WWE 2K15 will be released on October 28th for Playstation 4, Xbox One, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. You can pre-order the game now from Amazon.com.

Based on what we’re hearing this week, WWE 2K15 will include an all-new career mode that will be similar to NBA 2K14, where gamers can create a character (or use an existing Superstar/Diva) and rise up the ranks from rookie to legend. This will involve paying your dues and making a name for yourself in NXT before making your way up to the main roster.

The career mode is expected to include several NXT talents for the first time ever, so we could see playable characters like NXT Champion Adrian Neville, NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze.

Aside from the all-new career mode, it’s expected that the “30 Years of WrestleMania” mode will be returning.

Both Sting and Goldberg are rumored to be featured in the game as legends.

Pre-Order Your Copy Of WWE 2K15 Now From Amazon.com

Apparently the offer that WWE made to “The Icon” Sting was ultimately equivalent to the standard “Legends” deals that are offered to older, non-active stars from the past.

Generally a WWE Legends contract is a $10,000 deal, without any other guarantees. It should be noted that the last time anyone heard about the talks between WWE and Sting, everything was said to be going smoothly. As things stand now, both sides are still in negotiations.

Speaking of Sting, he’s going to be part of two upcoming WWE projects. The first is a DVD set on Sting’s career featuring matches spanning from his days in Mid-South through the final episode of WCW Nitro from 2001.

WWE is also tentatively planning to include Sting’s likeness in the “WWE 2K15” video game, due out October 28th.

• BACKSTAGE NEWS: The Story BEHIND Seth Rollins Heel Turn Against The Shield [READ >>]

Information from WrestlingDVDNews.com and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter were used in this report

The Chicago-based PCW promotion recently issued the following regarding Sting’s appearance at their June 21st event:

LESS THAN 4 WEEKS UNTIL STING COME’S TO PCW’S DREAM NIGHT!

Less than four weeks until PCW’S Dream Night 13, with special guest The Icon Sting. To meet the Icon Sting you must purchase a Super Ticket for $125.00, which includes one general admission ticket, one photo opp and one item signed (additional autographs will cost $40.00 per item and are available only with the purchase of a Super Ticket).

These limited Super Tickets are going fast, so don’t miss out on this great chance To meet Sting up close and in person.

This will take place Saturday June 21st, 2014 at The Oaklawn Pavilion 9401 Oak Park Ave. OakLawn, IL.

Doors will open at 5:30 PM and Bell Time will be at 6:30 PM. General Admission tickets are only $15.00.

For more information or to purchase advance GA Tickets or Supertickets go to www.pcwwrestling.net or Hellfire Comics at the Chicago Ridge Mall (708) 423- FIRE.

Last night, the WWE Universe saw the soldiers overthrow their all-powerful leader, as the Shield destroyed the King of Kings and the rest of Evolution in a six-man tag elimination match.

The match was likely the last encounter between the two groups. Batista is scheduled to take time off starting tonight and there is little focus on the rivalry in tonight’s preview for Raw, so it seems unlikely that the program will be continued.

Roman Reigns dominated Evolution last night, ultimately winning the contest by pinning Triple H.

With Evolution in their rearview mirror, one has to wonder where the Shield will go from here. They have already feuded with a good portion of the roster, and none of the members are really in line to challenge for a title, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the Hounds of Justice tonight.

One thing is certain though: all of the members are being booked strong. This was evident last night, as all three members of the group picked up an elimination against Evolution, with Roman Reigns ultimately securing the victory by pinning Triple H after hitting a spear.

It is obvious that Roman Reigns is being groomed as the first breakout star of the group. There were rumors that he and Triple H are being booked to square off at SummerSlam, but after last night’s emphatic victory by the Shield, that idea seems a bit less likely.

Assuming last night’s contest is the final time Evolution and the Shield meet, it was a fitting conclusion to a great rivalry. Their first contest at Extreme Rules is without a doubt the match of the year thus far. It appeared that last night’s matchup would surpass their first meeting.

After all, it had all of the ingredients of a classic match. It had the backstory between the two groups, it had the no-holds barred stipulation that would make the contest more exciting, and it also had a sense of finality due to the fact that most knew Batista was leaving after the event. It failed to live up to the hype of their first meeting, however.

Since WrestleMania season, there have been numerous reports regarding Sting and the possibility of him coming into WWE for a run with the company. At one point, it was considered to be a lock that he was signing and coming in, however with him still having yet to put pen-to-paper, there are some who are thinking that there’s at least a chance that he won’t end up signing when all is said and done.

Sting revealed in an interview a while back that he had discussions and negotiations with WWE several years ago and that he came close to signing a deal for 100 dates per year with the company. Ultimately, Sting ended up backing out on the deal while the offer was still officially on the table. There are some who are worried that could be the case again with the current negotiation.

