Kevin Nash reinstated by WWE

WWE has officially reinstated Kevin Nash after he was cleared of all charges in his recent domestic assault case where authorities ruled he was not the instigator of the incident on Christmas Eve involvnig his son Tristen.

WWE issued the following statement tonight:

"Now that Kevin Nash’s legal matter has been resolved with all charges being dropped, his “legends” contract has been immediately reinstated."

Nash had been scheduled for Monday's Raw until his suspension.

Next Live WWE NXT Takeover Special Revealed

The next live WWE NXT Takeover special will take place on Wednesday, February 11th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.

It will air live on the WWE Network.

WWE Tough Enough Returning To USA Network

The official WWE website has released a statement from USA Network President Chris McCumber in which he reveals that WWE reality series "Tough Enough" will be returning to television on USA Network in 2015.

"I am pleased to announce that USA is bringing back 'Tough Enough,' the action-packed competition reality show from the ratings juggernaut, WWE," McCumber said in a speech today during the Television Critics Association winter press tour. "The show will have a completely new format, with live elements that will truly make this event television."

McCumber continued, "After signing another multi-year deal for Raw and SmackDown, this is the perfect time to bring back the series and capitalize on the enormous audience appeal of sports-entertainment."

Triple H on wrestler deaths, Randy Savage entering the WWE Hall of Fame, what he looks for in a wrestler, WWE Network

WWE executive Paul "Triple H" Levesque appeared on the "Permission Granted" podcast hosted by Damon Amendolara of CBS Sports Radio. The following are the highlights of the interview. Listen to the full show at Soundcloud.com.

-Triple H on the various hats he wears and the title at the top of his list: "Dad," he said. He eventually tied it into the fitness DVD and said all the hats that he and his wife wear made them realize how difficult it is to find workout time. He said he and Stephanie rush home to see the kids before they go to bed, and it's ten at night before the head downstairs to their home gym.

-On what he looks for in a wrestler: Triple H said charisma because it's the one X Factor that you can't teach. "All the other things can be brought out of somebody," he said. "That's a tough one." He mentioned Mick Foley as being a guy who didn't fit the typical WWE wrestler mold, but "he is charismatic, when you watch him you can't help but be drawn into him. He's intelligent, he speaks well, he's humorous."

-Triple H on WWE Network: "We took the gamble and we're ahead of the curve on a lot of this," he said. He noted that others are following in their footsteps. He said Netflix has their model, but they don't have the live stream like WWE Network does. He said it takes a while to condition fans to break from their patterns. "We're thrilled with the progress, we're thrilled with where it's at, and we're just starting to scratch the surface of where it can go."

-Triple H on wrestlers who have died young: "To me, everybody makes personal choices in their life," he said. "Even some of my closest friends, my best friends, made personal choices of how they wanted to live their life that I never chose, that I never went down those roads. And I will put the physicality of my career up against anybody. The majority of those guys made personal choices to live a certain way and you can't live that way forever. It's a short run, it's fast and furious, and it's a short run. Did it affect me? Absolutely. I've watched a lot of guys that I was close to and that I was friends with... There's a certain point and time when even as your friends, you try to stop them, you try to talk them into it, and there's no... And that's not just in our business, that's in any business. People are responsible for their own lives, their own personal decisions, how they live their life outside of a sport or a job or anything else. We try to protect our talent now in a way like never before with our wellness programs and our ability to try to stay ahead of them to see if there are problems or they are headed down a path or anything, but the reality of it is people have to be responsible for their own lives. I've seen this company tell guys listen, we can't work together unless you get some help or whatever and they say, okay, great, I'm just going to leave then and I'm just going to go because this is more important to me. You can't live somebody's life for them and it's tragic, and I've had to come to terms in my with that with some guys that were close friends of mine, but that's just the way it is, unfortunately."

