting to hit the reset button and get a fresh start. I’m still not convinced that Spike will rid themselves of TNA but instead re-up the brand for less money. Sources say that TNA is telling their talents that there are multiple suitors for their brand as it relates to finding another cable TV home. I hope that’s accurate for their sake.”

“Speaking of Impact, I’m told that their TV show Thursday night is one of their better in ring shows in a good while.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.

– The latest edition of WWE’s “Five Things” YouTube series, which looks at five “incredible” SummerSlam facts, is now available. You can check that out below.

– The latest edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which features part two of his interview with Ken Shamrock, is now available. The official description for the show reads as follows:

SASc – EP137 – UFC Hall of Famer & WWF’s Ken Shamrock Pt2

“It’s part 2 of Steve’s conversation with former pro-wrestler & UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock… and this time it’s about wrestling, fighting, his feud with Dana White, Tito Ortiz, the Gracies, and a few stories about the WWF lockerroom!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.