WWE

WWE legend Tammy Sytch says she has "tremendous guilt feelings" about the death of her good friend, Chyna ... admitting she failed to get her the help she needed when she saw Chyna struggling.

Sytch -- aka Sunny -- was on her way to court-ordered rehab this week when she told us Chyna's death has been on her mind for months. The two were very close and would FaceTime every night.

The Hall of Famer says she recognized Chyna was going down a bad path and tried to convince her to go to rehab -- but she refused, and died while Sytch was seeking treatment for herself.

Obviously, Chyna's death isn't Tammy's fault ... but Sytch says she wishes she could've gotten her friend to see the light. Chyna passed away in April after overdosing on Rx pills and booze.

As for Tammy ... her next stop is another stint in rehab to combat her ongoing alcohol issues -- and she says she's receiving the full support of the WWE.

WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch -- aka "Sunny" -- has been released from prison and is currently on her way back to a rehab center ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 44-year-old wrestling legend was locked up back in September for violating her probation stemming from a DUI case.

She was released Friday and paroled to go to a rehab center. We spoke with Sytch via text messages and she confirmed she's on the way.

Sytch has struggled with substance abuse over the years -- and was arrested for DUI 3 times in 2015.

She insists she wants to get and stay clean and turn her life around.

John Cena has a warning for his buddy, Shaq, before WrestleMania 33: better take Big Show seriously, 'cause he's ready to prove that he's got gas left in the tank!!

Cena says Big Show is taking the match as seriously as ever ... and warns Shaq that he's in great shape, so he better be ready.

WWE Hall of Fame inductee Kurt Angle says he ain't ruling out a return to wrestling -- but he's adamant the rumors of a surprise appearance at this weekend's Royal Rumble are simply not true.

Angle recently pulled out of a Jan 28 wrestling event in Scotland -- the same weekend as the Rumble -- and some people thought it was a clue that Angle was clearing the deck for a Royal surprise.

But TMZ Sports spoke with the former WWE World Heavyweight champ who put it bluntly -- "Royal Rumble is not gonna happen."

"A lot of people are assuming it, a lot of writers are writing about it ... I haven't talked to WWE about anything after WWE Hall of Fame."

Angle is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in March -- and says he's excited about his future with Vince McMahon's company ... which could definitely involve a return to action.

WWE legend John Cena says he's a HUGE New England Patriots fan ... not just because he loves to root for the team everyone hates ... but 'cause he's kinda like the Tom Brady of wrestling!

A sleeveless Cena was leaving Tapout Fitness in NYC Monday morning (it's 40 degrees, btw!) when we asked who he's got in the Super Bowl.

"I gravitate towards New England," Cena said ... "I like the fact that year after year, no matter what adversity they face, they always do well. And everyone hates that."

"So, I'm drawn to that ... I run kind of like a parallel life with Tom Brady."

Cena says he's got a lot in common with the guy -- especially the way they approach their jobs.

Diamond Dallas Page tried doing a diamond cutter on Justin Moore during a concert ... and failed.

DDP was a guest at Justin's show in Atlanta Saturday night, when he went into full-on wrestling mode on the country singer and tried doing his signature move on the guy.

There will be no comeback for The Heartbreak Kid ... Shawn Michaels tells TMZ Sports he's definitely not wrestling ever again.

There's been some rumblings about Michaels possibly coming back to wrestle at the Royal Rumble later this month in Shawn's hometown of San Antonio ... especially after he made an appearance on this week's 'Monday Night Raw.'

But, when we saw Shawn in NYC Thursday morning ... he pretty much crushed all hope.

DEEP BURN ALERT ...

Stephanie McMahon let CM Punk have it Sunday night ... dissing the WWE star about the infamous ass-kicking he got in his UFC debut.

It happened in Chicago -- CM's hometown -- when the crowd started chanting Punk's name ... something that happens a lot when the WWE rolls into the Windy City.

