11:37 AM PT -- Officials tell us ... emergency personnel responded to Dusty's home in Orlando, FL at 5:56 AM Wednesday morning after getting a call reporting a 69-year-old male had taken a fall.

We're told Rhodes was transported to a nearby hospital ... where he eventually passed away Thursday morning.

We're told Dusty's immediate family raced to be by his side as soon as they learned he was in the hospital.

Our sources tell us Dusty suffered "numerous complications" throughout the night ... which ultimately proved fatal.

WWE superstar Dusty Rhodes -- famously known as "The American Dream" -- has died at age 69 ... the WWE confirms.

Rhodes -- real name Virgil Runnels -- passed away Thursday morning.

Rhodes, who famously rocked polka dot tights during his legendary career, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.

Dusty had 4 children -- including two sons who also became wrestling superstars -- Goldust (Dustin Runnels) and Stardust (Cody Runnels).

The WWE issued a statement saying, "WWE extends its sincerest condolences to Runnels’ family, friends and colleagues."

WWE superstar Triple H posted a comment about his friend ... saying, "Saddened to hear the passing of Dusty Rhodes. Legend, teacher, mentor, friend...Love you Dream."

Hulk Hogan's daughter says she couldn't stand The Undertaker while she was growing up ... claiming she was in constant fear that the wrestling legend was gunning to steal her underwear.

Brooke explained her panty paranoia at the The Pool After Dark at Harrah’s in Atlantic City ... saying that she thought he got his name "Undertaker" because he would "take underwear."

Hogan says she was later convinced the guy was NOT a panty pilferer.

But get this ... on the flip side, Hogan says her FAVORITE wrestler growing up was "Macho Man" Randy Savage ... and she tells a pretty adorable story about the WWE legend.

Was Savage really a teddy bear in private?? OOOOOH YYYYEEEAAAHHHH.

Forget groomsmen .... A Syracuse couple got what they were after Saturday night when 3 huge wrestlers from the WWE barreled into their wedding reception.

Roman Reigns, R-Truth and Jimmy Uso (none the groom) were at a bar in the hotel when they heard the reception and made their way in. What they didn't know -- the bride, Beth Samuels and her freshly-minted hubby Matt were huge WWE fans.

Beth knew the WWE was having a show in Syracuse so she sent an email to the wrestling org inviting any of the wrestlers who might be looking for something to do.

Turns out the 3 guys didn't have a clue about the email ... they just dropped by and stayed 45 minutes.

WWE junkies can rejoice, because WWE Diva Sunny may get in the ring for a XXX face plant, because we've learned she's inclined to sign on with a huge porn company.

Sunny tells TMZ she's been mulling over Vivid honcho Steve Hirsch's 6-figure porn offer and is now 60/40 in favor of it.

But there's a snag. Hirsch really wants the scene set in a wrestling ring, but Sunny thinks the gag has been played out.

Sunny favors the more traditional setting, like a hotel room.

The 42-year-old won't get flak from her boyfriend. She says her 27-year-old man is excited and wants an advance screening.

Ronda Rousey doesn't want her pal David Spade worrying about her getting into WWE, and took a few moments to let him -- and all her fans -- know why she's determined to wrestle, and why it's low risk ... for her.

Ronda was leaving a book signing Thursday night when we asked her about Spade's comment that she should quit pining for pro wrestling ... because she might get hurt and screw up her UFC career.

Watch ... Ronda not only explains why she's still determined to return to the WWE, but also smacks down Spade's concerns. As she puts it ... she's more likely to stub a toe at home, than get injured while wrestling.

David Spade thinks Ronda Rousey should say buh-bye to all WWE action for the sake of her career -- but he's got a theory about why she keeps pushing to be a pro wrestler.

Spade -- who's a big fan of the UFC and Ronda -- was out in L.A. when he told us what he thought about Ronda saying she's down to be the next big thing in turnbuckle tussling.

FYI -- the WWE has a long history of having MASSIVE stars from the combat fighting world throw down with them, including Floyd Mayweather Jr., Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali himself.

