Money

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson continues to prove why he's "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" -- a 2022 Panini WWE Black Prizm card featuring The Brahma Bull sold for $126,000 at auction, the highest-selling WWE trading card of all time.

PWCC officials tell TMZ Sports they brokered the historic sale Thursday night ... and say the card's exclusivity -- it's the only one that exists -- is why it sold for so much.

"This is arguably the best WWE trading card in existence," said Jesse Craig, Vice President of Sales at PWCC. "Cards like this rarely surface for public sale since they are so scarce. And when scarcity outweighs public demand, you see record prices."

"This was the perfect combination to drive that demand," Craig added.

The card is considered a 1/1 masterpiece with a grade of Near Mint 7. It features a holofoil image of The Rock -- AKA "The Great One" -- slamming the Texas Rattlesnake, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, to the mat with what appears to be his signature "Rock Bottom" finisher.

Of course, The Rock and Stone Cold had one of the most storied rivalries in WWE history, culminating in a trilogy of matches that were instant classics at WrestleMania 15, 17, and 19.

When Rock and Austin weren't colliding in the squared circle on "The Grandest Stage of Them All," the two WWE Hall of Famers entertained the WWE Universe with their skills on the microphone, cutting some of the most legendary promos over their careers.

Both Rock and Austin have had successful careers post-WWE -- Dwayne is an A-list actor, and Steve Austin started a podcast and released his first beer (Broken Skull) -- but the magic the two created inside the ring shows why cards like these are in high demand.

Oprah Winfrey is the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons after a new wall she constructed to save her home from flood water has her neighbors pissed.

Santa Barbara's Noozhawk reports there's been a boulder wall installed along the San Ysidro Creek to help prevent flooding and creek erosion on the billionaire's property.

However, folks in her Montecito neighborhood have reportedly raised concerns about the wall rerouting water onto their own properties during heavy storms.

Reports say a Carpinteria-based company called Jimenez Nursery used the media mogul's address when applying for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the wall ... but it's still unclear if Oprah signed off on the whole thing at all.

Regardless, the new installation doesn't seem to be sitting right with a ton of folks in the swanky neighborhood ... apparently, there are also concerns about whether or not the wall could withstand the next rain storm.

As we reported ... weather has been a huge issue for the celebs living in the area. You'll recall, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah and other residents were forced to evacuate due to the terrible January storm and mudslides.

Of course, Montecito has a dark history of weather devastation. Remember, 23 people were killed by a mudslide that also destroyed more than 100 homes back in 2018.

Detroit Lions star Jameson Williams -- the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- has just been suspended six games ... after the NFL says he violated its gambling policy.

The exact allegations against the former Univ. of Alabama receiver are unclear -- though according to the Lions, one of Williams' violations included betting from an NFL facility on non-NFL games.

Several other players were hit with punishments for gambling policy violations on Friday as well, including receiver Quintez Cephus, defensive back C.J. Moore and wideout Stanley Berryhill, who were all teammates with Williams in 2022.

Cephus and Moore received indefinite bans and were cut by the Lions immediately afterward. Berryhill received a six-game suspension -- though he and Williams are still slated to remain on Detroit's roster.

"As a result of an NFL investigation, it came to our attention that a few of our players had violated the league's gambling policy," Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said in a statement Friday. "These players exhibited decision making that is not consistent with our organizational values and violates league rules."

"We have made the decision to part ways with Quintez and C.J. immediately. We are disappointed by the decision making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and will work with both players to ensure they understand the severity of these violations and have clarity on the league rules moving forward."

Washington Commanders defensive lineman Shaka Toney was also suspended indefinitely on Friday for violating the NFL's gambling policy, the league announced.

When the NFL revealed its rulings ... officials added their probe "uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way."

Twitter's looking really different right now, as some huge celebs are getting stripped of their precious blue checkmarks ... but despite Elon Musk cutting their verifications, some A-listers are handing the bird the monthly fee.

Taylor Swift, Khloe Kardashian, and Ryan Reynolds are among the bunch putting up cash to keep the badge ... as well as Soulja Boy and The Weeknd.

It doesn't stop there -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Carter, LL Cool J, O.J. Simpson, Sia, and John Cena seem to be shelling out the dough, too.