At last word, Sting was still scheduled to work on several WWE Network and WWE DVD-related projects, for whatever that is worth.

– Vince McMahon ended up making the trip to London, England for WWE RAW tonight. As previously reported, McMahon — along with company executive George Barrios — held a conference call earlier today to react to the recent WWE stock decline following the announcement of the company’s new agreement with NBCUniversal. McMahon did the call from London, while Barrios was in Stamford, CT.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has recently listed the following stars as future guests on his “Ross Report” podcast, which airs every Tuesday night at PodcastOne.com: Michelle Beadle of ESPN, Eric Bischoff, Bill Goldberg, Ted DiBiase, MVP, Lance Storm, Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Sting, AJ Styles and Tony Schiavone.

It seemed as if the tag team division had been revitalized last year. However, almost as soon as fans started to become excited about the division again, half of the teams were broken up and it has been largely ignored.

The Usos are the current champions, and I think their pay-per-view exposure shows how confident the WWE is that the Uso brothers will draw. After all, they defended their tag titles on the pre-show at WrestleMania and did not appear in any capacity at Extreme Rules.

With that said, it would not take much effort to get the division back to where it was at the end of last year. Here are five current or potential tag teams that could help make the division relevant again (or at the very least, get it onto the pay-per-view card).

5. Rybaxel – At first, this team seemed like it would go nowhere. They had both just basically flopped while under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, so why would anyone believe that they would fare well without him? Surprisingly, both have improved since leaving Heyman, especially Ryback. He is hilarious on the microphone and can actually be pretty entertaining when he’s allowed to speak. I think the WWE still has plans to push both guys in the future, and a run with the Tag Team Championships could help elevate both superstars.

4. Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler – These guys have adopted similar personality traits in recent weeks, most notably because both guys seem disgruntled, annoyed, and displeased that their talents are not being properly utilized. Sandow and Ziggler would make a great team if paired together, as both are impressive in the ring and on the mic. There were rumors a while back of a possible stable of disgruntled superstars being formed, including Ziggler and the Miz, but a team of Sandow and Ziggler would work even better and could make the tag title picture exciting again.

3. Jack Swagger and Cody Rhodes – It is no secret that Zeb Colter has been trying to recruit a new member to the Real Americans since Cesaro betrayed him a few weeks back. With Cody being the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, it would make sense for him to become a Real American. Cody and Goldust are definitely going to part ways soon, with Cody likely being the one to turn heel, so it would provide the perfect opportunity for Cody to align with Swagger and Colter afterward.

The undercard singles titles are all chilling across the pond these days, as Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, and Paige all won championships in recent weeks. New champions are a welcome sight in the WWE these days, especially considering how stale the previous champions’ runs had become.

Dean Ambrose’s reign as United States Champion will likely be the forgotten reign in years to come. He held the title for almost a year while only defending it a few times before finally dropping it to Sheamus during a battle royal a few weeks back.

The same holds true for Big E and the Intercontinental Championship. Although he did not hold the title as long as Ambrose held his US Championship, his reign was unmemorable and he engaged in no meaningful feuds during his months with the title. As for AJ Lee, her run with the title seemed fresh at first, but she eventually ran out of challengers and it seemed like the right time to crown a new champion.

Ambrose held the title for almost a year and hardly ever defended it.

With recent undercard title reigns being unmemorable, it leads one to wonder if unification is the answer. One of the primary reasons the titles go undefended is because it is difficult to have too many stories going at once, especially meaningful ones that involve championship contests. This leads to champions holding insignificant titles like the US Championship as a way to legitimize or build up the character, but in reality, the title does little because it goes undefended.

One of the best options would perhaps be to unify the United States and Intercontinental Championships. By unifying the titles into just the Intercontinental Championship, it could make the title seem important again. In the Attitude Era, the title held importance, with fans knowing that most superstars who held the strap were on their way to the main event.

That is not the case anymore, however, as the title is thrown on random superstars in an attempt to build interest, but then creative puts in no further effort. It is a little sad that the most interesting thing to happen involving the Intercontinental Championship in recent months was a tournament to crown a number one contender that did not even involve the champion at all (except for a few clips showing him standing in the back, angrily looking at a monitor).

The Yes! Movement received the worst possible news this week on Raw, as their unlikely hero announced that he will require neck surgery this Thursday and will be out of action for an indefinite amount of time.

Early reports indicate that Bryan has a broken neck and will be out for at least one to two months, with his possible returning coming at SummerSlam. This is terrible news for Bryan, who after a long journey finally captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

It appears that he also will not be appearing on television in any capacity for at least a few weeks, as the attack later in the show by Kane was likely a way to write Bryan off of television while he recovers from surgery at home. This leads one to wonder about the future of the WWE Championship, and also if Bryan can maintain momentum while missing at least a month of time.