David says Ronda would be taking a "backwards" move if she followed in those footsteps. As for why she wants to do it -- he thinks it has a lot to do with how much ass she's kicking in the Octagon.

Former WWE star Tammy Sytch is being welcomed in the porn star sisterhood with open arms -- and other stuff -- because the sex game's biggest names say she comes pre-trained for sex-on-cam.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Tammy, aka Sunny, is close to inking a six figure deal with Vivid Entertainment, and porn star Joanna Angel says she will fit right in -- "Porn is just like wrestling, it's sex on steroids, exaggerated. Wrestling is kinda like fighting on steroids ... it's the same thing."

For the record ... the WWE vehemently frowns on steroids.

That being said ... if Tammy wants to shoot a wrestling themed porn for her debut -- she'll have her pick of co-stars. Missy Martinez told us she's game to go a few rounds -- and Tanya Tate said, "She’s the first ever WWE Diva. I’d like to get pinned by her! Tag me in."

As for the big swinging male stars -- Nat Turner says what Tammy's really got going for her is ... "Dude's have been obsessed with her for years so she's already got the fan base. The more the merrier."

Like a Royal Rumble .. except that's not sweat on the mat.

No more "fake" fighting for Bill Goldberg -- the pro wrestling legend tells TMZ Sports he's gearing up for a REAL kickboxing fight ... and he's training with one of the biggest badasses in the biz.

The 48-year-old says he's flying out to Amsterdam to train with Rico Verhoeven -- the world heavyweight champ in the Glory kickboxing league -- and he's serious about fighting.

Goldberg says he's not delusional -- he doesn't think he's going to be the next great kickboxing champ ... but he really wants the opportunity to show off his combat skills in the ring.

So far, no word on when Goldberg hopes to schedule his first fight.

WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Lynn Sytch ... aka "Sunny" ... could be doing an entirely different kind of rear-naked choke in the VERY near future -- 'cause she's thiiiiis close to signing a monster porn contract.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Sunny -- widely considered the very first "WWE Diva" -- has been in talks with Vivid Entertainment, the same company that produced Chyna's "Backdoor to Chyna" video.

Vivid tells us the two sides have spoken several times and a 6-figure offer is on the table for Sunny to become a "genuine porn star" -- not just a 1-time sex tape thing.

"After the tremendous success of Chyna, this makes total sense. Hoping we can work it out," Vivid honcho Steve Hirsch tells us.

We're told the deal is "VERY close" to being done ... and that Sunny is prepared to start shooting right away.

No word on what the first title would be ... but here are some suggestions:
-- "Piledrivin'"
-- "N.W.O-face"
-- "Monday Night Raw Dog"
-- "HummerSlam"
-- "D-Generation Triple-X"
-- "The People's Anal"

Wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page says he knows his friend Scott Hall has "stumbled" in his ongoing battle with substance abuse ... but says he still has Hall's back -- no matter what.

Page has essentially been a sober mentor for both Hall and Jake "The Snake" Roberts -- who both had serious issues with alcohol and drugs after becoming world famous wrestling stars.

Now, with Hall being escorted out of a wrestling event in NJ this weekend for allegedly showing up drunk, Page says he wants Hall to know he can count on him for support.

"Scott is going through a life process. He's stumbled along the way, but he is doing well over all. I've got his back."

Page adds, "Even Jake 'The Snake' has fallen a few times, but he is now one year sober and doing great."

DDP says he plans to speak with Hall soon ... and hopes he can help get Hall back on the sober path, asap.

WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall was physically escorted out of a wrestling event in NJ this weekend ... after promoters say the recovering substance abuser was way too hammered to do his job.

Hall has battled drug and alcohol issues for years ... but had teamed up with some other wrestling legends in recent years in a public effort to clean himself up.

Which is why the people at the Skate and Surf Music Festival in Asbury Park, NJ were so disappointed Saturday when Hall appeared to be wasted ... hours before he was supposed to host a meet and greet with fans.

According to our sources, Hall was given multiple chances to sober up ... but never did. Organizers told Hall to leave ... but he refused, demanding to be paid.

Eventually, security stepped in and escorted Hall off the property.