-Triple H on Randy Savage entering the WWE Hall of Fame: "One of the biggest stars ever in the industry," he said. "It's so well deserved and a long time coming. I think for a lot of fans it feels like a long time coming and they are just so overwhelmed that it's happening and I know we are and his family is. It's just a great thing to celebrate a career like that."

Big WWE Experience Event Announced For Arnold Sports Festival With NXT, WWE Legends, More

As noted, WWE will host a NXT live event during the Arnold Sports Festival weekend in Columbus, Ohio in early March. There will be a strong WWE presence at this year's Arnold Festival as WWE Experience has been announced. Below are the details:

WWE Experience at the Arnold Sports Festival

WWE Universe, don't miss your chance to take part in the WWE Experience at the Arnold Sports Festival March 5-8, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio!

NXT Live Event
For the first time in WWE history, NXT comes to Columbus, Ohio, as part of the Arnold Sports Festival! See WWE's Superstars of tomorrow, as WWE presents NXT Live at the LC Pavilion on Thursday, March 5! See NXT Champion Sami Zayn, NXT Women's Champion Charlotte, WWE Superstars Ryback and Big Show, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, Adrian Neville, Kevin Owens, Finn Bálor, Hideo Itami, Sasha Banks and many more!

Tickets will be available on Friday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. ET at the LC Pavilion Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.

Don't miss your chance to attend VIP Experiences, including ringside seats and exclusive meet-and-greets with Ric Flair, Ryback and Big Show!

WWE Experience Event
For a jam-packed weekend of action and entertainment, there's no better spot at this year's Arnold Sports Festival than the WWE Experience on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8.

Enjoy live matches, featuring some of the best up-and-coming talent from WWE and NXT. Meet the Superstars and Divas of WWE's next generation during autograph signings with Finn Bálor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss and more, plus don't miss your chance to get up close and personal with WWE Legends during Q&A Sessions.

See what it takes to become a WWE Superstar and watch a live tryout. Will any of these recruits become the next breakout Superstar? Better yet, will you? If you're serious about a future in sports entertainment, stop by the WWE recruiting booth and tell us.

More?

First WWE NXT Event Outside of FL in Conjunction with Triple H's International Sports Hall of Fame Induction

The first-ever WWE NXT live event outside of Florida takes place on March 5th in Columbus, Ohio at the LC Pavilion. This is a 2,200 seat arena and it's part of the Arnold Classic expo weekend, where Triple H will be inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. Stars advertised include Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Owens, Adrian Neville and NXT Champion Sami Zayn.

WWE Still Hoping To Reach 3-4 Million Network Subscriptions?, News On WWE TV Contracts, More

Stephanie McMahon and WWE Chief Financial Officer George A. Barrios participated in a presentation at the 17th Annual Needham Growth Conference for investors in New York City earlier today. You can check out the presentation here, and you can listen to the webcast at this link. Here are a few notes from the presentation:

* Television rights fees have grown from $78 million in 2004 to $171 million as of September 2014.

* Live event revenue has risen from $62 million in 2004 to $114 million as of September 2014.

* Television agreements were renegotiated in the U.S., U.K., India, Canada, Mexico, Thailand and UAE. It was noted that all of their television agreements run through at least 2018. Annual revenue from WWE's seven key TV deals is expected to increase by more than $100 million from 2014 by 2018.

* Their social media success was heavily pushed.

* It was noted that RAW averages 4.6 million viewers a week, while SmackDown averages 3.0 million. The USA Network average is 2.4 million.

* They once again noted that of their top 16 global markets, 51% of the homes in those markets have "affinity for WWE." That is 23 million passionate fans, 75 million casual fans and 61 million lapsed fans. On a side note, a similar poll for the U.S. market caused the company to grossly overestimate how many domestic network subscriptions they would get.

* In addition to launching the Network in the U.K. and Ireland, they are looking to launch the Network in Italy, UAE, Germany, Japan, India, China, Thailand and Malaysia in the next couple of years.

* They stated that there are 98 million WWE broadband homes in the world. With a potential network adoption rate of 3% - 4%, the number of potential network subscribers is 3 - 4 million.

