WWE

WWE Superstar Kevin Owens is eager to team up with John Cena to face Universal Champ Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on the final Smackdown this year ... telling us sharing the ring with the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion is a "full circle" moment for him and his son, Owen.

"I started with John when I came to WWE, and now he's going to be my partner against Sami," Owens said when he joined Babcock and Mojo, his friend and former colleague, on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"Me and Sami have had so much history in WWE, let alone our entire careers."

Kevin continued, talking about the magnitude of the moment, saying ... "To be in that kind of situation now together, it's all just so surreal. I'm just grateful for the chance to experience that stuff."

Kevin said his 15-year-old son Owen is a big fan of Cena ... and his boy will be in Tampa to watch the WWE icon team up with his father.

"Me and my son will always have a little bond over John Cena. My son, as he was growing up, was a huge John Cena fan. When I signed my WWE contract, I told my son, 'maybe I'll get to fight John Cena one day, then I did.'"

"He's still excited that John's coming around. It's a cool little thing to share with my son anytime John's involved. My son likes WWE but is not an avid fan like I was growing up."

Owens is thankful that Cena, who parlayed his career as a WWE Superstar into a successful acting career, is still committed to performing for the WWE universe after all these years, despite being a big Hollywood star.

"Anytime John comes back around, it piques his [Owen] interest, and now I get to team with him. He saw us fight each other. Now he's going to get to see me team with him."

WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long says he wants to see Vince McMahon make a comeback to his former company ... admitting he has no clue why the former chairman and CEO resigned in the first place.

Long made his opinion on his ex-boss very clear in an interview on the "Sportskeeda Wrestling" podcast ...  saying he disagrees with the 77-year-old's decision to step away for good even as he faced allegations of paying multiple women "hush money" not to discuss their relationships with him.

"I don’t see where there was any reason for him to step down or go away," Long said. "I mean, that’s just my opinion because I don’t know the circumstances or all the facts about what's been going on. But I just didn’t see any reason for him to step away, and if he wants to come back, let him come back."

"He’s done this his whole entire life, and to be away, I would imagine that takes a lot from him not being able to involve himself into what he’s been involved in all his life," he added.

Of course, Long, a former professional referee and wrestling manager, is best known for his time in WWE ... where he spent nearly two decades working for and alongside Vince.

McMahon, who helped grow the WWE into the wrestling conglomerate that it is today, announced his resignation from the company in July. He previously stepped down from his executive roles while WWE's Board of Directors investigated the troubling claims made against him.

Vince's retirement sent shockwaves throughout the sports entertainment world ... but the company has continued to push forward in his absence under the guidance of his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, and her husband, Triple H, WWE's Chief Content Officer.

The bottom line ... Long wants to see Vince back in the WWE.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan has had his fair share of battles inside and outside the ring ... but perhaps none scarier than when the WWE legend recently had to ward off an intruder at his South Carolina home.

68-year-old Duggan told the story in an interview with Wrestling Inc. ... saying someone broke into his SC home around 6:45 PM on Thursday, December 8.

Jim says he took the man, who was in his mid-20s, down to the ground, and then held the guy at gunpoint using a .44 caliber pistol.

Jim's wife, Debra, was also home at the time of the horrifying incident.

As if the guy breaking in wasn't scary enough, Jim and Debra heard other people in the neighborhood yelling, which made them fear more danger was on the way.

The intruder reportedly knocked on multiple doors seeking refuge from a separate legal matter ... before ultimately entering Duggan's house, through an unlocked front door, as a last resort.

"Thank God we didn't shoot him," the WWE Hall of Famer said, who declined to press charges on the intruder.

On Saturday, Jim -- who previously battled prostate cancer -- commended the Kershaw County Sherriff's Department in SC for responding and apprehending the intruder.

Wrestling star Mandy Rose is no longer getting a WWE check, but she sure as hell is still raking in the dough ... 'cause TMZ Sports is told the former NXT champ has made $500k off her sexy content in just one week!!

Mandy was fired Wednesday after posting racy pics on the subscription-based platform FanTime (similar to OnlyFans) ... something that's a big no-no for the WWE brand.

While the firing was controversial in the eyes of many, it's also done wonders for Rose's business on the platform ... with her agent, Malki Kawa, telling us the 32-year-old has earned a whopping $500,000 from her FanTime page since she got the ax.

In fact, Kawa predicts Rose will be the newest self-made millionaire by Christmas ... 6 days away.

Before Rose was fired, she competed for WWE on NXT's roster, where she had been the women's NXT champion for over 400 days.

Mandy dropped the title to Roxanne Perez on Tues, Dec. 13 -- and she was released by the company the next day.