The event promoter, Ricky Otazu, tells TMZ Sports, "The event was too well run for us to make a fool of ourselves by allowing him to appear. We will no longer be associated with him until he gets his life in order."

Hall was arrested in 2012 for allegedly choking his girlfriend during a drunken rage and was sentenced to 10 days behind bars for a 2010 DUI arrest.

We made several efforts to reach Hall for comment -- and even called his close friends and family members -- but so far, no word from the wrestling star.

Check out these 16 sexy shots of Bad News Barrett -- and crown him with your #ManCrushMonday love!

A rep for the WWE tells TMZ Sports, "There is no excuse for a 20-year-old grown man to assault an 18-month old child, no matter what. Using a flimsy excuse about emulating a wrestling maneuver does not absolve Brandon Hoffman of this abhorrent crime. The death of Bryson Shoemaker is a tragedy, and WWE offers its condolences to the child’s mother, Sierra Shoemaker."

A Pennsylvania man killed an 18-month-old boy ... when he slammed the child to the floor while imitating The Undertaker's signature wrestling move ... this according to cops.

Cops say 20-year-old Brandon Hoffman was trying do the Undertaker's "Last Ride" move -- and intended to slam the child onto a bed ... but missed ... fatally injuring the boy.

Hoffman told cops he had been watching the child while the boy's mother was at work -- and had successfully pulled off another wrestling move before the accident.

Hoffman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault and more. Bail has been set at $150k.

Former WWE superstar Scotty 2 Hotty hasn't hung up his unitard yet -- but he's building a second career as a real estate agent ... and already has his first gigantic celeb client.

Scotty says he nailed his realtor's exam last month -- on the first try, no less -- and immediately started slinging homes in Celebration, FL ... near Disney World.

The former member of the tag team Too Cool flipped through his Rolodex of famous pals, and landed WWE legend Mick Foley ... who's in the market for a new crib.

Scotty says he's enjoying real estate much more than his previous J-O-B. As we told you ... he graduated from the fire academy a couple years ago, but he says it just wasn't for him.

If you're wondering ... Scotty can still bust out his finishing move, The Worm, and says he's prepared to do it ... if it helps close a deal.

ABC, bro.

The WWE is cashing in on Eddie "Hot Stuff" Gilbert even though he's been dead for 20 years ... at least according to his family, which is dragging the league to court to get a cut of the action.

According to docs ... Eddie's dad, Tommy Gilbert, is in charge of the estate and says the WWE is plastering his son's image and likeness all over TV and other media platforms without permission -- and, more importantly, without paying them a dime.

Tommy says old wrestling footage of Eddie -- a pro from '79 until his death of a heart attack in '95 -- is being used to promote the WWE.

Interestingly, Eddie's fam isn't suing to block use of the footage -- they just want a judge to force the WWE to fork over a share of its profits, plus damages.

A WWE rep tells us, "Through the years, WWE has acquired the legal rights to library footage of various former wrestling organizations including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Mid-Southern Wrestling among many others. WWE has made substantial investments to acquire these copyrighted works and has the legal right to use them."

The guys suing the WWE over alleged brain injuries are a bunch of "nobodies" brainwashed by lawyers to believe they can score a quick buck ... at least according to a WWE lawyer.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Big Russ McCullough, Ryan Sakoda and Luther Reigns claim the WWE has known for years its athletes are suffering brutal and debilitating injuries, but it's only interested in making big money.

We spoke to Jerry McDevitt, WWE’s outside counsel from K&L Gates. He tells us the guys -- who only wrestled for a short time -- are "being targeted by attorneys who tell them there's hundreds of thousands of dollars they can make by joining a class action suit like this."

McDevitt adds, "We know these claims are fraudulent, and will fight them."

He claims other wrestlers who've been approached to join the suit think it's a scam. McDevitt believes the suit spends more time talking about Chris Benoit and other wrestlers than it does the actual plaintiffs.

"It's sensational, but if you really look at ... what was done specifically to them?" McDevitt says. "There are almost no details as to what they actually suffered as a result of working with WWE."

Among the details included in the suit -- the plaintiffs say they were forced to wrestle, even when they'd suffered injuries like torn ligaments and concussions.