Daniel Bryan Talks James Hetfield, Vince McMahon, Triple H & Brock Lesnar

AlternativeNation.net's Sports section recently conducted an interview with Daniel Bryan. In the interview, Bryan discusses how long he will continue to wrestle, CM Punk recently saying he'd make a good MMA fighter, if he will alter his wrestling style after his injury, a potential match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, Sting's WWE debut, Randy Savage's WWE Hall of Fame induction and the original plans for him at WrestleMania 30. You can read the full interview by clicking here, below are some highlights:

Vince McMahon encouraging talent to reach for the 'brass ring' on the WWE Network:

"(Laughs)You know it's funny, because one of the things that he had mentioned was, he said something about the Millennials not having any ambition, right. It's funny, because the WWE does this personality test with some of their more successful superstars, where they rank you on all of these scores, like your desire for power, and your personality, and all that kind of stuff. One of the things they ranked was ambition, and it's funny, because in this personality assessment, I got the lowest score for ambition that the lady had ever seen. So they do it on a percentile basis, so from 0 to 100, I was in the bottom 1 percentile of ambition.

"(Laughs) It's funny because the lady was like, 'How on earth are you so successful given that you seem to have no ambition?' I said, 'Well, that's where there's a flaw on the test. I have no ambition for what society says is important as far as things like money, and all that kind of stuff.' What I am ambitious about is I want to be the best wrestler that I can possibly be, and I think there's some sort of mistake in generations, as far as what he thinks as far as our generation lacking ambition. Our generation just wants different things than what his generation wants, and I think that's a societal thing as well. There's an older generation of people who say, 'No, you guys should want this, you guys should want this, you guys should want this.' Whereas our generation, a lot of us say, 'No, we don't want that, we want something different, and a lot of the things that you guys wanted, are the reason that the world is messed up. We need to change our value system.' So that's it, that's a very different take on what's going on."

WWE's lack of competition:

"But people do need to stand up and say, 'No, this isn't what I want, I want to do this. This is me, this is how I want to present myself on television. This is how I want to be within WWE, this is how I view professional wrestling, this is what I would like it to be.' People have to have the courage to come up and say that. But the hard thing is, he was talking about the Attitude Era and how things were different, well things wouldn't have been that much different if there wasn't a WCW. Like guys could say, 'hey, I don't want to do this. If you want to fire me fine, because I'm going to go to WCW and make just as much money.' That doesn't exist right now. It's people who are okay with like, 'hey, my life without WWE, is as good as my life with the WWE.' They have to be able to say, 'okay, if I'm going to say this is what I want to do, or else I'm taking my ball and going home.' They have to have some sort of plan for when they take their ball and go home, they have something else to do, which is hard, especially when you have a family, and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, I have very interesting thoughts on that whole podcast. It's a very interesting look into the mind of Vince McMahon, so it was fascinating."

Triple H's leadership in WWE and NXT:

"I have never actually talked to him about his vision for the future of wrestling, and that is actually something I should talk to him about, because we think a lot alike in a lot of ways. I like what he’s done with NXT, I think NXT is an awesome show. That last special that they did was an awesome product. I think Hunter is very intelligent wrestling wise, like he knows wrestling, he knows what works wrestling wise. I’m not exactly sure what are his ideas, and what aren’t his ideas within the WWE, but I want to say two of the most successful current acts that happened in the last year, like The Shield and the Wyatts, I think those are Triple H ideas, but I’m not exactly sure, as far as their execution and that sort of thing. The only way I can really gauge him is by what happens on NXT, and NXT is a wonderful product, it might be the best wrestling product out there. I love watching that show, and I think they’ve chosen some pretty awesome guys to be the stars of that show: Sami Zayn is incredible, Adrian Neville is incredible, Finn Balor is incredible, Hideo Itami, who used to be KENTA, and I wrestled on the independents and Japan, he’s incredible. So they’ve got some incredible talent down there, and they’re doing some really good stories."

