– Sheamus will be a guest star on this coming Tuesday night’s edition of “Royal Pains” on the USA Network. Below is a preview of the show.

– The Rock recently posted the above Hercules movie clip on his official Instagram account:

“I asked the prop department to lock me in with real steel chains that I couldn’t break, so the performance would be real. When HERCULES finally accepts his fate of being the son of Zeus, it’s THE epic moment of the mythology – and our movie. We shot this scene 8 times – I blacked out every time. Down to my knees. Well worth the fun pain.. this moment is iconic. Im excited for you to see it… #HercDontLikeBlackingOut #HappilyDoItAgain #HERCULESMovie”

– Brie Bella was reportedly filming footage for the next season of WWE Total Divas at the Mari Vanna restaurant in Los Angeles, California earlier this weekend.

– The latest edition of “WWE Top 10” features the gtop ten most memorable debuts in WWE history. You can check that video out below.

WWE Hall Of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat has reportedly been released from WWE as part of the company’s recent budget cuts.

Prior to his release, Steamboat had been working as a coach in NXT, as well as a Talent Relations assistant under Triple H at the WWE offices in Stamford, Connecticut.

This past May, Steamboat did some promotional work for the company in Malaysia, however he has been booked for several non-WWE wrestling conventions and interviews.

The top superstars in the WWE will compete at this Sunday’s Battleground pay-per-view. Headlining the event is a fatal four-way matchup for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

In all, there are eight matches scheduled for the event, and nearly all of the company’s titles will be up for grabs. Here are my predictions for Sunday’s Battleground.

Cameron vs. Naomi (Pre-Show Match)

These two have been at each other’s throats since the breakup of the Funkadactyls. Cameron has become increasingly problematic for Naomi, as she continues to rack up wins and have success in the Divas division. I think Naomi will finally put the Funkadactyls by hitting the Rear View for the win.

Winner: Naomi by pinfall

Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal

This should be one of the most exciting matches of the night, as a number of viable contenders will be battling to become the new Intercontinental Champion. Bad News Barrett will also be on hand to present the title to the new champ.

It would appear that only a few of the entrants have a legitimate chance at winning the title, including Sheamus, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler and Bo Dallas. I think it comes down to Dallas and Cesaro at the end, with Cesaro ultimately coming out on top. An attack or provocation by Barrett could also turn Cesaro face once again and start a feud, as it appears his days as a Heyman guy are nearly over.

Winner: Cesaro

The Usos (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Wyatt Family (2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match)

These two teams have been battling one another for what seems like forever at this point. I think this is the point where the Wyatt Family finally breaks through and strikes gold. The teams will split the first two falls before the Wyatt Family becomes the new Tag Team Champions after Luke Harper hits a clothesline to win the third fall.

Winner: Wyatt Family by pinfall

AJ Lee (Divas Champion) vs. Paige

I’m not really sure what the plan is with this one. It appeared that they were trying hard for a double turn on the night of AJ Lee’s return, but the crowd wasn’t really having it. The two have now developed into so-called “frenemies.”

This should be a close matchup that will hopefully receive at least five to ten minutes. AJ Lee will struggle throughout, but will ultimately come out on top after locking in the Black Widow and forcing Paige to tap out. Don’t be surprised if Paige attacks AJ after the match in an attempt to turn her heel.

Winner: AJ Lee by submission

The Miami Herald has published part two of their two-part interview with Chris Jericho. During the interview, Jericho offered the following comments about his Battleground opponent, Bray Wyatt:

“It’s different. It’s something nobody’s ever seen before. It’s a character that he’s really dropped into. People believe it’s real, and when people believe it’s real, they get into it. Same thing as heel Jericho from 2008 and 2009. People wanted to fight me on the streets for real. I was getting in fights with fans. People believed this character was the biggest %$#^& on earth, because that’s the way I played it.”

“It’s like an Academy Award winning actor. When he wins an award, there’s a reason for that, because you believed the character. That’s what Bray’s doing. He dropped into it. He’s embraced it. He created it. It’s real. So it’s something the people haven’t seen before, and that’s why it’s getting over as good as it is.”