After finally overcoming the Authority at WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan will miss significant time due to injury.

As of now, it is being reported that Bryan will not be stripped of the title. This could of course change at any moment, especially if the product becomes stale during his absence. If Bryan ends up missing the maximum amount of time, that seems like a very long time to go with essentially no champion.

In my opinion, if it is determined that Bryan will miss any more than one month, the Authority should strip him of the title. This could serve a few purposes. First, it would keep momentum strong by having the Authority still trying to hold Bryan down, especially with Stephanie McMahon being the storyline reason Bryan was injured in the first place after unleashing the demon Kane.

Second, it could allow for someone else to receive a push in Bryan’s absence. Imagine if a tournament were held for the WWE Championship similar to the one just held for an Intercontinental Title match. It could allow for a fresh face to hold the championship for a while and create interesting television over the next few weeks by having qualifying matches on Raw, with the championship match being held at Money in the Bank.

– As previously reported, WWE Diva Cameron will be releasing her “Bye Bye” single today. The Total Divas star is also working on a remix of the song called, “Chingle, Chingle.”

– Wrestling legend Sting is featured on the latest WWE “30 Second Fury” video, which looks at his Scorpion Death Drop finishing move. You can check that video out below.

Fans were spared from having to sit through the same John Cena promo that we have all seen a million times last week on Raw. Instead, he was shipped to the WWE Network exclusive program Main Event in an attempt to increase viewership and attract new subscribers.

Since becoming a Network exclusive, Main Event has received a lot more attention. Prior to re-launching online, the program typically featured two matches that were nothing more than garbage, throwaway contests. However, since becoming a Network program, there have been a few title matches and they have at least made an attempt to have top stars appear (Cena and Hogan immediately come to mind).

The company has placed more emphasis on Main Event since making it a Network exclusive in a trend that will likely continue.

Although the immediate goal of placing more emphasis on Network-exclusive programs it to reach one million subscribers, I also believe there is a larger goal involved: the company is testing the waters to see if it can cut all ties with cable providers.

The idea of taking all WWE content to the WWE Network makes sense on one hand. It already appears this is going to happen in the near future with pay-per-views. Cable providers Dish and DirectTV declined to carry this month’s pay-per-view because they were undoubtedly upset that they were losing profits because the WWE chose to circumvent them by starting their own network. It is likely only a matter of time before the others tap out and wrestling fans are forced to subscribe if they hope to (legally) watch the pay-per-view each month.

Taking Raw to the Network would be a bit more challenging, however. Their contract with USA is expiring at the end of this year and a new deal has not yet been reached. If a new deal is not reached, one of the highest rated programs on television will be finding a new home come fall. They would definitely not attempt to move the program to the Network immediately, but if the next deal falls through, it seems hard to imagine that they would not at least consider doing so.

After all, there are already reports that they are going to advance storylines on both the Raw Pre-Show and Backstage Pass programs, essentially meaning that Raw has been extended to four hours, with one hour airing exclusively on the WWE Network.

Eric Young has been in TNA for nearly a decade and in that time we have seen him be a member of Team Canada, a stint a a comic book hero Super Eric, all the way through to being the top dog in the company and current TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

The 34-year-old from Florence, Ontario, Canada has won numerous titles turing his time in the company including; X Division champion, multiple time Tag Team champion, Television champion and ever Knockouts Tag Team champion with ODB, however the current title around his waste tops the lot.

We caught up with EY to talk about, getting to work with some of his heroes, his Animal Planet shows, and of course the night he was crowned TNA World Champion, plus much more.

Q. How did you first get into the sport of professional wrestling?

I’ve been a fan since I was five-years-old, I’ve watched it my whole life and it’s all I ever really wanted to do. The week after I finished high school I began training at a gym, and three months after that I had my first pro match and it ha just snowballed from there. I’ve wrestled in all 50 states, every province, wrestled all over the world and now I’m the World Heavyweight champion, it has been a pretty wild ride.

Q. When growing up who were some of the wrestlers that you enjoyed watching?

Being from Canada, Bret and Owen Hart were massive influences on me. Then there were guys like Sting, Terry Funk, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, I have a huge list of wrestlers that I enjoyed watching. I loved Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, there was just something about it from the age of five or six and I  couldn’t get enough.

Still to this day I have lots of VHS tapes with tens of thousands of wrestling, I loved it when I five and I still love it today.

Q. You’ve had the chance to work with the likes of Sting, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, what was it like working with guys you grew up watching?

It’s hard to put that into words, these were guys that I idolised growing up, these were people that I wanted to be. I actually got to wrestle Sting in his first match back after 10 years away, and just being in the ring with him was a dream come true but very surreal at the same time. Sting was always good to be, Hulk as well, they always had time for me and it was great to be able to share a locker-room with guys like that and be on the same roster.