Click here to read the full interview.

WWE Pulls Main Event From the WWE Network; Royal Rumble Show Announced for Next Tuesday Night

WWE Main Event will not be airing live on the WWE Network next week. The announcement was made tonight that the January 20th episode will be replaced by something called “Santino Marella’s Royal Rumble Lottery Special”, just five days prior to the annual pay-per-view.

According to PWInsider.com, the reason WWE has pulled its Tuesday night show has to do with its current deal with Sky Sports. With the WWE Network rolling out in the UK and Ireland this week – several days ahead of its announced start date – the company currently has no way to block content from showing up in certain countries, and the live airing of Main Event would violate the contract they have in place with Sky.

It’s expected that Main Event will return to the WWE Network, but there is no estimate on exactly when that will happen.

New on WWE Network video-on-demand: Tough Enough Season 1

Now available on WWE Network on-demand, relive the first season of WWE’s groundbreaking reality series Tough Enough! Under the guidance of experienced WWE trainers, watch as ordinary men and women endure intense physical training while gaining a firsthand education in wrestling on an unforgettable road to the WWE roster.

Finn Balor on Going to NXT: “It Was the Greatest Decision of My Life”, Talks People Telling Him Not to Sign, His Future & More

WWE NXT star Finn Balor recently spoke with The UK’s Sun, and the following are some highlight quotes:

On his time in WWE so far:

“Every day I come into work and I’m continuously blown away by the size of the company and how helpful they are and how willing they are to meet me about any ideas I have.

“Everything that I’ve done before here was literally on my own back and they were all my own ideas with no help from anyone.

“I’ve come to WWE and a lot of people — I’ll be honest — said: ‘You know, you shouldn’t maybe go there.’

“I can honestly say it was the greatest decision of my life coming to WWE.

“It is an incredible company — incredible staff work behind the scenes helping everyone here, not only myself.”

“A lot of people said: ‘They might curb your creativity.’ But with hindsight it has been the complete opposite.

“They’ve gathered it and pushed it forward and lifted it up and put their little shine on it.”

On His future in NXT:

“It has taken me fourteen years to get here so I’m not in any rush to move anywhere!

“I’m happy here, to be part of NXT. As the saying goes: ‘The future is now.’

“Hopefully we — myself and the lads — can help NXT reach a new level.”

WWE expected to announce “Macho Man” Randy Savage as first inductee into 2015 WWE Hall of Fame tonight on Raw

It’s not official yet, but it is expected that “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be announced tonight on Raw as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015, WWE.com has learned.

A live report on WWE Network by Scott Stanford confirmed that inducting the "Macho Man" into the Hall will be none other than the other half of The Mega Powers, Hulk Hogan.

One of the most colorful characters and most popular Superstars in WWE history, fans worldwide have been clamoring for Savage’s induction since the hallowed Hall opened its doors. Even WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin broached the topic in his must-see live podcast on WWE Network with Mr. McMahon just weeks ago. The WWE Chairman said that Savage would “definitely” take his place in the Hall of Fame, though he did not indicate when.

A former two-time WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion and WCW Champion, the late “Macho Man” also took part in what is considered one of the greatest matches in sports-entertainment history when he battled Ricky “The Dragon" Steamboat at WrestleMania III.

The 2015 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place on Saturday March 28, the night before WrestleMania 31, at San Jose's SAP Center. Tickets for the event go on sale this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

Total Divas Recap 01/11/15

Viewership and Rating for TNA's Impact Wrestling Debut on Destination America

Wednesday's TNA Impact Wrestling premiere on Destination America drew 263,000 viewers for a 0.46 cable rating. This was the most watched show on Destination America for the week, beating Killing Bigfoot, which drew 250,000 viewers.

The last first-run episode of Impact on Spike TV in November drew 980,000 viewers. Spike is available in more than 80% of US homes while Destination America is available in around 50%.

The Impact replay that aired at 11pm on Destination America drew 105,000 viewers.

