ALBERTO EL PATRON VS. “THE FALLEN ANGEL” CHRISTOPHER DANIELS!
This is a first time ever match against a Ring of Honor original! Since returning to ROH, The Fallen Angel has been reinvigorated and ready to take on absolutely anyone from anywhere. The Addiction has made a huge impact on the ROH tag team division, but Daniels is also pursuing a singles career and having stellar matches against the best in Ring of Honor. Nigel McGuinness couldn’t think of a better introduction to our elite roster than “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels!
Daniels is one of the most well-rounded athletes in all of professional wrestling. He refuses to limit himself and that makes him an especially challenging opponent. Daniels can match anyone hold-for-hold, but he’s not afraid to take to the sky either! This long tenured veteran has emerged as one of the most respected and successful professional wrestlers competing today, an athlete whose experience and savvy might be unmatched within the ROH locker room. According to Nigel McGuinness, all of these qualities made him the ideal “welcoming committee” for Alberto El Patron in Ring of Honor. On January 3rd, you will have the privilege of watching two of the best do what they love in front of the greatest fans on the planet!
Alberto El Patron’s hybrid style combines MMA training with an eclectic mix of Mexican and American pro wrestling techniques. For years, El Patron has stood out as an exceptional talent against anyone who faced him. But any wrestling fan couldn’t help but think: what if he had the chance to take on ANYONE in professional wrestling, unrestricted and unrestrained? Finally, that day has arrived. El Patron has been making waves since returning to competition in Mexico, recently securing the AAA Heavyweight Championship. Crowds around the world have exploded every time he makes his entrance. So you know that January 3rd in Nashville is guaranteed to be a very special night for anyone in attendance!
In addition to a stellar live event featuring the ROH debut of Alberto El Patron, January 3rd is also a taping for ROH TV! Our cameras will be rolling to capture everything that goes down while we kick of 2015. Whether you’re in the crowd or behind the scenes, the verdict is unanimous: 2014 was the biggest year ever for Ring of Honor’s growth and global exposure. But we promise that 2015 will be even bigger! Starting off with the TOP PROSPECT TOURNAMENT and the debut of ALBERTO EL PATRON, 2015 has gotten rolling before it’s even officially started! You need to be there LIVE on January 3rd when Ring of Honor returns to Nashville.
Saturday, January 3rd, 2015
National TV Taping
Tennessee State Fairgrounds/Expo
625 Smith Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Signed to Appear
– ROH World Champion: Jay Briscoe
– Adam Cole
– Frankie Kazarian
– The Decade (Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer)
– Adam Page
– Hanson
– Matt Taven
– Michael Bennett W/ Maria Kanellis
– Mark Briscoe
– Tommaso Ciampa
– Cedric Alexander
– Roderick Strong
– Moose w/ Veda Scott & Stokely Hathaway
– Caprice Coleman
– Plus More
Ring of Honor has released the official poster for their next pay-per-view, the ROH 13th Anniversary show, which takes place on Sunday, March 1st, 2015 from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Top wrestlers featured on the poster include former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio (working as Alberto Él Patron), ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe, AJ Styles and more. Del Rio will debut for ROH in January.
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.
“Ring of Honor has been doing fantastic things. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding this company and I look forward to competing against the best of the best in ROH in 2015,” says Alberto El Patron.
Could we see him face ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe? Adam Cole? AJ Styles? ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal? Matt Sydal? Roderick Strong? The list of world class match-ups is endless!
Who would you like to see him face? Tweet us at @RingofHonor and use the hashtag #AlbertoROH
Ring of Honor fans will FIRST be able to see Alberto El Patron on the following dates:
•Saturday January 3, 2015 Nashville, TN, Nashville Fairgrounds – ROH Television Taping!
•Friday January 30, 2015 Dearborn, MI, Ford Community Center
•Saturday January 31, 2015 Dayton, OH, Montgomery County Fairgrounds
•Sunday March 1, 2015 Las Vegas Nevada, Orleans Hotel & Casino for the 13th Anniversary Pay-Per-View!