If you click on their checkmarks, you'll now see the following response -- "This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”

Worth noting, there are a couple reasons why their usernames still come with a side of blue. For starters, they could be paying to keep Twitter Blue's features -- uploading longer vids, making longer tweets and editing tweets.

Of course, these folks could have been paying the $11/month, and made the decision to unsubscribe within the past month ... so, the checkmark is just there until it expires.

You also might have noticed some celebs who have the check, but say they aren't paying -- well, Elon says he's covering the cost for a chosen few ... his Inner Blue Circle, if you will.

As we reported, celebs like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop group Blackpink all had their verification revoked when the change rolled out Thursday ... but it looks like there are a decent amount doing their part to keep the lights on at Twitter HQ.

Bud Light, and other major liquor brands, understand the impact the LGBTQ community can have on their bottom line, so naysayers -- like Kid Rock -- will just have to get used to it ... according to Sasha Colby.

We got Sasha Thursday at LAX, and as the first transgender woman to win both Miss Continental and "RuPaul's Drag Race," she had a strong opinion about Bud Light's collab with Dylan Mulvaney ... and the backlash that followed.

Sasha sent kudos to Dylan -- who partnered with Bud Light while documenting her transition -- for becoming a face of a corporation as huge as Anheuser-Busch. She says it's a clear sign corporate America really gets the importance of the queer dollar.

She says the folks angry about it are just making noise in an attempt to control corporate decisions. BTW, Sasha says most liquor brands regularly show up and support pride events, so this isn't a new thing.

As we reported, Bud Light got tons of outrage from non-celebs and celebs like Kid ... who posted video of himself firing gunshots into cases of Bud Light cans. Some folks have said they're opposed to the partnership because it's exposing children to the LGBTQIA+ community.

In Sasha's eyes, it's all BS -- she says kids don't drink booze, and suspects these folks actually do like the transgender community, but are projecting hate instead. Sasha's had her own success with a major brand after she teamed up with fashion powerhouse, Alexander Wang, further proving her point.

LeBron James claimed he was too cheap to keep his blue checkmark, but his account showed otherwise on Thursday -- the Lakers superstar's page is now officially subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Thursday marked the end of legacy verified accounts on Elon Musk's app -- with the majority of users losing their badges unless they ponied up $8 a month to keep it.

As we previously reported, the King made his stance on the move crystal clear last month ... saying, "Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾‍♂️"

But someone on Bron's team must not have gotten the memo ... 'cause as superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Wilson and Aaron Judge said goodbye to the verify, his still has its badge.

The 4-time champ didn't get any special treatment -- his account's check says he subscribed to Twitter Blue just like everyone else who wanted to keep it.

Tom Brady, Klay Thompson, Conor McGregor and J.J. Watt are on LeBron's side -- their accounts are all subscribed to Twitter Blue as well.

There are now two teams on Twitter -- check and no check -- so, pick a side and tweet away, folks.

Elon Musk's crusade to remove Twitter's blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts is going into overdrive ... with a couple notable casualties among the celebrity ranks.

Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop supergroup BLACKPINK all had their blue checks stripped Thursday from their official Twitter accounts.

Elon targeted April 20 as the date for removing legacy blue checkmarks, announcing his intentions earlier this month, but lots of folks weren't sure if the bird app would actually follow through ... and now the reckoning is here.

For years, Twitter's blue checks were coveted ... they used to serve as the social media platform's official verification system, distinguishing prominent public figures from all the normies.

But, after buying Twitter for $44 billion, Elon decided to go in a different direction ... he's now charging folks $8 a month for subscriptions that come with blue checkmarks, and getting rid of the legacy checkmarks.

Tons of celebs have railed against Elon's policy ... including LeBron James, who said he wouldn't pay for a blue check, only for him to switch course.

MyPillow's Mike Lindell will be eating his words right now -- because his company put out a challenge a couple of years back, saying he had proof that China interfered in the election and was egging people to prove him wrong.

The problem? An arbitration panel found that someone did ... and now he's gotta pay up.

Here's the deal, Mike put the "Prove Mike Wrong" challenge out there in 2021 ahead of his so-called cyber symposium in South Dakota. He said he had data showing Chinese interference in the 2020 election and offered up $5 mil to anyone that could prove it wasn't the real deal.

