Seth Rollins Comments on Learning from The Authority

Seth Rollins recently spoke with Comcast's Xfinity to promote WWE SummerSlam:

Onda: As a member of The Authority, you are in a position that puts you in the company of WWE’s greatest minds and veterans. What do you learn from them on a weekly basis?

Rollins: You learn how to be successful and how to stay successful. Stephanie is a McMahon. She knows all of the ruthless and cunning things that must be done to stay at the very top. And she’s a woman. And to be a woman at the top is not always the easiest thing, and some may say it’s more difficult than to be a man on top. She’s been able to excel in that role. Triple H – “The Game,” the “Cerebral Assassin” – that’s a nickname Jim Ross gave to him based on the way he operates in the ring, but I think it has as much to do with the way he operates outside of the ring and how he conducts himself. Learning those things – how to carry yourself, how to be the top guy, the man in our industry – those are the things I’ve picked up from Triple H and Randy Orton. Those are the guys who have been to the mountain top and know what it’s like to hold that spot. That’s where I wanna be, and there’s no better person or people to learn from.

Rumor Mill - Del Rio Reportedly Told by WWE He Was Being Suspended, More on Backstage Incident

As noted, WWE released Alberto Del Rio after he slapped WWE's Manager of Social Media Live Events Cody Barbierri at last week's TV tapings. Del Rio confronted Barbierri in catering for a remark that Barbierri made earlier. The story is that someone made a remark to Barbierri about not cleaning off his plate and as a joke, he said that was Del Rio's job. Del Rio was not there at the time but was told about it. When he confronted Barbierri, he told him he did not appreciate the racist remark and wanted an apology.

It was going around backstage that Del Rio "slapped the shit" out of Barbierri, knocking him to the floor, and Del Rio's release wasn't so much that he assaulted Barbierri but based more on how hard he hit him.

Del Rio was reportedly told after the incident that he was being suspended for a short time, until just past SummerSlam. There's a belief that Barbierri threatened to sue WWE and at that point, WWE felt they had no choice but to let Del Rio go due to legal reasons. Triple H called Del Rio on August 7th, letting him go and he was reportedly furious.

Shawn Michaels discusses D-Generation X and SummerSlam

WWE Announces Change in Price Point of the WWE Network and More Availability

The WWE unveiled another change to its pricing format for the network. The network is still available for $9.99 with a six-month commitment, but for those who wish to pay on a month-by-month basis, the network is now available for $12.99, down from $19.99, which was what the company announced during its quarterly conference call July 31. According to the WWE, the change in price “better reflects the variety of economics that exist internationally.”

Beginning Wednesday, the network will be available on Sony Internet connected televisions, Blu-ray Disc players and Blu-ray Home Theater systems. By Friday, it will be available on Samsung Smart TV devices, Blu-ray Players and Home Theater systems.

WWE Signs Kevin Steen to NXT

WWE has signed Canadian Superstar Kevin Steen to its NXT division. The burly, outspoken, Package Piledriving Quebec native, who bolts around the ring with equal parts grace and bad intentions, thrives on throwing fists and talking trash.

A 14-year veteran, Steen began training, with his parents’ approval, when he was a teenager. Possessing what no less than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has described as a “hell of an arsenal,” Steen has earned many accolades in North America and abroad, including the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor heavyweight championships. In 2013, the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him 10th on its annual list of the world’s top 500 wrestlers.

Along the way to becoming a world-class competitor, he also amassed one of the largest followings of any wrestler outside WWE, a fanbase that belts out their “Fight, Steen, fight!” mantra with pride.

End Of An Era For The Scratch Logo On Tonight's WWE Raw

Tonight will be the final edition of Monday Night Raw to feature the WWE "Scratch" logo which has been in use since 1997.

WWE altered the logo in 2002, removing the "F" and re-branding to WWE.

The company officially switches over to the new logo next week.