Q. The likes of Sting, Hulk Hogan, AJ Styles, and Jeff Jarrett have all left TNA in recent months, what has that been like?

There is always massive turnover in professional wrestling, people come, people go, some people go to work in other places and some people end up coming back, that is just the nature of the beast. It’s never nice to see anyone go, but I’m still really good buddies with AJ Styles and we talk whenever we get a chance – we’re actually planning on doing a bike trip together in the summer.

Q. When you first started in TNA did you ever think you’ll become World Heavyweight champion?

It’s always something that I wanted, and personally it’s always something I believed I could do. I don’t think there is anybody that doesn’t want to become World Heavyweight champion when they are in this business. The night I won the belt from Magnus on IMPACT! was a great feeling, I’m not taking anything away from him, it was an amazing match and he’s a super talented guy but I was better that day and now I’m the World champion and that sounds kind of crazy to say out loud.

Q. What can we expect from you as Champion?

I told the fans and I meant it, that I’m going to be a fighting champion, that’s the kind of champion I like and that is the kind of champion I’m going to be. Every chance I get to defend my title I will, I will defend my title against anybody, anytime, any place, any time.

Q. Who are some of the people you are looking forward to defending your title against?

The list is huge, pound-for-pound TNA has one of the pro wrestling rosters in the world. I’ve got a massive history with Bobby Roode, and he was they guy that held the belt longer than anybody, I would love to get in the ring and test myself against him.

Guys like Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Austin Aries, James Storm, Gunner, Ken Anderson, these are all guys that I want to defend my belt against. They are all worthy, they all deserve a shot at the belt and secondly I want to test myself against the best and see what happens.

Q.  What have been some of the highlights for you during your 10 year tenure in TNA?

Obviously my favourite moment was that night on IMPACT! when I won the gauntlet match and then went on to wrestle Magnus and become the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. I wouldn’t change anything about my journey, it’s been an amazing journey, I’ve done all these different roles – I’ve been X-Division Champion, I’ve Tag Team champion on numerous occasions, I’ve held the TV title, I’ve even won the Knockouts Tag Titles with ODB.

One of the things I’m most proud of is being on television every week for nearly 10 years, which is something not many people are able to do. I think that shows my versatility, you never know what is going to happen next in this industry, it’s a crazy business but it has been great to experience all of it, the good, the bad and the indifferent.

I’ve always prided myself when the fans say things like, Eric Young is the most entertaining guy in professional wrestling. That’s really important to me, it always has been, it always will be, that’s the name of the game when it comes right down to it, it’s a television show, and it’s about entertaining people, if that with physicality that’s great, if its with comedy that’s great.

My first two years in TNA I didn’t say a singe word, I was the guy on team Canada to carry the action and to be physical, I got hired here because I was a pro wrestler, it had nothing to do with me being funny, and it’s cool to remind people of that because I’m a pro wrestler at my core, or the other stuff is important to me but I’m a pro wrestler first and foremost.

Q. As World Champion, what more can we expect from yourself for the rest of 2014?

More of the same, I’ve always prided myself putting in 100% effort and it doesn’t matter if I’m sick or I’m hurt I will always put in the same amount of effort. As champion I feel that extra weight on my shoulders, being ‘the guy’ it’s important for me that people say Eric Young was involved in the best match on the show. For me it’s about making moments and memories, it’s about making people remember stuff. I’ve had lots of positive feedback so far and I just want to continue defending my belt and being the best I can.

Q. With yourself as TNA Champion and Daniel Bryan as WWE Champion, is it the era of the beard?

Yeah, it’s obviously the era of the beard, I’m not daft, I don’t live under a rock, I hear these things and I’m sure he hears them too. I’ve actually met Daniel in person and I always hear nothing but good things about him. Anytime anyone want to compare me to him, I have absolutely no problem with that, feel free to carry on, he’s a super talented guy and a tremendous wrestler.

Q. Away from wrestling you’ve also presented a number of hit shows on Animal Planet, what has that been like?

It’s amazing, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I still have other goals in my life but TV is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I love entertaining people, the shows allow me to combine my passion of extreme sports, I’ve always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I’ve been all over North America and done lots of crazy things, and it’s been an amazing experience.

Q. What is it like being a guest on the Steve Austin podcast?

Steve and myself are kind of wired the same way, he loves pro wrestling and always has, I love pro wrestling. He’s also an outdoors man, he loves fishing an he watched my shows on Animal Planet and loved them and through the miracle of Twitter I got talking to him, we went back a forth and hit it off right away.