WWE NXT Champ Charlotte Talks Reid Flair Being Her Inspiration, Triple H’s Support, Wanting to Be Respected in the Business & More

Speaking to The UK Sun in an exclusive video chat, NXT’s Charlotte emotionally hailed her late brother Reid as her ‘inspiration in everything she does’.

Charlotte also insisted she and her NXT colleagues go all out every time they hit the ring to prove they deserve to be regarded as the best at what they do, and she singled out HHH for helping build her confidence.

“We want it so bad.

We want to be considered just as good as the boys.

Every time I walk to that ring — I don’t want to say I have a chip on my shoulder — but I feel as if I want to prove that I belong, whether I’m a Flair or not.

I just want to be respected in this business, I feel I have to bring so much more to the table and I want to and I plan on doing that every single time.

You can’t help but say that Triple H one hundred per cent backs us up, believes in us and gives us those opportunities because he believes in us, so yeah — I would say he’s our biggest advocate, absolutely.

Just being in NXT has given me so much confidence as a person and a performer.”

And on WM appearance:

“It was me, Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks and it was surreal.

Actually, Triple H sent the three of us framed and signed pictures of the entrance, with all the smoke.

Hearing that entrance music — please excuse my language — we felt like badasses!”

Backstage News on TNA's Future with Live Events

TNA will reportedly not be running any non-televised live events any time soon, despite the new TV deal with Destination America.

TNA will still be doing a few live pay-per-view events this year but will mostly be focusing on their TV product. It doesn't make much sense for TNA to run live events that aren't tapings because they lose money.

WWE Announces Commentary Changes, Jerry Lawler Moved to SmackDown

WWE issued the following:

WWE® ANNOUNCES NEW BROADCAST TEAMS AS A PART OF SMACKDOWN®'S MOVE TO THURSDAY NIGHTS

As SmackDown prepares to move to Thursday nights next week on Syfy, WWE Universe members will be seeing some new faces behind both the Raw and SmackDown announce desks.

On Raw, Michael Cole and JBL will be joined each week by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, while the new SmackDown announce team will consist of Cole, newcomer Byron Saxton and incomparable WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler. Cole, JBL and Lawler will continue to call the action during WWE pay-per-view events.

WWE Currently Testing Virtual Reality Content

VRFocus.com reports that WWE is currently testing out virtual reality content. The news was revealed at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Shows (CES) in Las Vegas this week.

WWE’s Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George A. Barrios said the company is currently testing virtual reality content at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. He said:

"It’s very, very early days… it’s very expensive; the amount of cameras and post-production needed. We’re early days on what the content might be. We saw the live content – Cirque du Soleil - and we were blown away."

Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque to be inducted into 2015 International Sports Hall of Fame

Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative and 13-time World Champion in WWE, will be inducted into the 2015 International Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Levesque will join the class of 2015, which includes five-time world boxing champion Evander Holyfield, eight-time Ms. Olympia bodybuilding champion Lenda Murray, martial artist and world-renowned movie star Michael Jai White, 11-time world kickboxing champion Don Wilson and world powerlifting champion Ed Coan.

“We are excited for Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque to headline the International Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015 for his accomplishments both in and out of the WWE ring,” said Dr. Bob Goldman, Founder, ISHOF. “In addition to being inducted as one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time, Paul will be recognized for the work he has done as a WWE executive, becoming the first executive inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

“It is an honor to join some of the world’s greatest athletes and to be inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame,” Levesque said. “These men and women have reached the pinnacle of their sport or athletic endeavor, and I am humbled to join them on stage at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival.”

The International Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit foundation established to honor world-class athletes and is part of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, the world’s largest annual sports weekend, hosting 150,000 attendees and more than 18,000 competing athletes.

Members of the International Sports Hall of Fame include Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, WWE Legend and Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin and NBA Hall of Famer Earl Monroe.

Production issues at first Impact Wrestling taping in NYC

Last night's 1/7 TNA Impact Wrestling tapings at the Manhattan Center in New York City, a live-to-tape episode for the debut on Destination America, was described as having a myriad of production issues according to multiple wrestling media reports.