Rumor Mill - Tension Between Vince McMahon and Triple H

Things between Vince McMahon and Triple H had begun to get noticeably more contentious and seem to have reached their boiling point at WWE’s live event in New York City on July 12, 2014. It was there that Vince and Hunter got into an argument loud enough for others to hear, including producers that were working the show. One issue they had going into that show was Triple H and Stephanie were legitimately on vacation but Vince put his foot down that Triple H had to be in attendance, causing them to end their vacation early. Now, the accusations are that Vince has deliberately made cuts to WWE NXT — considered to be Triple H’s baby — just in spite of him. Hunter has been vehemently opposed to budget cuts in regards to NXT but the budget has been cut to the point where there isn’t much left to cut.

Rumor Mill - More on Alberto Del Rio’s Incident That Caused His Release From WWE, Identity of Employee Revealed

Rumors have been circulating ever since the news came out of Alberto Del Rio being released due to “Unprofessional Conduct.” It was revealed that Del Rio slapped a WWE employee and now it seems like the name of that employee has been leaked.

Ring of Honor founder and RF video own Rob Feinstein claimed that Alberto Del Rio slapped a member of WWE’s social media team this past week at WWE Smackdown television tapings. The claim was backed up by PWInsider.com and F4WOnline.com as well.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer noted that the name of the social media member that received the slap was Cody Barbierri. If you dig deeper into LinkedIn and Twitter, Barbierri is noted as WWE’s manager of social media live events.

A new report is surfacing that WWE’s social media manager was supposedly asked to wipe his plate clean following a meal in catering. He joked, saying that it was Del Rio’s job to clean the plate. This was perceived as a racist joke about Hispanics. Del Rio was told about the incident and confronted him. The individual, which appears to be Barbierri, did not apologize and smiled at him. This caused Alberto Del Rio to slap him in anger.

WWE's Twitter Puts Full Blame On Alberto Del Rio For His Release

The the official WWE Twitter account posted the following tweets this afternoon, which were retweeted by Triple H.

The first tweet notes that recently released Superstar Alberto Del Rio is "responsible for his actions" after it was announced he was let go by the company for unprofessional conduct.

According to a source, at the WWE SmackDown tapings on Tuesday in the catering area, somebody asked another person to clean off his plate. The person was said to be a WWE social media manager who joked something along the lines of how "That's Del Rio's job." Del Rio unhappy with this remarked confronted the person and allegedly slapped him across the face.

Strange...

Rumor Mill - More on the Alberto Del Rio Release

While details are still coming in from various sources and wrestlers, the story going around this morning is that Del Rio slapped a Social Media Manager at this weeks television (Likely Raw, since he wasn't on Smackdown).

The lead up to the confrontation started in catering, when sombody (assuming a catering staff member) asked the person (the Social Media Manager) to clean off his plate. The social media manager then joked about how that's "Del Rios Job".

Alberto found out and confronted him. The Social Media Manager didn't apologize and then smiled at him, so Del Rio slapped him.

Rumor Mill - Reason for Alberto Del Rio's Release

Rob Feinstein of RF Video wrote on his Facebook that Del Rio was involved in a backstage incident at the recent WWE TV tapings. RF claimed that Del Rio had words with an employee who works for WWE's social media department and allegedly slapped him. This should be taken as strictly rumor for now.

Alberto Del Rio Released

From WWE.com:

WWE announced the release of Alberto Del Rio due to unprofessional conduct and an altercation with an employee.

It would be remiss of us if we didn’t mention that Del Rio’s release doesn’t follow normal WWE protocol. First, the company is featuring it as a top story on their official website. Usually, they downplay releases and bury them in their “News” section. Second, they do not list his real name (Alberto Rodríguez) nor do they wish him the best in his future endeavors - an ongoing rib.

If Del Rio is really gone or if it’s part of some type of elaborate angle, he has not Tweeted about it. If it’s the former, his final bout with WWE was Tuesday night against Jack Swagger in Laredo, TX, in which he went under on this week’s episode of WWE Main Event. He was not used at this week’s Smackdown taping.