We’re still buddies and talk to this day. For me he was a guy that I idolised and is one of the top five pro wrestlers of all time. I got to go to his house in LA, we sat around his computer with the microphone and we just talked about wrestling and life.

On paper, last night’s card seemed like nothing to write home about. After all, Daniel Bryan was defending his title against a superstar who peaked a decade ago, Bray Wyatt and John Cena were meeting in a rematch from WrestleMania, and other than Evolution vs. the Shield, the rest of the matches seemed like they could turn out to be throwaway contests. The event was basically the furthest thing from a throwaway, however, as it was a well-executed pay-per-view that was filled with worthwhile matches.

The Hounds of Justice stole the show during the match of the night.

Evolution vs. the Shield was the clear highlight of the night, as expected. Each superstar involved in the match put on an excellent show, but the star of the match was without a doubt Seth Rollins. While Triple H, Randy Orton, and Dean Ambrose were battling in the crowd, Rollins dove from the top of the entranceway to take out his Evolution foes, allowing for Roman Reigns to handle Batista in the ring and secure a Shield victory. The match was perfectly executed and is an immediate match of the year contender.

The main event between Daniel Bryan and Kane greatly exceeded expectations. This one seemed like it could be forgettable, as the outcome was never really in doubt and Kane is not exactly a main event superstar anymore. However, both superstars performed well together and the backstage spots were something that resembled contests from the Attitude Era.

In the end, the match even involved a flaming table, although the crew botched this spot a bit by running in with the extinguishers before Kane was even on fire, but hey, what can you do? Overall, it was a great culmination to the night and certainly much better than I was anticipating.

The following are highlights of a new Digital Spy interview with Chris Jericho:

How did you feel about the end of The Streak and how it happened? “I loved it, I thought it was great. It was a legitimate shock, it got everybody talking. I think the right guy got it, if you’re going from a credibility standpoint, and if you’re going from a believability standpoint. As much as people and fans and journalists want to believe that it’s the case, I’m not sure if Undertaker had too many matches left in him. Maybe he doesn’t want to wrestle again. Maybe he knew that he couldn’t take any more.

“It’s a big, physical task to wrestle as it is, and once a year is hard. I wouldn’t want to come and wrestle just once a year. That’s even harder than wrestling 200 times a year, because your body’s not used to it. And the older you get, the harder it gets, the more the aches and pains kick in.

“Maybe The Undertaker decided that, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’. And much to the fans’ chagrin, who wish that we would wrestle until the day we die at 90 years old and explode into a puff of dust in the ring, sometimes you’ve got to make that decision.

“If the time was now, Brock was the right guy for that day, and I thought it was amazing. And I would have hated it – hated it – if Undertaker would have retired without losing. I think that would have been a horrible way to go, I’m really happy that he lost The Streak.”

What do you think of the work Paul Heyman’s done in the last year, and especially since WrestleMania? “If it’s Paul Heyman you know it’s going to be good. He’s a master at writing promos, at delivering promos and getting an angle over. He’s just one of those talents that can do it all. It doesn’t surprise me in the least – as a matter of fact it surprises me that people are so surprised at how good it’s been.

“The WWE is always morphing and changing in a good way because you have younger guys that are coming in, you have guys that are finally having their chance and breaking through to the next level, and you’ve got guys like Paul Heyman that have been doing this for so long they know exactly how to handle things, exactly how to get things over.”

What do you think about the rumors of a CM Punk return? “I don’t know, man, who knows, right? That’s something that only he can answer for sure. To me, if he hasn’t come back already, then… I left the WWE for two-and-a-half years in 2005. The only difference was I left when my contract was up, but I disappeared too, because I just was over it. I couldn’t take it anymore, I wasn’t interested in being there, I was getting miserable, so I know how he feels.

“I had no intention of coming back, and after two-and-a-half years I watched Shawn Michaels vs John Cena at WrestleMania 23 and that inspired me to want to come back, but it took two-and-a-half years to get there.

“So my answer is, ‘I don’t know’, but I just know how I was when I did the same thing. It took a long time for me to be able to come back, and I was probably the same age as Punk is now too, so maybe he’s going through the same thing and after a few years he’ll come back.”

How would you feel about Sting joining the WWE in some capacity? “Personally I don’t really have any opinions either way. If he comes to the WWE, good for him, it’s great. I saw him a couple of times in TNA and you know pretty much what he can do at this point in time. He is a legend and to have him come to the WWE for the first time would be great, but after a week or two what’s he going to do there?

“If you’re a hardcore fan it might be cool – for me it doesn’t really matter either way; if that’s what he wants to do then good for him, and I hope he shows up. And if not, then I don’t think it’s going to make a difference either way in WWE business. It’s not 1998 anymore, you know.”

Check out the complete interview at DigitalSpy.com.