It ended up taking TNA nearly three hours to film the two hour episode of Impact Wrestling on Wednesday night. While they did use previous production staff, they ended up using the Manhattan Center's production equipment. A variety of technical issues ended up taking place leaving the live audience waiting for nearly 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

David Sahadi was not directing the show last night and it was described as being very clear that the production on Wednesday night wasn't nearly as smooth as it has been in years past with Spike TV. TNA was forced to cut back on production costs as part of the new deal with Destination America. Going forward, TNA will handle all post-production out of the company headquarters in Nashville with tapings tonight and Friday night.

The company plans to film four episodes of Impact Wrestling including the Lockdown special over the next two nights at the Manhattan Center in New York City. TNA will be filming new episodes during the upcoming UK tour starting in late January. Dixie Carter revealed in interviews this week that TNA is also looking at a possible return to Universal Studios in Orlando at a new sound stage for additional TV tapings in 2015.

This Day in Wrestling History - "Just In Case You Forgot Who The Hell I Am..."

After a grueling eight-month rehab from a torn quadrciceps muscle, Triple H made a triumphant return at Madison Square Garden.
January 7, 2002

Five years later he would tear the right quad muscle during the New Year's Revolution pay per view.
January 7, 2007

Former WWE Writer Talks About Working With Company, Stephanie McMahon As Lead Writer, Storylines With Vince Mcmahon

WrestlingINC.com recently spoke with Lucha Underground Co-Executive Producer Chris DeJoseph to discuss many topics, including his time as a creative writer for WWE. Below are some of the highlights:

On how a typical work day at WWE was like:

“It depends on the day. Wednesdays were usually the day back at the office where our week would start. We would pitch segments. At the time Raw had 11 segments, and you would pitch your 11 like a mini-version of the show. Somebody like Brian Gewirtz would take all those ideas and take the best ideas out of it and put a show together. Thursday or Friday we would meet with Vince [McMahon] and begin working on the shows, go back to the drawing board and start writing the show. You’d write the show over the weekend, sometimes get feedback over the weekend. Usually Sunday you’d get on an airplane. Then you’d work the entire time on Vince’s plane, which was horrible. You go to a meeting, you go through the show, there’s changes, there’s re-writes and you produce the show. Then you get in a car and go to the next town, get on an airplane and start all over again.”

Working under Stephanie McMahon:

“I wonder who you talked to. Working for Stephanie wasn’t horrible. She was always good to us, as good as she could be. She was in a management position and handling a bunch of things creatively. But she had so many other things she didn’t have much input on what went on the show. I can rarely ever remember her pitching an idea that got on the show or pitching anything at all. Usually just listening and saying no. She was a good boss, a nice lady.”

Vince McMahon faking his death angle:

The plan was that we would see who would rise to power in his absence, but Vince McMahon had faked his own death to see where everyone’s hand was. That was kind of it. I don’t think we ever found a solution for ending that, which happens a lot with Vince. That’s how some stories get lost there.

Vince McMahon’s “son” angle:

Yeah I was there. The original idea was for Mr. Kennedy to be his son. I think Vince hated Kennedy. The crowd loved him, and everyone there loved him, but he didn’t wanna go there. The ending of the story was taken away and before you know it, it was Hornswoggle.

Rumor Mill - Vince McMahon Said To Be Jealous Of WWE NXT’s Success, Already Downing NXT Stars

In what can already be considered a horrific problem on WWE’s end, it seems that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is not a happy camper these days. Interestingly enough, he is not happy with his own property. As everyone knows by now, WWE gave us a great show in WWE NXT Takeover: R Evolution back in November. This was after Vince McMahon himself said that the talent of today lacked pride and drive as compared to the Attitude Era.