It’s been said that Alberto wants to show that he is one of the best in the world between the ropes, and he will certainly have every opportunity to prove that in Ring of Honor.
Ring Of Honor confirmed the news on Thursday that current AAA Heavyweight Champion and former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio will be making his ROH debut in less than a month.
Alberto El Patron will make his ROH debut in Nashville, Tennessee on January 3rd — a television taping for the promotion. Additionally, he is booked for Friday, January 30th in Dearborn, Michigan, Saturday, January 31st in Dayton, Ohio and Sunday, March 1st in Las Vegas, Nevada for the ROH 13th anniversary pay-per-view show.
While no opponents were named, ROH is asking fans to let them know via Twitter who they would like to see him face by using the hashtag: #AlbertoROH.
AAA World Heavyweight Champion El Patrón Alberto (Alberto Del Rio) is scheduled work for a few dates for Ring of Honor starting in January, according to Dave Meltzer of f4wonline.com.
The former WWE Superstar has been keeping busy since getting his full release from the company, recently made a surprise appearance with Ricardo Rodriguez at House of Hardcore 7 (Video).
As we’ve been reporting, he’s rumored to be appearing at the next set of Lucha Underground tapings on January 17th.
Next Sunday, the WWE will dust off the tables, ladders, chairs, and apparently stairs for its annual hardcore spectacular. This year’s event will be held in Cleveland, Ohio and will be the sixth incarnation of the pay-per-view.
This will be only the second TLC pay-per-view to not feature a WWE Championship match, as Brock Lesnar is still sitting at home collecting a paycheck. In the past, the WWE has used this event to lay the groundwork for the Road to WrestleMania while providing a sense of finality to various feuds with the hardcore element. With that said, here is a look back at the first five TLC pay-per-view events.
Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio recently sat down with the folks at WrestleTalk TV for an in-depth “shoot” style interview.
During the discussion, Del Rio spoke about CM Punk walking out on WWE.
“He went from driving 1000 miles to get 30 dollars, and he made it to the big stage,” said Del Rio. “But there was one day he wasn’t happy what was going on.”
The former WWE Champion also recalled how Punk’s walk-out affected him on the night that it happened.
“I had a match with Kofi Kingston that night for Raw, and it was only to be eight minutes,” said Del Rio. “[Referee] Mike Chioda approached me and said ‘We need for you to do another 14 minutes.'”
“He’s a guy that believes what he’s saying, what he’s thinking, and because of that he has all of the respect in the world (from me),” said Del Rio of Punk.
You can check out an excerpt from the interview where Del Rio discusses Punk’s WWE departure above.
We are just days away from the WWE’s latest pay-per-view, Survivor Series. At last year’s event, Randy Orton defended his championship against the Big Show in a highly criticized main event. This time around, it will be John Cena risking his job in an attempt to slay the Authority.
The shelf life of a WWE superstar can be short, so it’s always important for competitors to make the most of their time in the ring, especially at pay-per-views. Here is a look at the superstars who have progressed, regressed, or remained stagnant over the past year.
Progression:
Luke Harper
Harper has made tremendous strides over the past year. He and former partner Erick Rowan were destroyed by Daniel Bryan and CM Punk at last year’s Survivor Series. He walks into this year’s event as a surprise Intercontinental Champion, and is booked into the main event with Team Authority. Harper’s stock is definitely on the rise.
Ryback
It appears the company is once again fond of Ryback. The Big Guy was basically buried in the midcard after his feud with John Cena last year, including a quick defeat at the hands of Mark Henry last year at Survivor Series. He has been the focal point of WWE television over the past few weeks, so it will be interesting to see where they go from here. One can hope that this isn’t simply a stopgap measure until guys like Reigns and Lesnar get back on television.
Honorable Mention: Ambrose/Rollins
It’s difficult to talk about progression without mentioning the former Shield brothers. These two were destroyed last year in a match whose only purpose was to get Roman Reigns over as a singles competitor. (Dean Ambrose was eliminated 2 minutes into this match and Rollins eventually stepped aside so the Spear party could commence.) What difference a year makes, however. Rollins is the leader of Team Authority and arguably the star of the main event, while Ambrose has elevated himself and will attempt to solidify the midcard on Sunday.