– Despite our previous reports, the new WWE-produced “Brothers Of Destruction” DVD and Blu-ray set on Undertaker and Kane will not be a “Rivalries” style release, such as the Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart release a few years back. Instead, it will focus on Undertaker and Kane as a tag-team and alliance. It will be a budget one-disc release.

– The official WWE website is running a poll asking fans who they feel would win a showdown between Undertaker and Sting. At last check, with just over 3,000 votes cast, 71 percent of fans went with Undertaker, while 29 percent chose Sting.

The following are highlights of a new Digital Spy interview with Drew McIntyre:

And how long will you, Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater be sticking together before the inevitable break-up? “Maybe for us personally we’ll try and get one song out before we have the break up. We’ve been talking about bringing out an album for the last year and a half. With Guns N’ Roses and Chinese Democracy it took Axl ten years – maybe we’ll try and break that record.”

Do you think that CM Punk will make a return to the WWE in the foreseeable future? “Personally I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know what’s going to happen. You can never tell what’s going to happen in sports entertainment, that’s what the boss always says.”

And what do you think about the rumors of Sting finally making his debut with the WWE? “He’s somebody who’s never been in the company, if that was to happen it would obviously be a very big thing, but as I always say – don’t believe everything you read on the internet until it actually happens!”

After WrestleMania and that incredible promo, we had the sad death of Warrior – do you have any favorite memories of the Ultimate Warrior? “The first ever VHS I ever owned, my brother and I, was WrestleMania VII. We watched that thing to bits – I think the tape chewed itself up. It was Warrior vs Macho Man [Randy Savage], the Retirement Match. The one time he didn’t run to the ring! The match lasted 40 minutes, so it was probably a good idea!

“That was a fond memory of my childhood… I can probably recite that entire Retirement Match. It was one of his greatest matches and he was such an incredible character. It was crazy, such an unbelievable character that’ll be around forever. He’s immortal now.”

It was so great that he got that Hall of Fame induction… “You could see how much it meant to him – how much it meant to have his family there. You can never say that it’s a good time for something like that to happen. He had an incredible weekend, with his daughters there. It’s such a shame, but he’s going to live forever like all the great Superstars do.”

Check out the complete interview at DigitalSpy.com.

The following are highlights of a Main Event Radio interview with TNA star Bobby Roode:

Looking back at his first world title run: “Things worked out for the best for myself. Becoming World Champion. Obviously the disappointment was there at Bound for Glory. I was the first ever winner of the BFG series. Going through that series and win it the way that I did. Being with Beer Money, winning the tag team titles with James and before that with Eric Young in Team Canada. This was my first real shining moment as a singles competitor. To win the series was a huge deal. And then to walk in to the main event of BFG against a competitor like Kurt Angle. It was a perfect story for me. Walking out without the title that night was very disappointing for me personally. Looking back at it, the way it all went down; I think it actually helped me out.

“It lit a fire under me and made me want the world title even more. In the end, I won the world title; I held it longer than anybody else in the history of the company. Held it longer than anybody else, something that I’m proud of. Those were great matches with Austin [Aries]. We had really good chemistry together, looking back at those series of matches had together make me really proud. Then we had the tag titles together which was awesome. The ultimate goal in this business as wrestler is to be the world champion. From day one, to be the #1 guy, to be the champion has been my number one focus. My sights are set on Eric [Young] or whoever has the World title, maybe Magnus after Sunday. My goal is to once again be a World Heavyweight Champion.”

Thoughts on Eric Young being champion: “I’m happy for Eric. We’re two guys who came up the same way, grew up in Canada, with the dream of being a wrestler and a world champion. He’s a TNA original, we were tag champs together, there’s a lot of history between the two of us. He’s been in the business long enough and he saw the way that I carried the title and he sees there’s a bullseye on his back. When the time comes to doing business, I’m going to do what I have to do. I know what it takes to get it, to win it, to hold it, to keep it. That eagerness to carry the world championship again and to have that responsibility again. That was something I thrived on and something I missed. I will take that opportunity and make the best of it when it comes again.”

Wrestling Kurt Angle: “Kurt is in my personal opinion the best there’s ever been. He can go out there in his entire career and entertain the masses by his professional wrestling, the way he handles himself in the ring, his character. There’s no doubt that he is the best there’s ever been in this business. For me to have been able to go out there with Kurt and to have produced the matches that we did. To have fans talk about our matches as some of the best matches they’ve seen, or as match of the year; it meant a lot to me. Something that I’m proud of. Unfortunately with Kurt’s injury we had to cut the program short. Hopefully down the road we get to meet up again and do something special.”