So the NXT stars rose to the challenge, showed Vince how wrong he was and put on a show that was considered by most as the best WWE PPV in quite some time. Vince certainly appreciated the good reviews, but knowing his controlling personality and huge ego, he probably wasn’t thrilled that the outstanding wrestling show of 2014 came from NXT.

Knowledgeable wrestling fans may not be surprised to hear that Vince, in his infinite wisdom, is not happy with his NXT product. In fact, Daily Wrestling News is reporting that Vince is ticked that the main roster isn’t favored over the developmental system. In the long run, this may be another example of Vince’s baffling tendency to hold back the growth of the company he took to the pinnacle of success.

Sources are saying that Vince is “very grumpy” lately due to all of this. Vince, in his jealousy of how well the Triple H run NXT is doing in comparison to the main roster shows, is already souring on NXT talent. He has called many overrated. He has dismissed NXT’s successes and feels that it is not as good as fans are making it out to be.

The whole concept behind NXT is to get young talent ready to be part of WWE’s main roster. However, the people on NXT are trained performers that WWE can make money off of immediately. NXT is one of the biggest reasons to get the WWE Network in fact.

WWE decided to bring NXT to the Network as a weekly show with live specials that would give fans a product worthy of subscribing for. It was a good concept, but something that Triple H was set to run. In fact, all things related to talent are run through Triple H. From Performance Center material to what we see on NXT, the hard work and success starts with The Game, who motivates his future superstars to go for the gold.

There is jealousy from Vince, but there is also discontent from the main roster. Many of them don’t understand why they can’t do similar things on the main roster that we see on NXT programming. We have seen similar stories, it’s just that the NXT guys did them better. Match wise, the NXT guys and girls are doing well. The reason is obvious. WWE is not putting restrictions on them when it comes to taped or live shows. Only on live events would it make sense to put a hold on high risk maneuvers and edgy content.

The opposite happens on the main roster in that many work their best on live events and not on TV. The reason is simply because live events are more wrestling focused, so they are given more time to shine. This also allows talent who we do not see on TV the time to show why they should be there. Sadly, they are the same people squashed on TV, so no one cares for them.

WWE NXT allows for the best possible material on all taped or live specials, which makes everyone look good. The main roster wants to have something similar happen for them, but aren’t getting it due to what Vince McMahon wants. Triple H runs NXT, so there is some resentment toward him in some eyes backstage. Vince does not hate or despise Triple H, but he is not above talking down about the NXT product to boost the image of his main roster.

Conflicting Reports On The Royal Rumble And WrestleMania 31 Winners

This is why you have to take the "wrestling news" sites with a grain of salt:

From Pwinsider Elite

MetsFan4Ever, who has broke WWE stories in the past and reported the news on the Rumble divide, notes that Triple H held a backstage meeting before Monday's RAW in Corpus Christi and told the talents that they aren't sure who will win the Rumble match and main event WrestleMania 31.

Triple H reportedly challenged all talents to step up in the next couple of weeks. Talents will reportedly be evaluated and then a decision will be made in a few weeks.

This article is a part of their premium service which is an an additional charge.

Wrestling News World Premium, also an additional charge, is reporting the following:

Vince McMahon and Triple H have agreed on a Royal Rumble winner.

Don't believe everything you read...especially as it relates to Triple H.

Video: The Authority fires multiple Superstars

Rumor Mill - TNA Making Major Changes to Impact Wrestling on Destination America, More Like Reality TV

TNA Impact Wrestling will reportedly have a heavy reality TV theme to the show when it premieres with Destination America this week. The idea is to have cameras filming everything from wrestlers walking around backstage, entering the building and even being out of character. Dixie Carter is said to be a big fan of reality TV and Destination America already shows a lot of reality-type programming. TNA will be changing the format of Impact some to fit Destination America better.

Stephanie McMahon on Her WWE TV Character, WWE Network Having Something for Everyone

Stephanie McMahon just spoke with The Sun in the UK to promote the launch of the WWE Network there. Below are a few highlights:

The WWE Network:
"I think the beauty of the WWE Network is that there really is something for everyone. We have the most passionate fans in the world. The Network, as well as all of our programming is designed to give them a creative experience worthy of that passion."