As noted earlier this week, former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio stated in a recent interview that he plans to sign with two wrestling companies with television deals in 2015. Those two companies are apparently Lucha Underground and TNA.
During some appearances in the Northeast this past weekend, Del Rio made it clear that he intends to work for both Lucha Underground and TNA next year. There’s no word on how that would work out from a contractual standpoint, however that appears to be Del Rio’s plan.
– In a new interview with Bill Apter, former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio teases big news regarding his future, noting that he is about to sign with two companies that have television deals, but it won’t be until January. You can check out the interview below.
– Nikki Bella noted on Twitter that this is the final week of Brie Bella serving as her “personal assistant,” and told fans to tune into RAW tonight to see what she is going to make her do.
Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio made a surprise appearance at Saturday night’s House of Hardcore 7 iPPV from Philadelphia, PA (Order Here). Ricardo Rodriguez was also there and introduced Del Rio to the rabid crowd.
Del Rio said he was so happy to be there because just a week ago, he didn’t think he’d be able to wrestle in the United States for a year. Del Rio said it was great to be in the ECW Arena for the first time, which led to an ECW! chant and then a “F*CK MCMAHON” chant. Del Rio said in House of Hardcore, they are wrestlers, not Sports Entertainers.
Del Rio fought off an attack from Brian Myers, locked in the cross-armbreaker and got him to tap.
As noted recently, Alberto Del Rio’s settlement with WWE allows him to drop the non-compete clause that was part of his WWE deal. As a result, Del Rio will be free to work for the AAA Lucha Underground promotion.
Lucha Underground’s next set of television tapings are scheduled for January 17th, so it’s expected that he will start with the promotion then.
It’s worth mentioning that Del Rio appears to be a pretty significant draw outside of WWE in international markets, particularly Spanish-language markets, as he recently helped sell out an 8,000 seat building in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico for a AAA live event.
As noted recently, Alberto Del Rio and WWE reached a joint-settlement regarding his non-compete clause with the company. The settlement was officially announced by both Del Rio and WWE.
The belief is both sides agreed that Del Rio would no longer make negative comments about the company in public, most notably racism claims against top WWE officials and talking about racist jokes that go on behind-the-scenes. In return, Del Rio received a financial settlement that included his non-compete being dropped, as long as he doesn’t use the Del Rio name.
WWE has apparently been worried for a while about keeping their Hispanic audience and growing it, so they were said to be very conscious about being tied to any sort of racism against Hispanics.
According to a source close to the situation, the settlement between Del Rio and WWE was said to be a last-minute thing. There was reportedly a joint settlement at one point that was expected to include a stipulation that would see WWE issuing an apology for inappropriate comments. WWE had reportedly agreed to that but it was later taken out of the deal in their written settlement agreement. Apparently Del Rio had already agreed to the financial settlement and the non-compete being dropped, so he didn’t press the apology stipulation.
Additionally, it’s believed that the settlement included an agreement that states Del Rio would not sue the company.
WWE issued the following statement on Monday evening regarding a “mutual understanding” reached with former Superstar Alberto Del Rio:
“Following his departure from WWE, former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio and WWE have reached a mutual understanding with regard to his future booking opportunities. WWE wishes Alberto the best in his future endeavors.”
Del Rio tweeted a similar statement less than 24 hours prior.
Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio tweeted the following (translated) statement late Sunday night, revealing that he and WWE have come to an understanding regarding his future booking opportunities:
While the terms of his “understanding” are not yet known, it seems reasonable to assume that certain restrictions against Del Rio working for other companies have been lifted, after he was fired from the company this summer.
With Del Rio (and the original Sin Cara) recently speaking out about racism behind the scenes from top company officials, it’s possible Del Rio was granted more freedom to work elsewhere in exchange for not taking legal action against the company.