“[The music] really fits the character. It’s a swampy type, groovy, New Orleans Cajun type vibe. It’s a little bit creepy, and that’s basically what the Wyatts are as well. It’s very important to have a good ring song that really matches your character to help you get into that character, before you go on stage. That’s very, very important.”

Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.

MMANEWS.COM: Jim Ross To Work For UFC? Is Brock Lesnar Retired From MMA? [>>]

The following are highlights of a new CBS Baltimore interview with Natalya:

On Sting in WWE: “I think it’s cool. When we saw the debut of the new video game, that Sting is part of (WWE 2K15), it was awesome. It was like, ‘oh my gosh.’ Nobody ever thought you’d see Sting in WWE and now you see him. I can say this from experience, especially growing up around WWE my entire life, I’m one of those people that think Sting could possibly have another match in WWE.”

On drunk dialing Stephanie McMahon: “Nobody, including Steph, ever expected something like [that] to happen. It’s something now that we laugh about. The lesson learned is don’t ever go into ‘Brie Mode!'”

On Total Divas season 3: “We have a new cast member, Rosa Mendes. And then we have, obviously, Summer Rae, who was a new cast member from last season. Summer and I never really repaired our relationship from the past. It’s something of course I want to work on. We’ve got some issue there and we go back and revisit that.”

Check out the complete interview at CBSLocal.com.

The following are highlights of a new Phoenix New Times interview with Bill Goldberg:

Getting advice from Jim Ross before launching his podcast: “Well, yeah. Absolutely. I’ve been taking Jim’s advice for the past 30 years. He and I go way back to my Oklahoma days. So why reinvent the wheel and why not talk to people who have tread before you? And he obviously knows what he’s doing. And I’m not a radio personality by any stretch, but if you stop learning, you die, and I’m firmly a believer in that. So I’ll take advice from everybody, doesn’t mean that I’m actually going to act on it. But you gotta admit, when you’re not an expert at something and are able to hear advice from different people and discern between the good advice and bad advice, you do that and go from there.”

His podcast being different from others: “Yeah. At the end of the day, man, the reason I did the podcast is because I went through my Rolodex and thought, “There has to be a way to take advantage of all the cool people that I know.” So, in the beginning, by not [featuring] wrestlers, I wouldn’t be able to gain that much traction as the other guys, but I’m not at all like the other guys. I’m different.

I’m not a wrestler. I am a football player who looked at wrestling as a business. I do not live it, I do not breathe it, I do not eat it and shit it like everybody else does. And I truly believe that there’s a lot more interesting content out there that I’m going to try turning these wrestling fans on to that’s cool. I’ve been leading a pretty cool life and have some really cool friends.”

Would he have Chris Jericho on as a guest? “Absolutely. Why not? We’ll do a co-promoted podcast where it should be aired on both simultaneously. Yeah. No big deal. I’m 47 years old, man, I don’t hold grudges with people. If he’s got a problem with me, say it to my face. Other than that, shut up, you know?”

Jericho tweeting Goldberg is his “bro” and that anyone “trying to stir the shit can piss off”: “Yeah, that’s how I feel too, man. And I very much appreciate him saying that. Until I talk to him face-to-face, which I haven’t done since the B.S. went down years ago, which…it was ridiculous. It was the furthest thing from a fight that I think I’ve ever seen. But he knows the truth and I know the truth, and the reality is we’re grown men, dude, we’ve got bigger and better things to do than [dwell] on a ridiculous little subject that people seem to bring up every couple minutes.”

Is he a tough guy or a softie at public appearances and Scott Hall: “Well, they know that I’m the antithesis outside of the ring of the character that I am inside, except for the fact that, you know, you piss me off or do something that’s wrong then I’m going to show that other side of Goldberg. I mean, the reality is, I’m multi-dimensional in the person that I can become at the snap of a finger. But the most important aspect of my personality is the one that’s caring and the one that tries to give back to people who have put me in a position that I’m already in.

The wrestling convention or the signings are not the place to show that I can punch somebody in the face. It’s a place where the people can look at you as an idol, this big strong guy, but yet, at the same time, have a nice conversation with you, so you smile, put your arm around them and make them feel welcome. That’s what you do at these autograph sessions. But, if Scott Hall mouths off to me, then they’ll see the other side.

