6 Wild Interviews Wrestling Stars Did With Howard Stern

These days, many professional wrestlers and legends host their own podcasts, have their own YouTube channels, or even stream on Twitch, chatting with fans while playing video games. Back in the day, however, it was not uncommon for stars of the then-WWF-turned WWE to appear on "The Howard Stern Show." Stern was best known for being a "shock jock," and his radio program hit its peak listenership during WWE's Attitude Era, and wrestling stars of the time were hot guests on the show.

There are quite a few talent who sat down for shocking interviews with Stern, and one that has not aged well, considering the recent lawsuit by former WWE employee Janel Grant, was Vince McMahon. Even before his current legal woes, McMahon has always been notorious for refusing interviews. However, even following his uncomfortable interview with Bob Costas about the XFL, the now-former chairman appeared on "Howard Stern" in 2001, just days before he purchased WCW.

McMahon's appearance on Stern's program is often referred to as the "banned" interview. As Top10Wrestling on YouTube notes, it's very difficult to find the full interview online and it's not available in the program's archives. Top10Wrestling does provide clips of the interview, however. 

The interview starts out with McMahon talking about taking over the business from his father, but quickly devolves into Stern asking McMahon about his sex life. McMahon stated bluntly that anything "in a skirt" used to be fair game. After the shocking statement, McMahon went on to explain that he promised his wife, Linda, when they married that he'd always love her, and he always had, but also told Stern that he straight up told his wife that he had cheated numerous times, and even gave her a list of names. McMahon said he liked the "All American" type, and his wife is "what he really likes."

One of the most over-the-top characters off-screen who made it big in WWE was the late Iron Sheik, who passed in June 2023. Following his legendary career in the ring, the Hall of Famer became known for his crazy social media antics and his unfiltered comments on "The Howard Stern Show," ones that more often than not involved his hatred for Hulk Hogan. Sheik was a frequent guest on Stern's program and he was known for yelling and causing a scene while in studio. 

During one of those particular appearances in April 2009, when Sheik and his longtime manager, Eric Simms, appeared to promote "Ring Roasts: The Comedic Tribute to the Iron Sheik," Simms said that his client needed an intervention, which set Sheik off on a rant, and he said that Simms was stealing his money. The Hall of Famer admitted to drinking beer and smoking marijuana when he was home. The pair's argument, ever-so-subtly egged on by Stern, ranged from Simms getting "half" of Sheik's money, to the fact Sheik thought the movie "The Wrestler" was meant to be a portrayal of his character.

The appearance goes even further off the rails when Stern begins to take phone calls, with Sheik explaining his use of the "n" word. The star also goes off on a fake Hogan who called in, even calling Hogan's then-wife, Linda, a "gold digger," just like, in his words, his wife, who Sheik explained he was trying to divorce.

During some of his seven other appearances on the show over the years, Sheik infamously ranted about the size of his genitals, said he'd commit heinous acts on Hogan using a beer bottle, and how his hatred of Randy Savage stemmed from the "Macho Man" drinking his beer and smoking his marijuana.

In recent years, "The Last Real Champion" John Cena has had a relatively squeaky-clean image, even when incredibly personal matters, such as his breakup with former fiancée Nikki Bella, went public. However, back in the later part of 2006, Cena took part in a raunchy interview on "The Howard Stern Show" when he was promoting his first film, "The Marine," as WWE Champion. Stern started off the interview putting Cena over, calling him "the guy" of WWE and compared him to The Rock.

The interview started out innocent enough, with Cena describing how he started working out at a young age when Stern asked if he had ever been on steroids. He also briefly spoke about his respect for Vince McMahon for giving him a shot, and how he got into the wrestling business in the first place.

Things then took a turn, and during the conversation, Cena answered, albeit in his polite way of speaking, Stern's raunchy questions, including if he had ever slept "with a fat chick." Cena responded "absolutely," and went on to describe a then-recent sexual escapade he had with a "bigger" woman. When Stern asked if he was attracted to her, Cena smiled and said "absolutely," and that "the experience was great." He explained the escapade had started off as a challenge set forth to him by the "entire roster," and he said he told them, "not only will I do it, but I'll enjoy it." Cena said he had a great night, to the surprise of Stern and his co-hosts.

