Alberto Del Rio Heading to ROH

Ring of Honor has issued the following press release:

Alberto El Patron Is Coming To ROH In 2015

The hottest free agent in the world makes his debut in the organization known for the best wrestling on the planet as Alberto El Patron debuts in Ring of Honor on January 3rd, 2015 in Nashville, TN.

Formerly known in WWE as Alberto Del Rio, Alberto El Patron is a former 4 time World Champion in World Wrestling Entertainment and the current AAA Heavyweight Champion in Mexico. Known for his brash demeanor, this Mexican aristocrat brings an attitude and desire to prove his greatness to Ring of Honor but how will that attitude mesh with the ROH stars?

One thing that is certain is Alberto’s credentials. A celebrated amateur wrestler in Mexico, Alberto has won numerous amateur championships and tournaments. In addition to his amateur accolades, Alberto has won numerous world championships in his home country of Mexico, including the CMLL Heavyweight Championship. But would you expect anything less given his bloodlines? Alberto is the son of legendary luchador Dos Caras and nephew of Mil Mascaras, continuing one of Mexico’s greatest wrestling legacies.

Upon signing with ROH, Alberto has requested that Ring of Honor matchmaker Nigel McGuinness challenge him with the very best that ROH has to offer, and many of the stars in Ring of Honor have already started making phone calls to Nigel to take on El Patron.

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WWE Acquires Original WWWF Title Belt

F4WOnline.com is reporting WWE recently acquired the original WWWF title belt worn by Bruno Sammartino, apparently for display in the long-rumored physical WWE Hall of Fame.

Dan Lambert of American Top Team (MMA) is a title belt collector and mentioned in an interview that WWE contacted him about the WWWF belt, which he owned. Lambert didn’t say when he was contacted, but he got a few other championships from WWE in exchange for the original title.

WWE’s Hall of Fame is rumored to be built in the Orlando, Florida area whenever it is announced.

Triple H Q&A Highlights: Tonight’s Takeover Special, How Would He Fare in a Match Against Sting?, NXT vs WWE Possibility & More

TNA Announces Move to Friday Nights, Details on Destination America Partnership, Encore Programming & More

Impact Wrestling will be moving to Friday nights in 2015 on their new home, Destination America. The company sent out a press release detailing the move, as well as announcing encore programming for the network.

The press release is featured below in its entirety, but the major news is that each week TNA will be given a four hour slot on Friday nights, with an encore immediately following each first-run broadcast. Confirming our earlier reports, a “new” show called “IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED” will air every Saturday from 10 AM-12 PM ET that will feature “a reloaded edition of the previous week’s IMPACT WRESTLING that will be a whole new viewing experience featuring extra content and never-before-seen footage.”

DESTINATION AMERICA PINS DOWN DEBUT DATE FOR IMPACT WRESTLING

(Silver Spring, Md.) – Brace for IMPACT! Destination America iskicking-off the New Year as the new destination for professional wrestling following the announcement that Discovery Communications and TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Entertainment have signed an exclusive broadcast deal bringing IMPACT WRESTLING to the only network dedicated to celebrating the people, places and stories of the United States. IMPACT WRESTLING debuts on Destination America with a special LIVE broadcast on Wednesday, January 7 from 9-11 PM ET, televised from New York City’s legendary Manhattan Center. IMPACT WRESTLING will move to its permanent time slot on Fridays from 9-11 PM ET beginning January 16 on Destination America.

“We’ve been listening to what fans have to say and, with their feedback in mind, IMPACT WRESTLING’s live debut on Destination America will be nonstop, in-your-face action with no filters, big personalities, and epic battles,” said Marc Etkind, general manager of Destination America. “Wrestling is a national pastime that combines dynamic entertainment with intense crowds, and we can’t wait for IMPACT WRESTLING’s passionate fans to bring their ‘fandemonium’ to Destination America in January!”

“A week after the ball drops in New York City, fists will fly as IMPACT WRESTLING begins a new era with our LIVE debut on Destination America,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “IMPACT WRESTLING will be the most compelling two hours of wrestling on television.”

The special live broadcast on Wednesday, January 7 will feature a main event for the richest prize in IMPACT WRESTLING: the World Heavyweight Championship, Roode vs. Lashley III. A decisive rematch in this epic trilogy, reigning champion Bobby Roode defends the title against dominant former heavyweight champion Bobby Lashley to prove who’s the best in IMPACT WRESTLING. Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Gail Kim, Ethan Carter III (aka EC3), and all the stars of IMPACT add to the explosive debut. An encore will follow from 11 PM-1 AM ET.

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Triple H Talks Sami Zayn Impressing, Kevin Owens’ NXT Debut, How Charlotte Was Booked On Raw, NXT Touring & Much More

During a conference call at the WWE Performance Center Triple H gave some time to the media today to talk about NXT Takeover R Evolution airing Thursday night on the WWE Network. Triple H also enjoyed talking about the business in general and where WWE is headed. The following are some highlights:

- He noted he looks forward to these conversations and likes being able to speak with the media directly.

- He said they are “feverishly” working on getting the WWE Network in the UK but that the NXT special will be airing on television in UK.

- He talked about how proud he is of Charlotte and Sasha Banks. He talked about how some people were upset that Charlotte was used quickly in a loss on RAW. Apparently they were given more time originally but due to factors of live television, when they got to that segment they had to shorten their time. Triple H noted the important thing was exposure for NXT and Charlotte. Once she is a regular on the main roster, she would be be booked stronger.