This would be a rematch that he’d never book, believe it. He’d never sign it, because this one would be done in the street or at my gym, which I’d rather take it there, you know?”

A possible WWE return: “I’ve expressed my desire…well, not my desire, my willingness to maybe consider it again, but I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 50,000 times, once they learn how to do business, then I’d consider it.

I’d love to do it too, man. I mean, like I said, I’ve said it before, I think the WWE and I will never see eye to eye, so I don’t think [it] will be very logical, and I think the chances of seeing me elsewhere are between zero and zero, unless it’s Japan or unless somebody comes out to be a competitor to [WWE’s owner Vince McMahon], because I’m not just gonna do it to do it.”

What’s next for him:
“I’ve got a movie [Minkow] coming up in September [and] just got off a conference call with a new TV show. I’m pretty damn busy man. I’m as busy as I want to be. And at this time in my life, at 47 years old, I just want to be able to make my own decisions and live by it. So as long I’m still able to do that, then I’m good, man.

I don’t need to vindicate anything because of my last match against Brock Lesnar, by no stretch of the imagination. Because I haven’t seen anybody press [slam] him over their head yet. When that’s a normal occasion, then I won’t feel as though I accomplished very much. But I haven’t seen anyone jackhammer The Giant [a.k.a. WWE’s The Big Show] yet. So, if I’m the “flash in the pan,” as a couple people have said I was, so be it. But this “flash in the pan” put asses in seats, money in a lot of people’s pockets, and I was able to jackhammer The Giant at will.”

Check out the complete interview at PhoenixNewTimes.com.

Below is the final lineup for tonight’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view:

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– John Cena (c) Kane vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton

2 out of 3 Falls for the WWE Tag Team Championships
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan

WWE Divas Championship
– AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige

Battle Royal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del Rio, Bo Dallas, Sheamus, Fandango, Sin Cara, Zack Ryder, The Miz, Diego, R-Truth, Xavier Woods, Heath Slater, Titus O’Neil

– Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt

– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

– Rusev vs. Jack Swagger

Kickoff Show Match
– Cameron vs. Naomi

Make sure to join us here on the website tonight for live WWE Battleground coverage.

– In addition to The Rock, former WCW star Buff Bagwell was in attendance at the ESPY Awards earlier this week.

– Former WWE Superstar CM Punk is scheduled to appear on Chris Hardwick’s “Nerdiest Podcast Live!” on July 26th in San Diego, California.

– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with Diamond Dallas Page and Jake “The Snake” Roberts, is now available. The official description for the show reads as follows:

TIJ – EP57 – DDP & Jake The Snake Roberts + Fozzy New Album Preview

“DDP & Jake The Snake Roberts together in-person with Y2J. They sat down at DDP’s Accountability Crib in Atlanta, and talked about EVERYTHING! Jake’s descent into drugs & alcohol, his resurrection, his WWE comeback & Hall of Fame induction, working the sober program with Scott Hall, and how Jake really feels about all those snakes!”

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

As noted recently, Bray Wyatt had his eye swollen shut after receiving a stiff shot from Ric Flair during the recent WWE live event in Madison Square Garden. Wyatt spoke to the local CBS affiliate in Tampa today to discuss the situation.

“I look at it as an honor,” said Wyatt. “Madison Square Garden. Ric Flair. John Cena. At the end of a long, long, long war, a little [bruise] is not so bad. I’m used to having stitches and things all over my body, so I didn’t even know I was bleeding.” Wyatt concluded, “I thought I was blind!”

The following is from ImpactWrestling.com:

BREAKING NEWS: Hardcore Justice Announced To Take Place August 5th In NYC!

After rave reviews of last night’s edition of IMPACT from New York City’s Manhattan Center, we are elated that TNA is set to return to the Manhattan Center from August 5th – 7th. We are now able to announce that the first night, August 5th, will be a fan-favorite special event: HARDCORE JUSTICE!

Hardcore Justice is an annual event full of hardcore, hard-hitting wrestling. Extreme matches full of weapons, violence and carnage is to be expected. ImpactWrestling.com can confirm the return of the dangerous Six Sides of Steel on August 5th. More matches and participants will be announced soon for our August return to the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom.

If you cannot be in New York City to join us, Hardcore Justice will be broadcast FREE on Spike TV in the weeks to follow.