Cena went on to describe various experiences with "groupies" including being with six women at one time, which he said was "too much," and another with a pair of strippers in Kentucky that he called one of the best nights of his life.

Hulk Hogan appeared on "The Howard Stern Show" a few times over the course of his life, but no interview was more wild than when he sat down with the shock jock following the leak of his sex tape with his then-best friend's wife. The interview would be played at the Gawker Media vs. Hogan trial, where "The Hulkster" explained that the interview with Stern had been set up months prior, well before the tape leaked.

The video of the interview, which lives on YouTube courtesy "Booey New," shows a seriously unamused Hogan enter Stern's studio, obviously knowing what he was in for. Hogan started out adamantly saying he "never made a tape" and had no idea he was being filmed. Stern immediately up brought Hogan's previous appearance on the show, where he said to Stern he would "never break the man code" by sleeping with another man's wife. Stern even played a clip where he outright asked Hogan if he would ever "f*** Heather," meaning Bubba the Love Sponge's wife, and Hogan told the host "not even if they were divorced for ten years."

"You lied to us!" Stern said, exasperated, and Hogan attempted to explain by saying he was in "protection mode." He said that he felt "beaten down like a dog," as he was separated from his then-wife, Linda.

Hogan said that for two years, his former friend and his wife were saying how "cool it was." Hogan said he never dreamed there were cameras in Bubba's home. In the days that followed, Stern had Bubba on the show to respond. The Tampa radio host told Stern that "everyone knew about everything," when it came to the cameras, but he was furious that he and Hogan couldn't work together to find out who leaked the tape.

Paul Levesque, back when he was only known as Triple H, the performer, made a notable, and wild, appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" in January 2002, ahead of his return to "WWE Raw" at Madison Square Garden following a quad tear that had him on the shelf for months. It wasn't his comeback that Stern and his cohosts wanted to focus on with "The Game," however, it was his breakup with Chyna, after the real-life Joanie Laurer had appeared on the show prior.

The crew spends time running down Chyna for her appearance, while Triple H does do his best to play nice about his ex-girlfriend. Triple H immediately had to confirm to the crew that he and Chyna were an item in real life for years, not just in storyline. He explained that they worked together before becoming friends, and things naturally progressed from there. He said nothing about Chyna's appearance bothered him, but he knew that a lot of guys were intimidated by women with muscles. He said he had been in the bodybuilding world since he was 14, and it didn't phase him.

"She's a very good person. I have nothing bad to say about her at all," he said.

He went on to explained that he and Chyna were never engaged, and that there was a "misconception" about the way things ended with them before he began dating Stephanie McMahon. In his words, it was no longer a "full blown relationship at the time" and the pair had actually been separated. Perhaps most shockingly, Triple H did confirm that Chyna found love letters addressed to him from McMahon in a briefcase that he usually kept locked.

Former WCW and WWE star Chris Kanyon went on "The Howard Stern Show" following his release from WWE in February 2004. On the show, Kanyon proclaimed that he believed he was fired from the company because he wanted to come out publicly as a gay man on television. Kanyon called Vince McMahon homophobic in the interview, as well as an "evil f*** and an evil prick."

Kanyon explained to Stern that he believed McMahon initially saw him as talented because he put two belts on him at the same time, and McMahon had him training other wrestlers when he was out injured. It was during that injury, however, that Kanyon said he began to tell other wrestlers and those backstage that he was thinking about coming out openly. When he got back from injury, Kanyon said that McMahon made him dress up like Boy George in an angle, and come out of a physical closet in the ring just to be beaten up by The Undertaker. He said he took that as a message, "come out of the closet, we'll beat the s*** out of you."

A few shows down the line, Kanyon once again appeared in studio, and while he was there, Ric Flair called in to dispute Kanyon's claim he was fired by WWE because he was gay. Flair said he was disappointed in "Chris as a person" for saying WWE fired him because he was gay, and said that he thought Kanyon had shortcomings in the ring and he didn't have an act. That's when the pair began debating, with Kanyon saying that the "act" depended on the storylines you were given. Flair said he didn't think that anything that happened to Kanyon in WWE had anything to do with his sexuality, but rather he "didn't have anything to give to the show."