Fast forward to Wednesday -- according to the Washington Post, a private arbitration panel determined 63-year-old Nevada resident Robert Zeidman analyzed Mike's data and in fact proved it didn't show the evidence Mike said it did ... meaning Zeidman's entitled to the dough.

Zeidman put together a 15-page report that he insisted the data did "not contain any information related to the November 2020 election."

Robert reportedly had to go to the arbitrators after Mike's management company denied a payout. They've ordered the company to cough up the cash within the next 30 days. Mike clearly isn't going down without a fight ... telling The Post the arbitrators made a mistake and vowing "This will be going to court!"

Colin Kaepernick is stepping up to help a family find answers ... paying for the autopsy of a 35-year-old man who died under peculiar circumstances in county jail after the medical examiner's initial autopsy failed to provide answers.

LaShawn Thompson died in his Fulton County Jail cell in September 2022 ... and his family wholeheartedly believes the facility's horrific and unsanitary conditions led to LT's death. But, the official autopsy came back "undetermined."

Enter Colin. He heard about the story and wanted to help, so he contacted Ben Crump, attorney for the family, and offered to fund a second, independent autopsy.

Typically, autopsies can cost between $20-50k.

Aside from wanting to provide the family with closure, we're told Colin was, and is, upset about the conditions in which LaShawn, initially arrested for a misdemeanor simple battery, and other inmates endured.

In fact, it's those disgusting conditions the Thompson family believes contributed, if not caused, LaShawn's death.

"The cell he was in was not fit for a diseased animal. This is inexcusable and it’s deplorable,” Thompson family attorney Michael Harper said of the cell where LaShawn lived, and ultimately died.

The family has released several photos of the scene, as well as LT's body, which appears to be covered in bug bites.

In the wake of the outrage over jail conditions, three high-ranking jail officials have stepped down, with the Fulton County Sheriff saying, “It’s clear to me that it’s time, past time, to clean house,” adding they're making "sweeping changes" to the facility.

Timothée Chalamet might wanna pump the brakes a little earlier next time, slamming into a camera during a shoot in an apparent case of some serious miscommunication.

Kylie Jenner's new boo was in NYC Wednesday shooting a commercial called "Vertigo" when the mishap went down. You see the actor come down a set of stairs to be greeted by two other actors when the camera jets out and collides with Chalamet.

Unclear who's to blame for the poor choreography, but you can see a piece of the camera break off in the process.

Bradley Beal is now being dragged to court over his tiff with fans following a game against the Magic last month ... TMZ Sports has learned a lawsuit was just filed against the Wizards star on Tuesday.

In the docs, Kyler Briffa alleges he was the man who Beal got physical with during a March 21 altercation inside Amway Arena in Orlando, Fla.

Briffa says he and a friend got courtside seats to the Wizards vs. Magic tilt -- and were eventually allowed to go inside a team tunnel following the contest to interact with Washington players as they made their way into the visitor's locker room.

Briffa claims things were going fine -- until his friend made a comment to Beal about losing a bet during the game.

According to the suit, Beal "stopped, turned around, walked back toward the unsuspecting [Briffa] and without a word, intentionally struck the side of [Briffa's] head knocking his hat off of his head."

Briffa claims the hat flew "5-6 feet behind him." He then says Beal started to bully, threaten, intimidate and humiliate him in front of other fans -- which included children.

He added that he believed Beal "was attempting to provoke a physical altercation."

In the suit, Briffa says it was all finally broken up by a Wizards staffer -- who escorted the shooting guard away from the area.

Briffa says he suffered emotional distress and pain and suffering from the incident. He's suing Beal for assault. He's also suing the Wizards for negligence. He's asking for more than $50K in damages.

For Beal's part, he generally acknowledged the incident during a season-ending interview with media members earlier this month ... saying he never appreciates being heckled over gambling and betting.

Police, meanwhile, said they launched an investigation into the incident ... though no charges have been filed.

The Cavinder Twins are making big moves to kickstart their post-basketball careers -- the social media superstars are becoming business partners with Jake Paul and his Betr company!

The gambling and media platform announced the move on Wednesday ... saying Haley and Hanna -- who have millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok -- are its newest equity partners, content creators and creative directors. The partnership also means their podcast, "Twin Talk," will stream exclusively with Betr Media.