Who do you want to see at the big show? Tell us NOW on Twitter by using the hashtag #HardcoreJustice!

Mark Henry and WWE Hall Of Famer Koko B. Ware appeared on Huff Post Live recently and spoke about the topic of racism in WWE.

Henry spoke about WWE’s “Silverback” gimmick for him back in 2007, saying “a lot of people remember the Silverback thing. Honestly, I could not do it. I told them: ‘I can’t do that. I got two little black kids at home.'”

Henry defended WWE in terms of being a racist company, basically saying that the company and its’ writers have no racist tendencies towards their talent. “Black culture, we dance and sing. We’re entertainers,” said Henry. “James Brown said it best: the things we are make people want to be like us.”

Check out the complete appearance at HuffingtonPost.com.

The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Chris Jericho:

Entertaining the masses with his talents: “I think after a while people don’t really give a %$#@ what it is [else] that you’re doing. When I’m wrestling, I’m in wrestling mode. When I’m on stage with Fozzy, I’m in Fozzy mode. They’re two separate things, and it’s cool that I do both. I think a lot of people think it’s cool and can understand that I’m good at both. I don’t listen to negative people or care about negative people or worry about negative people. I just worry about doing the best I can do with whatever projects I decide to do.”

Similarities between music and wrestling: “There’s a lot of similarities between the two. They’re both very high energy, aggressive forms of entertainment, very dependent on the reactions you get from the crowd. If the crowd is excited, it makes for a better show — both in wrestling and with Fozzy. So you get a lot of crossover because there is that certain vibe in both. Certainly WWE superstars are like rock stars — larger than life, over the top personalities — and that’s what you’re always looking for in rock-n-roll. Sometimes you get it, and sometimes you don’t, and sometimes you get that in wrestling, and sometimes you don’t. Especially when you go to a WWE show with all the fire [and loud noise] and pyrotechnic, a lot of times it’s more than a rock show, than a rock show you might see. There is a common ground between the two.”

WWE’s Jim Johnston, who composes theme songs: “[Jim Johnston] does a great job at what he does. He really finds the inner core, the inner seed of what the person’s personality is, of what the character’s personality is, and really latches on to that. It always amazes me to see what he comes up with for guys who have been around for years, for guys who are just starting..He’s definitely an invaluable member of the WWE’s team for sure.”

Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.

The following are highlights of a new interview with Roman Reigns:

Returning home in the main event: “It’s a little bit nerve wracking to be honest. Fortunately, the last time we were in Pensacola, we were in The Shield. It felt like a pay-per-view out there. It means so much to me being home. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in that Civic Center — watching Disney on Ice, the Ice Pilots, Arena Football. To get in there, especially as a singles competitor, to be in the main event is unbelievable. No matter what, you want to close the show properly. Being in my hometown of Pensacola, it puts even more weight on my shoulder to go out there and perform at the highest level.”

Following in the footsteps of family members in wrestling: “I don’t look at it as being tough. I take it as more of a responsibility. I feel like I’ve always been in that position in my family, to raise the bar, to keep our legacy strong. It’s more of a challenge. It’s not something that I let stress me out. I stay within myself and never forget where I came from.”

Putting on the best show possible: “I always feel I need to have my best performance possible. You never know when it’s the last time in the ring. I was extremely tough on myself the last time I was in Pensacola. I think I’m a smarter performer now. For me, it’s about doing what I do at the highest level and putting on the best show possible. And that’s what I plan on doing.”

Check out the complete interview at PNJ.com.

Dean Ambrose recently appeared on the local CBS Radio affiliate in Boston to promote this Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view.

During the discussion, Ambrose spoke about an infamous internet nickname he is known for, “titty-master,” which he obtained after writing the words on his wrist at a WWE live event last year.

Regarding the nickname, Ambrose said “that’s why I don’t do the internet very much.”

The former Shield member also spoke about his feud with Seth Rollins. “I don’t think this is going to be the end,” said Ambrose. “I think me and him are going to be at each other’s throats and tearing it up and having spectacular matches for years and years down the line, but you’re going to get to see the first one this Sunday.”