Earlier this week, former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio made some very controversial comments to Fighting Spirit Magazine where he talked about experiencing racism from top WWE officials. (Read Here)
AAA wrestler Myzteziz, also known as the “Original Sin Cara” in WWE, spoke to MedioTiempo.comand revealed that he was also subject to a lot racism from behind the scenes. He said the “gringos” (oh no he didn’t) in WWE could be “very racist,” with the “bosses” even making racial remarks around him.
Myzteziz says that he does not cite racism as the reason he didn’t succeed in WWE, but feels it created a bad environment for minorities.
Despite the racism he claims to have experienced in WWE, he does not rule out a return to the company. He’s open to working for WWE, other promotions in the United States as well as Mexico and Japan.
WWE published a job opening today for a new “Social Media Manager.” This is the same job that Cody Barbierri held, the man who had the altercation with Alberto Del Rio that led to Del Rio’s release from the company.
According to the folks at PWInsider.com, Barbierri left WWE earlier this month. The details behind Barbierri’s WWE departure are not currently known.
Barbierri had worked for WWE since September 2012 and is now reportedly working as an independent social media consultant.
TNA apparently made a play recently for CM Punk. It was said to be done in similar fashion to how they reached out to Alberto Del Rio, which is through an intermediary who is friends with Punk.
The idea was that Punk would be the top star of the company with pay similar to what Hulk Hogan was making when he was with the promotion.
TNA was hoping that Punk could be their flagship star and if he signed with them, could help them get a strong television deal.
Punk reportedly expressed zero interest in working for TNA, or in pro wrestling in general.
– Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio will be competing at the WRESTLE-1’s big Sumo Hall show in Japan on November 1st. The show will mark Keiji Muto’s 30th anniversary as an active wrestler.
– The Rock will be appearing on Friday’s SmackDown in a backstage segment with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The segment was recorded on Monday at RAW.
– The dark main event that took place after last night’s SmackDown tapings saw John Cena and Dean Ambrose defeat Kane and Seth Rollins. Late in the match, Ambrose got a hot tag and unloaded on Kane and Rollins. Cena and Ambrose hit their finishers for the win.
After the match, they played to the crowd to see who could get the bigger pop (like they did after RAW) and Ambrose won (again).
Once an occasional treat for the WWE Universe, the Hell in a Cell match has become a yearly event since the introduction of the eponymous pay-per-view in 2009. Since its inception, the company has yet to truly knock it out of the park with Hell in a Cell, although fans have witnessed some memorable moments.
This year, it will be either John Cena or Dean Ambrose headlining the event against Seth Rollins inside the most ominous structure in sports entertainment. As the company builds up its next pay-per-view, here is a look back at the first five Hell in a Cell events.
5. 2012
This event really didn’t have a pay-per-view feel to it. The undercard was primarily filled with forgettable matches that had little impact on future storylines. The main event was also lacking due to injury.
It was clear that the company had no idea what to do after John Cena went down to injury, leading to Ryback receiving a premature main event push. From top to bottom, this event was lacking and easily locks up the honor of being the worst Hell in a Cell pay-per-view to date.
Main Event: CM Punk vs. Ryback (Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship)
Best Match: Big Show vs. Sheamus
Worst Match: Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players
– Last Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee drew approximately 11,000 fans, a few thousand short of an official sellout.
– WWE Tag-Team Los Matadores will be working the WWC 41st anniversary event in Puerto Rico on October 25th. They will be wrestling the tag-team champions, Ash and William De La Vega. The two reportedly have a clause in their WWE contracts that allows them to work certain WWC dates.
– Speaking of the WWC 41st anniversary show, former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio is also scheduled to work the event. Del Rio is slated to face Ray Gonzalez.
– Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family is reportedly currently working through some type of eye injury. We don’t have a lot of details in terms of the severity of the injury, however when additional information surfaces, we will be sure to update you here on the site.
– Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio will be working his first official match with the Mexican-based AAA promotion tonight.
– Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio will be appearing at The Wrestling Guy Store in Huntington Park, California at 1pm on September 20th.
– Former WWE Tag-Team Crime Time (JTG and Shad Gaspard) played in a celebrity football game hosted by hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg this past weekend. The event was a charity event to raise money for cancer awareness.