A battered and limping Jesse Metcalfe got the wheelchair treatment at an airport in Nice, France yesterday -- after losing a fight with a two story staircase at a party over the weekend.

The former "Desperate Housewives" star claims he was knocked out cold when he somehow slipped down 40 feet of stairs at a World Music Awards afterparty in Monaco. Jesse's rep says he was trying to get back to his hotel to change out of his suit, when he fell down and bumped his head.

Metcalfe was rushed to a hospital where he was given X-rays and an MRI -- so far, it looks like he'll be ok.