The following are highlights of a new interview with Bray Wyatt:

On the last year since he debuted with the WWE: “It’s been a whirlwind. I always expected to be successful. I don’t remember being a child and plan on doing anything but what I’m doing right now. I was kind of born to do this and this past year has been rewarding. I like the grind of things. I like to keep my ear to the ground and just keep moving forward. It’s been crazy but I expect it to get much crazier as it continues with my career and my growth and a unit especially.”

On Bray Wyatt is really him just amplied: “Right. 100%. I couldn’t create something if I didn’t feel it. When I say things, when I speak on television, I’m not making stuff up. I’m not like sitting in the back with a notepad thinking “maybe this will make them think I’m crazy”. That’s how I really am you know? My views on this and that, which I really don’t want to delve into, but my views are that of the real me. There is no character. I think that’s the biggest mistake people think when they approach me, they think “you’re some character you know, I love the character you play”. You don’t really know who I am.”

Check out the complete interview above.

WWE announced Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair as “co-hosts” for an upcoming non-televised live event in San Jose, California.

The show, which takes place on August 16th, will feature the kick-off of ticket sales for WrestleMania 31.

Already scheduled for the card are the following matches:

– John Cena vs. Kane [Street Fight]
– Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
– Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt [Ric Flair as Special Referee[
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

The following are highlights of a new interview with NXT star Sami Zayn:

On feedback from Triple H after his match with Cesaro at “Arrival”: “It was awesome. If I’m being honest again, actually the first time that I got that kind of feedback from HHH was actually the two out of three falls match (with Cesaro), which had been about a year, nine months prior to the Arrival match. So we had this match, now has gotten a lot of talk, buzz or whatever it is. As I was in the ring and the crowd was like just going nuts, giving us this standing ovation, which was so cool. And as I was on my back, out of the corner of my eye, I kinda saw the replaying some of the highlights of the match and the crowd with each replay started getting louder and louder to the point by the time they were replaying the finish, it was another standing ovation. So it was actually one of the most incredible moments of my career. Just to lay flat on my back and just hear them continually getting louder way after the match. And they (crowd) start chanting match of the year, match of the year and I haven’t told anybody this on camera or anything like this. I really didn’t know how that reaction was going to go over. At this point, I was fairly new to the WWE system. I didn’t know if I overextended myself, if we had done more than they wanted, I don’t know. I really didn’t know. And then we came back and I had no idea what to expect, I really didn’t. I thought I’d get chewed out over like what the hell are you doing out there? I really didn’t know. And I got back there and HHH was the first one to pull us aside. He said that was awesome. He gave us a very candid speech. That was the first time I got insight into his mind and the way his mind works. I was so happy because yes, its not gunna be this like, I have my vision. the office has their vision. It was this guy who likes good stuff and he appreciates good stuff. And it was an amazing experience and amazing thing validated by a guy who is not only your boss, but as one of the most accomplished and greatest professional wrestlers/WWE superstars of all time. It was really cool to have him on your good side for sure.”

On KENTA signing with the company and training soon at the Performance Center: “I’m very excited. There’s a lot of good talent coming in, a lot of my kind of guys, world traveled, workrate, nose to the grindstone, gritty sort of passionate guys, which is what I personally believe in. Its great to see these guys get an opportunity. KENTA’s just been busting his butt for so long and killing it for so long. Its great to see him get an opportunity like this. I am really looking forward to hopefully wrestling him because I actually never have. I was supposed to wrestle him once, but he went down with a knee injury. I teamed with him a couple of times, but I’ve never actually had a one on one match with him. I look forward to that opportunity.”

Check out the complete interview above.

The following are highlights of a new Between The Ropes interview with NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte:

On sharing the moment with her father Ric Flair when she won the NXT Women’s Title at Takeover: “I really don’t have the words. It was so special. I mean, to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I think if anyone’s followed my father’s career, they truly know how passionate he is about sports entertainment. And to be able to carry on his legacy in my own way and to win the NXT Women’s Championship, it just meant the world to me. I know how much his legacy, hard work, sacrifice and his love for his fans and the WWE Universe that he put into them. And to know that I’m representing his brand that he worked on for so long means a lot to me. So I just want to do it justice and I felt that pressure that night. I think it went really well. No matter how grand the stage is, he be proud of me. But to win my first title with there, was special.”

