Wrestling

Some guys have plenty of confidence in their old friends ... can you guess who this former professional wrestler is?

We ran into this dude while he was signing autographs and asked him if he had any advice for his old pal John Cena as he prepared to leave the ring behind ... but he was confident his buddy had a pretty bright future outside of wrestling.

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman will not be charged with a crime after an altercation at his son's high school wrestling match earlier this month.

The alleged incident occurred on Jan. 3 at Mishawaka High School in Indiana, when Freeman -- head coach of the Fighting Irish since 2021 -- was there to watch his son, Penn H.S. senior Vinny, in the Al Smith Wrestling Invitational.

When Vinny lost a match, New Prairie assistant coach Chris Fleeger allegedly got into a verbal altercation with Vinny, Freeman, and Vinny's coach, Brad Harper.

Jesse Ventura's been open about his disdain for President Donald Trump over the years ... and he made it clear he feels POTUS is a "draft-dodging coward" while speaking to KMSP-TV on Thursday.

The former professional wrestler and one-time governor of Minnesota was visiting his old high school in Minneapolis Thursday to show his support for the school's staff after one of its teachers was reportedly pepper-sprayed and detained by federal officers. He claimed Trump "did what all rich white boys did" during the Vietnam War, skipping out on military service.

Trump received four determents for education, as he was attending the University of Pennsylvania, and he was given a fifth and final deferment when he was diagnosed with bone spurs following his graduation in 1968, according to Business Insider.

Paul Walter Hauser is stepping into the wrestling ring soon ... but this ain't no celebrity cameo appearance -- he's taking this showdown so seriously, he's turning it into a Lumberjack Strap Match!!

That's what the 39-year-old actor said ahead of his February 1, 2026, showdown with "Mad Dog" Connelly for the SuperPower Slam at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City.

In a scathing promo directed at his opponent, Hauser said he's stoked to enter the squared circle ... but was shocked when his family and friends reached out to make sure he knew what he was getting into. He admitted Mad Dog is no walk in the park -- but neither is he.

AEW Star MJF made his surprise return to the ring Wednesday night across the pond in England ... and not only did it shake up the championship scene -- but it also sent the internet ablaze when he compared a wrestler to Diddy.

The former AEW World Champion looked like he hadn't lost a step in the three months he was away from the company ... and unfortunately for Swerve Strickland, he found himself right in his crosshairs.

"You really remind me a lot of this famous musician," MJF said. "You guys have a lot in common. You both call yourself moguls, you both rock chains, you both rock way too much baby oil and you're both dogsh*t rappers."

It was at that moment that the crowd realized where he was going.

Sad news in the wrestling world ... Steve Regal -- better known as "Mr. Electricity" -- passed away in July. He was 73.

The news broke on Monday and was confirmed by the National Wrestling Alliance ... which expressed its sadness over the death of its former champion.

"Defeating Denny Brown for the title, this flashy and charismatic grappler reigned atop pro wrestling’s junior heavyweight in 1986, paving a path for generations to come," NWA said.

Professional wrestlers CM Punk and his wife AJ Lee just lost their beloved dog Larry ... and CM commemorated him in the most personal and beautiful post probably of his whole life.

This is just heart-wrenching ... The World Heavyweight Champion revealed Larry took his last breath while in the couple's arms after spending more than 10 years together as a family.

According to CM, they rescued Larry in February 2015 and he changed their life by making everywhere they went with him home.

Could Nick Hogan follow in his dad Hulk's massive wrestling footsteps?? He isn't shutting it down ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to stay tight-lipped for now -- but hinted "it's in the blood."

We caught up with the 35-year-old out at LAX on Thursday ... just two days after he shared a selfie from a workout with NWA star Bryan Idol -- with a ring directly in the background.

Naturally, the post got wrestling fans talking ... and kickstarted speculation Nick could wind up in the same industry that made his father a household name and one of the greatest to ever lace up the boots.

California Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated his fellow Democrats leaping from the top rope and scoring a big win on election night ... sharing a clip where he and his compatriots are wrestling Republicans.

Newsom posted the meme clip late Tuesday night after polls across the country closed ... and, it kicks off with him and former President Barack Obama taking out the trash -- smashing a receptacle over President Donald Trump's head.

Congressman from New York Hakeem Jeffries jumps in to help his fellow pols in the melee ... taking on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson -- and, AOC even gets in on the fun, too.

Wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Fame inductee Abdullah the Butcher has reportedly been hospitalized.

Booking agent Steve Stasiak shared the news on social media Thursday, revealing he suffered from unspecified "serious health issues."

He also encouraged fans to come together to send "prayers, positive thoughts, and strength his way."

There's always reason to celebrate with Rhea Ripley, and this weekend's a big one for the two-time WWE Women's World Champion -- because she's turning 29 years old!

We thought we'd commemorate the professional wrestler's special day by putting together some of her hottest shots from over the years ... just make sure you've got something nice and cool nearby, because it's gonna get steamy in here!

2:21 PM PT -- Rampage Jackson followed up his Instagram post with another in which he shared the video of Syko Stu apologizing to Raja before he was invited to go into the ring to fight him for the show.

Rampage says he hopes the clarification about the invitation -- since some people think he just trespassed and hit Stu -- might stop some of the threats he and his family are receiving.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's blowing up at haters online who are sending his family threats ... admitting his son, Raja, acted like a total maniac -- but, Syko Stu needs to take some blame too.

The MMA legend popped off on Instagram Monday morning ... sharing a screengrab of a commenter calling for the streets to take out Raja Jackson after he brutally beat down Stu in the ring.

Rampage shared a long Instagram caption ... in which he told people they've all gone too far -- namely, throwing violent and racist threats at him and his family.

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett said Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's son's attack on an independent wrestler last week was complete B.S. ... and he tells TMZ Sports he's sure the 25-year-old will ultimately get his comeuppance.

Jarrett sat down with us a few days after Raja Jackson brutally roughed up Syko Stu at a KnokX Pro event in Los Angeles ... and he ripped the younger Jackson for his behavior.

Jarrett called the whole scene "absolutely, totally, bulls*** wrong," before he insisted the guy will at some point "pay for it."

Syko Stu -- the wrestler who was beaten badly by Raja Jackson last weekend -- is heading home after several days in the hospital ... according to a message posted to his Facebook.

The message -- posted to the account by himself and his wife Contessa Patterson -- states Stu's heading home ... after sustaining a serious head injury during the brawl.

According to the post, Stu has trauma to both his upper and lower jaws, a laceration on the upper lip and a fracture to maxilla bone. He lost several teeth during the onslaught.

'Fantastic Four' star Paul Walter Hauser is showing he's got what it takes to be a wrestling superstar ... slamming his opponent through a table with blood dripping down his face.

Hauser was wrestling in Ring of Honor's "Death Before Dishonor" Friday night in Philly, where he faced off against QT Marshall ... and the fight was absolutely epic.

Check out the video ... Hauser comes out hot, stepping out of the ring and nailing QT with a cannonball -- pulling off a mid-air somersault.

If Travis Kelce somehow needs a job after his NFL days are over ... wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett tells TMZ Sports he'll happily welcome the tight end to the AEW.

The 58-year-old squared circle titan -- who's currently working as the AEW's Director of Business Development -- said to us this week he'll find a spot for Kelce in the org. if the Chiefs superstar wants it.

Jarrett made it clear it wouldn't just be some kind of publicity grab, noting he truly thinks Kelce has what it takes to entertain the wrestling masses.