As part of the deal, the recently retired Miami Hurricanes stars will be at the forefront of content for the female audience ... and will appear on camera all over the platform.

The Internet sensations spoke about the decision to work with Jake and Betr co-founder Joey Levy ... saying, "Betr gives us the ability to accelerate the growth of The Cavinder Twins brand in a focused and truly authentic manner."

"We love sports, thrive on competition, and enjoy creating and bringing ideas to life. Betr truly makes The Cavinder Twins and our brand that much better and bigger."

Levy added -- "We are thrilled to partner with the Cavinder Twins, who have already accomplished so much and are just scratching the surface of their potential."

"Betr Media's objective is to attract, enhance, and amplify the next wave of generational content creators, and this partnership is a testament to that approach. Our talent flywheel is continuing to get stronger, and we are just getting started."

Angela Lansbury's Los Angeles estate of nearly 40 years has a brand new owner ... we've learned her family has sold the place the late actress called home for several decades.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... Angela's family closed the deal Tuesday on the home in Brentwood, CA for $4.9 million. The legendary actress and her husband, Peter Shaw, snagged the property back in 1985 for $925k.

The home was her main residence up until she died in October 2022. You'll recall, Angela -- famous for "Murder, She Wrote" and as the voice of Mrs. Potts in "Beauty and the Beast" -- died in her sleep at the age of 96.

The 3,708-square-foot home which has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms radiates Angela's timeless charm on nearly a 1/2 acre lot.

The skylights and large windows in the home provide lots of natural light. The backyard is surrounded by lush greenery and is perfect for entertaining with a pool that's surrounded by a massive patio, a terraced garden area with a small greenhouse.

Aside from all the charm of the home ... one can only imagine the Hollywood legend's name was a huge selling point.

Fox News is cutting a nine-figure check to avoid going to trial in one of the highest-profile defamation cases in American history -- the network struck a last-minute deal with Dominion Voting Systems to settle the case.

The trial was scheduled to start Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court ... 12 jurors had been selected in the morning, but before opening statements, the judge announced the settlement from the bench.

According to Dominion lawyers, Fox will fork over $787.5 million to settle the suit.

Remember ... Dominion, a voting machine maker, was seeking $1.6 billion in damages after accusing Fox News of sullying its reputation in the wake of the 2020 election with claims of votes being taken from Donald Trump and given to Joe Biden.

The massive settlement means Fox News on-air personalities like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo won't be called to the witness stand. Jurors would have been tasked with determining if Fox News acted maliciously in airing false statements about Dominion's voting machines.

Worth noting, Dominion is a small privately owned company that's reportedly worth less than $100 million, but it's about to be pretty flush.

Pras isn't going down without a fight in his political conspiracy case -- he took the stand Tuesday to testify in his own defense.

According to sources with direct knowledge, the former Fugees rapper's attorney called him as a witness this morning. His testimony covered several topics ... such as his background, upbringing, education history and, of course, his career as a platinum-selling musician.

Pras will likely be on the stand for the rest of day and perhaps again tomorrow as he faces 22 years behind bars for allegedly accepting around $88 million from Malaysian refugee Jho Low between 2012 and 2017.

We caught up with Pras earlier this month when the trial was heating up ... but it was unclear whether he'd actually take the stand in the case.

Coachella is cutting a check because Frank Ocean wasn't the only one performing late into the night ... the music festival is being dinged six figures for going past curfew.

A rep for the City of Indio, where Coachella is held, tells TMZ ... fines for curfew violations over the first weekend totaled $117,000.

We're told curfew is 1 AM on Friday and Saturday and midnight on Sunday, and Coachella missed the cutoff time on all three nights ... going over by 25 minutes Friday, 22 minutes Saturday and 25 minutes Sunday.

City of Indio officials say the fines are part of its agreement with Goldenvoice ... with the contract calling for a daily fine of $20,000 for the first 5 minutes past curfew, with another $1,000 tacked on for every minute after.

As we reported ... Frank Ocean cited the curfew during his Sunday headlining set. He showed up late, starting his show at 11 PM and wrapped his performance with an unenthusiastic one-liner ... "Guys I'm being told it's curfew, so that's the end of the show."

The $117,000 in fines goes into Indio's General Fund, and we're told the city uses the money for operating costs, including public works and the police and fire departments.