Her character:
"I portray a villain in a storyline, because WWE is a live action adventure soap opera. WWE is entertainment, not reality. I am not the evil authority-abusing character as seen on TV – although maybe some people think I am. As well as being the Chief Brand Officer of WWE. I am a working mom to three daughters, I am a wife and I even have my own workout DVD geared towards women of all fitness levels!"

Photo from CES Reveals New WWE WrestleMania Pinball Game for 2015

Photos leaked from this week's CES convention reveal that the Stern Pinball company will be releasing a WWE WrestleMania pinball game this year, likely in time for WrestleMania 31.

Stars featured on the outside of the game include Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, a masked Kane and The Bella Twins.

More details should be announced at CES this week but the game could run well over $5,000. Apparently there is already a lot of backlash in the pinball community against Stern for their next big release being a WWE game.

Total Divas Midseason Premiere 1/04/15

WWE Network coming to the U.K. and Ireland on Jan. 19

From WWE.com:

Starting Monday, Jan. 19, WWE will make WWE Network available in the United Kingdom and Ireland. WWE Network will be directly available on Web, iOS and Android devices, gaming consoles, Smart TVs and digital media players – just in time to watch Royal Rumble 2015 on your big screen TV. Visit WWE.com on Jan. 19 to sign up. WWE Network will be available £9.99 in the U.K. and €12.99 in Ireland with no commitment.

Watch Mr. McMahon's message

Roman Reigns On John Cena Comparisons, Being An ‘Ambassador’ For NXT

WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was recently a guest on the WNS Podcast while promoting a WWE Live Event in Beaumont, Texas.

Reigns talked about being compared to John Cena and other stars, how he reacted to being one of the first NXT stars on WWE TV, what 2015 holds for him and more. You can read a few excerpts below:

Roman Reigns On John Cena Comparisons:

When I first started wrestling, I got a lot of comparisons to a lot of different people. Razor Ramon, The Rock. I had a bunch of different qualities and characteristics of former guys. I’m not trying to be the next anybody. I’m trying to be the very first Roman Reigns that’s all I can do. I’m not out to be somebody that I’m not. I know who I am and I know where I come from and I know where I want to go. It’s very flattering to be compared to someone who’s worked so hard and been so successful. I don’t want what he has, I want what I’m going to get.

Reigns On Being Seen As An ‘Ambassador’ For NXT & If There Was Pressure On Him:

I don’t know if it was extra pressure. There’s always pressure. Pressure almost becomes like another emotion. Most people are happy, sad, angry just all the different emotions you can feel and pressure is just one of them. That time I’m alive. If i’m not nervous or feeling butterflies then like what am I doing. For me, it was a cool responsibility to be given, to take on. I think that’s just part of the process. Being the first few to come out of NXT, we felt it but everyone behind us all the way from The Wyatts to Rusev and the list is just going to continue to go on. You’ve got great talent down there that are going to come up and make a big name for themselves. The Ascension, sami Zayn, Adrian Neville. There’s even newer guys, international stars from the independant scene so it’s a good time to be a wrestling fan.

Will 2015 Be His Year To Shine?

I think so. I think everyone’s thinking that. I think everybody goes into these type of matches thinking they’re going to be the guy. It can happen. Whether it’s 30, 40, 100 people in this match. Everybody should be going in with that mindset. “I’m the guy. I can change my whole career. I can change my whole life if I just dominate tonight and that’s what I’m going to do. Fortunately for me I have some experience with this match. I have a record of eliminations and I’m taking last year making it all the way to the end and coming up short as a mistake I can learn from. As a good experience. Hopefully, I can capitalize on it this year and correct that wrong and go onto the big one.

New Year-New You

It's a new year...Where do you want to be when it ends? What are you doing to get there? #WWEPowerSeries @WWE pic.twitter.com/lupLYmmoV8

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 2, 2015