Beer Money and would they ever reform: “In my personal opinion, Beer Money is probably the most recognizable, most over act that TNA has been able to produce from the ground up. You have two original guys, two guys who went out there as Beer Money. We had the tag team titles longer than anybody else in the history of the company. It’s something special. This week on Impact we came back for one night only. We had a common goal to soften up our opponents before their matches (Bully Ray & Gunner). In the wrestling business, you never say never for down the road. But for right now Bobby Roode’s goal is to put Bully through a table and then go on to become a World Heavyweight Champion again. I’m sure that James Storm feels the same way and has the same goal to become a Heavyweight Champion. Down the road, if the time is right, and we both feel it’s right; maybe Beer Money will come alive again.”

AJ Styles and Sting’s departures: “It’s unfortunate. At the end of the day this is a business Not everybody is going to be happy and people go their separate ways. It’s the wrestling business and we’re seen it happen a million times. Unfortunately, AJ was a TNA original and was the face of our company for a very long time. That departure bothers me the most. I had a great relationship with AJ, we were friends, we were part of Fortune together, and we had some great matches. I understand where AJ’s coming from, it’s all business, and I wish him nothing but the best. Sting was a great guy to have in our locker room. He was a veteran leader. A guy that you can go and talk to, a guy who I had some memorable matches, and a guy who mentored me a lot and taught me a lot in the ring. He’s an icon; his name will live forever in this business. And I wish him nothing but the best of luck. At the end of the day this is a business and you’ve got to do what you can for yourself.”

Future Stars: “Our company is looking really strong for the future. Ethan Carter has a hell of a career in front of him. He’s young; he’s got a lot to learn. His eyes and his ears are always open, always asking for advice. He’s handling himself better each and every week. Down the road he will be a main event guy and possible champion. Gunner’s the same thing. He’s got a look and demeanor about him that is world champion material. The Wolves wrestling ability speaks for themselves. They’re a great tag team and great individual wrestlers as well. The future looks very bright.”

Whatever happened to his classic weapon, the hockey stick: “If it calls for it, I’m not afraid to pull it out. Here’s a funny story: Scott D’Amore, Coach D’Amore introduced the hockey stick every match. I used to wear a hockey pad and we were going to use frozen hockey pucks and put it in my sleeve and hit people in the back of the head with clotheslines. That’s another Canadian cliché, a hockey cliché that we were going to use. Maybe I’ll take out a hockey stick for my match against Bully at Sacrifice. Or maybe they’ll make a table out of hockey sticks and I can put him through that.”

When will TNA return to Canada: “Hopefully we can come back to Canada soon. I would love to get an opportunity to run TV in Montreal, or in Toronto, even in Ottawa. Running 4-5 shows would be great. The guys love coming up to Canada, the Quebec area especially. We didn’t get there last year at all. Hopefully this summer or in the fall we can come up to Canada and have Montreal be one of our stops.”

Check out the complete interview at WebSportsMedia.com.

– As previously reported, WWE teased a possible Undertaker vs. Sting match in a “Fantasy Warfare” feature on their official website. They have added the video to their official YouTube channel, which you can check out below.

– A fan recently sent along the following photo of CM Punk and AJ Lee together at a recent Chicago Blackhawks NHL game.

– Luis Urive, who is better known to Mexican wrestling fans as Mistico, and to WWE fans as the original Sin Cara, is reportedly close to signing a deal with AAA in Mexico. There’s currently no word on what name he will use since CMLL owns the Mistico name, and WWE presumably owns the Sin Cara name.

– The advertised dark match main event for this coming Monday’s WWE RAW, which takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, is Daniel Bryan, John Cena and The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Batista and The Wyatt Family in a ten-man tag-team match.

– As previously reported, WWE is working on a new Sting compilation DVD that will be released in September. It has recently been confirmed that the project will also be available on Blu-ray.

– The official WWE website recently added a “Fantasy Warfare” feature that looks at some unexpected potential WWE showdowns. One of those included in the feature is a fantasy match between Undertaker and Sting. You can check it out at WWE.com.

– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with Santino Marella, is now online.

The official description for the show reads as follows:

TIJ – EP33 – WWE’s Santino Marella & Fish Expert Ash Irvine

“All the way from Italy by way of a 20×20 squared circle – WWE’s own Santino Marella joins Chris! Unconscious Intercontinental Championships, the honk-a-meter, the cobra move, maserati clutch, and “The Price is RAW” – all covered! Plus, fish expert Ash Irvine talks sea monsters, and YOUR calls on what the heck was REALLY spotted in Lake Loch Ness.”

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

At first glance, Alexander Rusev seems like a rehash of a character WWE fans have seen countless times: the monster foreign superstar who feasts on unworthy foes while being accompanied by a manager who serves as his mouthpiece.

Some have contended that the character is so unoriginal that it was completely lifted from a Rocky movie of all places, as he has drawn comparisons to Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago and his wife Ludmilla.