On her WWE debut at Madison Square Garden this past weekend: “Heck of a way to start your main roster debut. It was amazing. While Sasha Banks and I started pretty much at the same time and to have her tagging with me was special in itself. But Madison Squarer Garden has so much history and tradition. And to walk out there and know that I was making history within that building and having my dad there and being on the same card as him, that’s what made it special. Like his name was on there, I was on there. But facing Natalya again, that was pretty awesome too. That was the first time I faced her since Takeover and obviously going up against Nikki (Bella) too. Also, what was so cool, they (the crowd) knew who we were. Walking out there playing our little package and knowing us made you feel like even more like a superstar like NXT means business.”

Check out the complete interview above.

The following matches are confirmed for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, the final episode of the show before Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view:

-Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio

-Alicia Fox vs. Eva Marie with Nikki Bella as special referee

-Chris Jericho vs. Luke Harper

-Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz and Fandango

-A.J. Lee and Paige vs. Summer Rae and Layla

-Kane vs. Dean Ambrose

For complete spoilers, click here.

WWE taped 3 weeks of NXT television on Thursday night from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Here are the spoiler results, courtesy of Josh Parry and PWTorch.com:

Dark Match: Solomon Crowe (Sami Callihan) beat Travis Tyler.

Episode 1

(1) Tyler Breeze beat Angelo Dawkins.

(2) NXT Women’s champion Charlotte beat Becky Lynch in a non-title match.

(3) NXT tag champions The Ascension beat an unnamed jobber team.

(4) Mojo Rawley & Bull Dempsey beat The Mechanics.

(5) Adam Rose beat Tyson Kidd.

Episode 2

(1) Enzo Amore & Big Cass beat Jason Jordan & Ty Dillinger in a #1 contender tag tournament match.

(2) C.J. Parker beat Xavier Woods.

(3) Bayley beat Eva Marie.

(4) Sami Zayn & Adam Rose beat Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel in a #1 contender tag tournament match. Fantastic main event tag match.

Episode 3 

(1) The Vaudevillains beat Bull Dempsey & Mojo Rawley in a #1 contender tag tournament match. Bull turned on Mojo post-match.

(2) Bailey beat Sasha Banks to become #1 contender to the NXT Women’s Title.

(3) Sin Cara & Kalisto beat Wesley Blake & Buddy Mirphy in a #1 contender tag tournament match.

(4) NXT champion Adrian Neville beat Tyler Breeze via DQ when Tyson Kidd interfered; Neville retained the NXT Title. Sami Zayn made the save when it turned into a three-way brawl. Zayn and Neville the challenged the heels to a tag match right now. They accepted.

(5) NXT champion Adrian Neville & Sami Zayn beat Tyler Breeze & Tyson Kidd.

Dark Segment: Bray Wyatt returned to NXT to a great reaction. He played to the crowd before taking out Kidd and Breeze with Sister Abigail. He gave a heartfelt, out-of-character speech of thanks to the NXT crowd for making him who he is today. Classy. He signed autographs and took pictures at ringside to end the show.

– Vince McMahon recently posted the following tweet regarding Sting and the new WWE 2K15 video game:

#WWE2K15 with @Sting. Does art imitate life? http://t.co/vrlgCsbsis pic.twitter.com/wfrK6sCazp

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) July 17, 2014

– Speaking of WWE 2K15, it has been confirmed that both Xavier Woods and Rob Van Dam will be part of the video game roster.

Wrestling legend Sting spoke to Grantland.com this week to promote his appearance in the upcoming WWE video game. Here are some highlights of what said about:

How It Feels To Be Part Of WWE: “It’s an honor. It’s something I always hoped I could do — to somehow or another be a part of the WWE family in some capacity. And here I am.”

Will He Be Appearing On WWE TV? “I’ll just say that I’m all in and very willing to participate. Believe me.”

His Favorite WWE Superstars: “I’m a strange breed. When I got into the business I really didn’t know anything about wrestling. I never watched wrestling on TV because we didn’t have it in the area of Southern California where I grew up. So it’s amazing that I even ended up wrestling. I still don’t watch a whole lot. Thirty years and I never really watched anything — I never even watched myself. I’m just now at a place where I’m like, “Let me start to learn some of these newer guys coming up.” I always heard that when John Cena started, a lot of people looked at him as the new Sting. That was flattering. As far as some of the new guys, I love the look of Roman Reigns and I think he has all the ability in the world. Daniel Bryan, I’ve seen him perform. Bray Wyatt, I’ve seen him. Unreal what they do.”