- In a discussion about all the different types of athletes and backgrounds who come into NXT, HHH noted some talents pick things up quicker than others. He said Kurt Angle picked up professional wrestling faster than anyone he can recall.

- Finn Balor was overwhelmed in the past when they would walk him through entrances, music cues, where cameras can be and all of the other factors of being a television show. Triple H said Balor explained he had never thought about all that stuff. In the past he just walked to the ring and whoever was filming just captured him walking to the ring. Triple H was excited when speaking about the collaboration of WWE and great talent such as Balor.

- It has been discussed and is possible that the NXT title could be featured on the kickoff shows for the main roster pay-per-views or the events themselves. He said he likes when he hears people talk or suggest it because it’s a good sign the NXT brand is wanted.

- Gave a lot of praise to Sami Zayn. Talked about how he can be hard to describe sometimes to someone but is a great talent. Triple H said it might take longer for Zayn to reach his full potential with the audience, but once he gets there, it’s going to be great. He said Zayn is great with emotionally captivating an audience and has strong facials for television. At one point he compared Zayn to Ricky Steamboat. Triple H went on to say how impressive that is considering Zayn worked for so many years prior to WWE with a mask on.

- We were running short on time, but Triple H said if Vince can add more time to interviews because he owns the WWE Network than Triple H can add more time to his phone call, so he did.

- He gave a lot of credit to William Regal being a great scout for talent and evaluation talent.

- With regards to promos, Triple H said less heavily scripted promos are good, but not everyone can do them. He said a script isn’t a bad thing as long as the talent can put emotion into what is written for them and not sound like they are reading off of a piece of paper. He said some guys learn better than others with it. He noted Adrian Neville couldn’t speak when he first got to NXT but is now a lot better.

- NXT Takeover R Evolution will air on J Sports in Japan.

- Triple H talked about it being a fine line with Kevin Owens in terms of embracing what he’s accomplished in the past but moving forward and creating a WWE product. He says there is no point in ignoring Kevin’s accomplishments, but at the same time you don’t want to live in the past.

- Says he would like to get NXT touring more. Right now they tour in Florida and some of Georgia, but he would like to expand to more regions to continue growing the brand.

Photo: TNA reveals new logo for Impact Wrestling

TNA President Dixie Carter posted the following on Twitter:

"I want to share with you first the new Impact Wrestling logo! Now share with your friends. LOTS more to come today!"

TNA Wrestling On Netflix?

Variety.com has a new article up highlighting Discovery’s desire to partner with Netflix, to stream more of their content on the website. They currently have a deal in place with Hulu for exclusive on-demands rights to “Deadliest Catch”.

Discovery is the new home of Impact Wrestling, which will debut on Destination America in January 2015. While a potential deal between Discover and Netflix is still being worked out – Variety says its a matter of determining value – it could lead to TNA content coming to the over-the-top network in the future.

WWE “Tribute to the Troops” Holiday Special to Air on USA and NBC

WWE Confirms A New Pay-Per-View For 2015

The WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view is no-more, at least for the month of February which has been home to the event since 2010.

WWE issued the following promotional material to media outlets regarding a new event titled "WWE Fast Lane" which will be the last stop on the road to WrestleMania 31.

"New ground will be broken Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, when the inaugural WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view takes over the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.!

Get tickets starting this Saturday, Dec. 13, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT at the FedExForum box office orwww.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone by calling (800) 745-3000.

The historic event marks WWE’s first pay-per-view in Memphis — one of sports-entertainment’s richest cities — in more than eight years. Though WWE Fast Lane is brand new to the WWE Universe, one thing’s for sure: With the WWE Universe racing down The Road to WrestleMania 31, your favorite Superstars and Divas will kick the action into high gear on Feb. 22."

Complete List of 2014 WWE Slammy Award Winners

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon named editorial adivsors to 'Muscle & Fitness' and 'Shape,' respectively

WWE and American Media Inc. announced today that Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer, has been appointed Editorial Advisor to "Shape" magazine and Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative, has been appointed Editorial Advisor to "Muscle & Fitness" magazine.

In these roles, McMahon and Levesque will consult with the editorial staff of "Shape" and "Muscle & Fitness," respectively, on print and online content pertaining to health and fitness. Together, they currently appear on the cover of the December/January issue of "Muscle & Fitness," sharing an inside look at their fitness routines as well as a sneak peek at exclusive workouts from "WWE Power Series: Triple H" and "WWE Fit Series: Stephanie McMahon," available now on DVD at mass market retailers and as a digital download online.

" 'Shape' and 'Muscle & Fitness' only work with the most trusted and authoritative experts in the world of health and fitness," said Shawn Perine, Chief Content Director, Enthusiast Group and Editor in Chief, "Muscle & Fitness." "With their vast experience and knowledge, Stephanie and Paul are perfect ambassadors for the global health and fitness movement, and are highly valued partners to our brands. I'm excited to be working with them."

"It is an honor to join the team at 'Shape,' " McMahon said. "This role provides me with the ability to connect with women from all walks of life and share my passion for fitness and living a healthy lifestyle."

"My approach to fitness training has evolved since my days as a young athlete, and today, I'm in the best shape of my life," Levesque said. "I share my knowledge and experience regularly as the executive in charge of WWE Talent and look forward to doing the same for the readers of 'Muscle & Fitness.' "

WWE Issues a “Newest Endeavor” Wish to CM Punk Following His UFC Signing

From WWE.com:

WWE wishes Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) the best of luck in his newest endeavor.