For more than 30 years, radio star Howard Stern has essentially made a living by practicing Eric Bischoff’s philosophy: “controversy makes money.” He’s interviewed all kinds of people from all walks of life and gotten them to open up about a litany of some of the most (usually) closely guarded elements of a person’s life.
Some of the wrestlers have been no different when they show up to talk to Howard. His ability to make anyone he interviews feel comfortable enough to let their guard down is one of the many reasons he’s been so successful, and some of these revelations have made headlines.
8 John Cena’s adventures with women
Despite WWE trending more towards PG, by 2006, The Ruthless Aggression Era was in full swing. That meant WWE Champion John Cena, the childhood superhero, was on the show, where he was supposed to be promoting The Marine. He also spent a good deal of his time being graphic about some experiences he had with groupies.
First it was at a “raggedy strip club” where he apparently brought two ladies home. The NFSW interview got even more in-depth when The Face That Runs The Place detailed more of his rather even-handed escapades.
7 Vince McMahon on his marriage
To be fair, any time Vince McMahon attended an interview, a wild moment was sure to ensue (re: Playboy Interview, Bob Costas). The president arrived on Howard’s show shortly before WrestleMania 17 and before WWE purchased WCW: The calm before the storm.
But the rest of that “calm” involved McMahon speaking publicly that he had been faithful to Linda for the past six years and that he would “take any woman in a skirt” to bed. In light of the recent allegations, this interview and most of McMahon just got creepier.
6 Stephanie McMahon shares her preferences
If his own father could follow Howard and open up to The King Of All Media, so could The Billion Dollar Princess. Since insiders have said over the years that Stephanie is a lot like Vince, she also seems to enjoy walking the tightrope between character and real life.
She was open about how she and Triple H got together before answering questions from fans, one of which involved which part of her body she supposedly likes best in the bedroom, and that was the least innocuous question! Stephanie was even better than Vince at walking that fine line, and it was clear that she was enjoying Howard’s questions.
5 Ric Flair insults Chris Kanyon
It may not have been very lewd what Nature Boy Ric Flair said when he called in The Howard Stern Show. But he was also quite powerful. Stern was talking to Chris Kanyon about a litany of topics. Naitch walked into DEFCON1 during the conversation and called the show in defense of WWE.
He essentially told Kanyon, one of the most innovative stars WCW has ever produced washed up and didn’t deserve a spot in WWE. He was a good fighter but he didn’t have enough charisma. Years later, during the Dark Side episode Kanyon, it was revealed that these comments really cut Chris to the bone…
4 Kanyon alleges why he was released from WWE
One of the reasons Ric Flair went into “defend WWE” mode while burying Chris Kanyon during his time at Stern, was that Kanyon had some strong words against the company.
The Innovator Of Offense made very strong accusations that the only reason he was fired from the company was because he had come out as a gay wrestler. He claimed that he asked Stephanie for the chance to be the first “out” wrestler and was turned down.
3 Hulk Hogan on his first marriage
Certainly, Hulk Hogan had a penchant for being a real train wreck when hanging out with his so-called pal, Bubba The Love Sponge. But how far would the train go off the tracks with Howard?
The Hulk revealed sordid details about his fractured relationship with Bubba and his ex-wife Linda. He also spoke highly of his new wife and his love life together, as well as the supplements Hogan takes to help him in that regard.
2 Trish and Lita open up about the pay gap
As usual, whenever two beautiful ladies appear on the show, Howard can barely contain himself. We wrestling fans can’t blame him when it comes to Team Bestie either: WWE Hall of Famers Lita and Trish Stratus. The duo came on the show to discuss a topic Howard was very interested in: his bra and panty tag team match against Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson at Invasion.
The fun started right away during their pre-interview interview, and they explained to the producer that they weren’t wearing any underwear today, so Howard wouldn’t be able to convince them to strip down. They were definitely ahead of the game when they briefly discussed the roster pay discrepancies. The conversation also led to how ladies with feminine physiques were compared to Chyna’s “beefier” frame, as well as the lesbian connotations of a bra and panty combo.
1 Goldust on Terri Runnels
On the eve of WrestleMania 19, Goldust was enjoying a new lease on life thanks to a partnership with Booker T and a mishap in which, due to electrocution, he had suffered a neurological condition presenting as Tourette’s syndrome. Naturally, that meant that Howard and the band of monsters loved Goldust and mocked his “affliction” of him.
Goldust arrived at the show in full gimmick and stuttered up a storm, including less-than-favorable comments about his ex-wife Terri and what happened on the plane ride from hell.