Despite the fact that many believe he is a recycled, cliché character, Rusev has managed to make his way through the WWE’s NXT division and to the main roster in a relatively short amount of time.

Rusev has been booked as a monster, but do fans actually view him as one?

Since making his debut on the main roster, Rusev made a brief appearance in this year’s Royal Rumble and has been feasting on jobbers ever since. Unlike some of his critics, I believe that Rusev can be successful at the main level, but only if he is booked differently from similar heels in the past.

In recent years, the WWE has chosen to rely upon the tried-and-true formula of debuting a monster heel and serving him a hearty portion of heels (see Ryback for example). They expect that if the heel is shoved down fans’ throats long enough by competing in squash matches, they will eventually realize his dominance and he will be over in no time.

It appears they are attempting to take the same course of action with Rusev, as he has competed against only jobbers and will face R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match at Extreme Rules. Hell, they even threw Rusev into the coalition of jobbers that worked to beat down the Shield during the 11-on-3 handicap match a few weeks back on Raw.

– There is really nothing new to report in terms of Sting’s contractual status with WWE, past the point that it’s been considered a formality for weeks that he will be signing. At last check, it had yet to be confirmed as to whether or not he officially signed a contract with the company. As previously reported, WWE will be releasing a Sting DVD in the fall, and he was also all over the recent Ultimate Warrior documentary that aired on the WWE Network last week.

– Apparently many top executives in WWE were said to be very upset at Mick Foley for the blogs and tweets he wrote criticizing the company after the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view for the way they were handling Daniel Bryan’s push.

– As previously reported, WWE Diva AJ Lee asked — and was given — time off from WWE. As of right now, there is no definite timetable for her return.

– Former WWE Superstar Steve Blackman was backstage at the most recent WWE live event in Hershey, Pennsylvania. You can check out a photo of him backstage at the show with Natalya below.

– WWE added the following videos on their official YouTube channel of Sting from their “Warrior Week” special on the WWE Network.

• MAJOR TOP WWE Star Set To Take Time Off Starting NEXT MONTH! (Details)

Since the launch of the WWE Network, over 600,000 fans have subscribed to the service. While it’s a bit below the one million subscribers they were hoping for, it’s still an admirable number for a service that is still only available in the United States.

With live access to every pay-per-view and a vault containing every special event in WWE, WCW, and ECW history, it is safe to assume that most fans signed up in order to gain access to the special events, and at the reduced price of only $9.99 per month, who can blame them?

There is a lot more to the WWE Network than just a vault of old events and live access to each month’s pay-per-view, however. There is also a boatload of original content. Here is a list of some of the must-see original content on the Network.

5. Legends of Wrestling: Families – Watching a bunch of old-timers talk about the good old days is usually about as exciting as watching paint dry, but some of these are actually pretty entertaining. One of the best round-table discussions includes a panel consisting of Sergeant Slaughter, Jim Ross, Ted DiBiase, and James J. Dillon. The group discusses the importance and prevalence of families in the WWE. It is interesting to hear DiBiase discuss how having a father in the business influenced him to become a professional wrestler.

Daniel Bryan’s journey to WrestleMania is something most fans will be able to enjoy.

4. Journey to WrestleMania: Daniel Bryan – This is obviously one of the newest pieces of original content on the Network. It follows Daniel Bryan on his week leading up to this year’s WrestleMania and provides a number of exclusive interviews leading up to the event. It also discusses his rise to the top after initially being terminated from the company, with commentary from William Regal and Pat Patterson discussing how the company made a mistake in his firing. The most interesting parts of this documentary are the backstage scenes and hearing his fellow wrestlers praise him for his accomplishments.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

ESPN Wanting To Sign Renee Young: “Where did the info come from that ESPN was interested in Renee Young? Not saying it’s true or not but it certainly made the rounds quickly within the IWC. Renee is a talented, young woman, without question, and I wish her the best no matter what she decides to do long term with her career. Renee has skills, a great look and isn’t a high maintenance talent but is easy to produce.”

Sting’s WWE Status: “Getting tons of questions regarding Sting signing with WWE of which I don’t know the answer and if I did and was asked to keep it confidential I would, for the record. However, I see it as a no brainer for WWE to sign Sting and to begin immediately in monetizing his intellectual property. WWE owns virtually every minute of video tape that Sting has appeared on except his work in TNA. Some of the UWF content and early WCW matches are particularly outstanding. It’s a match made in grappling heaven even if Sting never wrestles in WWE. In my perfect, booking world, which actually doesn’t exist and is an oxymoronic statement, Sting would have one match…a retirement match at WM31 against a suitable villain even though some will lobby for that retirement match opposition to be Undertaker. A smaller, athletic young talent who needs the “rub” would arguably be ideal.”