WWE legend Chyna had traces of multiple prescription drugs in her system -- including oxycodone and Valium -- along with alcohol when she died ... this according to the autopsy report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The L.A. County Coroner report shows Chyna had the following in her system when she was found on April 20:

-- Oxycodone, Oxymorphone (painkillers)

-- Valium (anti-anxiety)

-- Nordiazepam (muscle relaxer)

-- Temazepam (sleeping pill)

The coroner says there was also ethanol in her system.

When officials found Chyna, she was lying on the right side of her bed in her Redondo Beach apartment ... and there was a "bloody purge on the pillow underneath her face."

Officials say the also found multiple loose pills in Chyna's home -- along with a couple of pipes and a grinder.

A family member told the coroner that Chyna was an alcoholic and "drank cheap wine" and was addicted to Rx pills.

Chyna was 46.

One of the greatest African-American wrestlers of all time says Hulk Hogan's time in WWE exile needs to end ... and that wrestling fans and Vince McMahon -- should give Hogan another chance.

Add future Houston Mayor to WWE legend Booker T's accomplishments ... 'cause the HOF wrestler tells TMZ Sports he's running for mayor, and there's no doubt he's gonna win.

We talked to Booker -- who announced this week he's running for mayor of Houston in 2019 -- about why he's diving into politics ... and whether he has a chance to actually win.

The short answer ... hell yes.

"I'm gonna win the election. That's almost a forgone conclusion. I have a lot of support. Especially from the city, the young people in the city."

But, why not start with a smaller job before running for mayor of a city with over 2 million people?

Ex-WWE star and recovering addict Kurt Angle says his new addiction management app could "save" Lamar Odom by putting him on the path to healthy and sober living.

Former WWE superstar Shad Gaspard body slammed a gun wielding armed robber this weekend ... and now TMZ Sports has the surveillance video.

As we reported ... Gaspard was at a gas station convenience store when a man pulled out a hand gun ... and pointed it at the 6'5", nearly 300lb. wrestler.

What happens next is crazy ... Gaspard rushes the would-be robber and takes the gun away (it turned out to be a BB gun).

S.G. then grabs the man by the neck and forces him outside ... before BODY SLAMMING him on the concrete.

Gaspard held the assailant down while police rolled to the gas station ... and placed the man under arrest.

BTW, Shad joined the guys on "TMZ Sports" and gave a play-by-play of the scary situation.

Former WWE superstar Shad Gaspard nailed a real-life takedown of an armed robber Saturday night at a Florida convenience store.

Coral Springs PD tells TMZ Sports ... they responded to a call around midnight for an attempted armed robbery at the store. According to police, the suspect appeared to be drunk, walked up to Shad and said, "Hey man, buy me a beer." When Shad said, "There's a better way to ask than that" ... police say the suspect whipped out his firearm.

The store clerk says Shad quickly shoved the suspect against the cooler door, grabbed the guy's gun and it fell to the ground.

Shad tells us he was trying to remove the gun's magazine when he saw an air canister compartment, and realized it was just a BB gun. The 6'7", nearly 300 lb. ex-wrestler took over at that point -- taking the dumbass to the ground and holding him until officers arrived.

Pro Wrestling Sheet also reported Shad's heroics, which were pretty bad ass ... especially considering he didn't know it was a BB gun. That makes no difference to cops, btw -- the suspect was booked for robbery with a weapon.

#STO

Lacey Von Erich -- part of the legendary Von Erich wrestling family -- says she was forbidden to date wrestlers by her family ... because the profession is riddled with drug addiction and suicide.

We got Lacey -- who's developing a female wrestling league with Hulk Hogan's daughter, Brooke -- and she talked to us about her childhood crush on The Rock ... pretty fun stuff.

If Vince McMahon has White House ambitions, he's already got 2 supporters on board ... Alberto Del Rio and Paige ... who say the WWE honcho would make a MUCH better prez than Donald Trump.

First off, Alberto HATES Trump ... with a passion.

But when we asked the pro wrestler about the President-elect naming Linda McMahon to head his Small Business Administration ... he didn't seem too confident in his former WWE boss.

Still, Alberto and Paige say they love Vince (probably because Paige still works for him) -- and think he's got the brains to be a solid Commander in Chief one day.