Wanting To Wrestle The Undertaker: “I would love to have that match. I think for wrestling fans it’s a dream match, but really it’s been a dream match of mine for a long time, as well. I know that the streak was taken away by Brock Lesnar at this last WrestleMania, but I hope [Undertaker]’s not done. I don’t believe he is. And if he is going to be around, I’m hoping for an opportunity.”

His WWE 2K15 Promo Video: “One of the interesting things I read about the promo video was that for anybody who thought the generational gap would be not in Sting’s favor, well, we can put that to rest. The way the crowd reacted was amazing — and even the younger kids who don’t know who I am. The painted face, that video — I’m the sort of guy who’s really hard to please, but when I saw that video, with the violins playing, it was great.”

Fearing WWE Would Misuse Him When They Purchased WCW: “Honestly, back then I probably did make rumblings like that. But the truth is that I had a contract with AOL/Time Warner. WWE didn’t assume those. I had 18 months left on that contract, and AOL had to pay me the money they owed me, and they did. I also did an audit for merchandise and got another lump of money there. After 18 months, I had a conversation with Vince. Long story short, when I spoke with Vince it was great, then when the attorneys got involved it wasn’t so great. It never materialized. I let it go at that point.”

Does He Regret Not Signing With WWE Sooner? “Yeah, you know what they say about hindsight. I can look back now and wonder why I didn’t do this earlier. But it is what it is, and I’m excited right now. It’s like Vince used to say every time I came close to signing but never did: “Don’t forget to cross your t’s and dot your i’s, and someday we’ll do business together.” And here we are. It’s a video game, but that’s for starters, and we’ll see how it develops from here. I’m glad it turned out the way it did.”

How Many Matches He Has Left In Him: “One more match. That’s what I’m hoping to do, and I’d like it to be Taker, and then I’ll hang it up.”

• MMANEWS.COM: TOP UFC Star Training At WWE + HUGE TNA Star Jumping To MMA!

WWE NXT star Tyler Breeze recently spoke to Brian Fritz of Between The Ropes during a WWE “Be A Star” campaign in Orlando, Florida.

During their discussion, Breeze spoke about the status of his injured finger. “It’s getting better,” said Breeze. “I’ll find out tomorrow, actually, if I need this (splint) on there anymore, but besides that I wrestled on Saturday, feeling pretty good.”

Check out the complete interview above.

Battleground is just around the corner and the card has been officially finalized. Overall, there are eight matches scheduled, with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship being defended in a Fatal Four-Way main event.

Over the past few years, some fans have complained that the WWE has not put enough focus into the so-called “B-list” pay-per-views (anything not named Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, or Survivor Series), and rightly so. Last year’s edition of Battleground is the perfect example of the WWE phoning it in for a pay-per-view.

It is rumored that Cena and Lesnar will meet at SummerSlam. Does this mean that a Cena win is inevitable?

That event saw a vacant title remain vacant after interference from the Big Show, and the undercard was pathetic to say the lease (aside from the Rhodes Brothers/Shield matchup that stole the show). Fans voiced their dissatisfaction by not only complaining about the finish of the event, but more importantly by refusing to purchase the pay-per-view in the first place. The 2013 edition of Battleground registered only 114,000 buys, which is the second lowest total in the last 17 years.

Thankfully for fans, the WWE can no longer get by putting in little effort, as their goal is to now attract as many subscribers to the WWE Network as possible. This has led to increased focus on events that would have previously been neglected, such as Battleground. This year’s event has shaped up nicely, however, with several entertaining contests that actually have legitimate backstories scheduled to take place.

The most entertaining contest of the night will likely be Dean Ambrose against Seth Rollins. Since the Shield dissolved a few weeks back, Ambrose has been intent on exacting revenge from former partner and current Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins. There is no doubt that Rollins and Ambrose will steal the show at Battleground, as they are two of the best workers in the game and know how to tell a story.