Rose's content drew the ire of WWE, most likely because, in 2020, Vince McMahon, then-CEO and Chairman of the wrestling conglomerate, issued a letter to all wrestlers stating they must terminate using any third-party platforms where they use their name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to the company.

Ex-WWE superstar Velveteen Dream exploded on an officer over his Miranda rights during an arrest earlier this year ... hurling f-bombs at the cop and calling him a "rookie" repeatedly -- new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The footage was captured on officer-worn body cameras on Aug. 20 ... after the Orlando Police Dept. said the wrestler -- real name Patrick Clark -- bit and punched a gym employee following an altercation at a fitness facility in Orlando, FL.

The video shows as soon as cops put Clark in cuffs -- he immediately became combative ... demanding they allow him to speak with his lawyer. When they wouldn't, he threatened to sue.

The 27-year-old -- who left the WWE in 2021 after starring in NXT -- yelled so much from the backseat of the patrol car, the cop turned up country music loudly ... but that didn't slow down Velveteen Dream.

"This is crazy!" Clark said. "This is crazy! I work for the WWE! This is crazy!"

Clark -- who admitted in the video to being "a little inebriated" -- then said he was not read his Miranda rights before he was arrested ... and proceeded to go ballistic on the cop about it for several minutes.

"Hang up your f***ing phone, sir!" Clark said. "I was not given my Miranda rights! You f***ed up! You f***ed up, sir! I was not given my Miranda rights, so go ahead and bring me to your motherf***ing station, you f***ed up!"

"Think about that, sir!"

Clark screamed about his Miranda rights the entire ride -- and when they finally got to the police station ... he continued his verbal tirade.

"How'd you f*** up the Miranda rights, sir?!" Clark said while cuffed. "What are you, a rookie?! What're you, a rookie?! Oh! We got a rookie on deck!"

Clark was eventually booked and released ... and later hit with two misdemeanor charges of battery and trespassing on a property after warning.

Court documents show the case was disposed in September ... after the alleged victim said, according to the docs, he "did not wish to prosecute."

From the squared circle ... to the silver screen?!?

AEW star Chris Jericho is proving once again to be a man of many talents -- landing a starring role in an upcoming wrestling-themed horror flick called "Dark Match."

The pro wrestler, who actually recently had a supporting role as "Burke" in the film "Terrifier 2," will be acting in the movie alongside a star-studded cast that includes Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Sara Canning, Jonathan Cherry and Michael Eklund.

The Dept.9 Studios flick seems scary as hell ... it's said to be about a small-time wrestling company that finds itself in a whole lot of trouble with a cult leader after accepting a gig in a remote area.

Jericho tweeted about it on Friday, saying he was "Stoked about this!"

According to Deadline, the movie recently concluded filming in Edmonton, Canada, a place Chris is familiar with, given his Canadian roots.

The wrestling vet has always excelled whenever he's been in front of a camera ... especially with a mic in his hand, so it's not surprising to see him landing a big role.

Gronk is BACK on the football field!!!

Recently retired NFL superstar Rob Gronkowski will have Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans drooling over the idea of a comeback ... after the tight end was spotted on the gridiron in Orlando over the weekend.

It's a clip that will have folks wondering if the 4-time Super Bowl champ has the itch to return to his day job ... considering he's still in incredible shape.

But, don't expect the 33-year-old to pull a Tom Brady and return to the league just yet ... 'cause he wasn't running routes and catching passes -- he was lining up for some field goals with his buddy/TMZ Sports TV show co-host Mojo Muhtadi.

The guys were at Camping World Stadium to check out a Pop Warner football game ... and we're told Gronk decided to hop on the gridiron and show off his boot.

Gronk's no Justin Tucker, but it doesn't matter -- he was still able to get the pigskin between the pipes for a successful attempt.

Gronk also had some fun talking to some of the kids at the game ... even joining their huddle for a cute moment.

WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham, the maternal uncle of WWE star Bray Wyatt and former WWE wrestler Bo Dallas, suffered a heart attack over the weekend and is now in the ICU.

According to a GoFund Me campaign created by Barry's niece, Mika Rotunda, the 62-year-old went into cardiac arrest while traveling through an airport in Atlanta.

Mika says her uncle underwent an emergency procedure to save his life ... adding the wrestling legend's future is uncertain.

Windham, son of Robert Deroy Windham, better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan, was a household name in National Wrestling Alliance and WCW.

One of the most memorable moments of Barry's career was when the 4-time NWA/WCW tag team champion turned heel on Lex Luger and joined the Four Horsemen.

The Four Horsemen was a wrestling group originally in NWA and later WCW ... that consisted of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard.

Windham was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside Flair, J.J. Dillon, Arn Anderson, and Blanchard.

AEW star Saraya says she always had dreams and aspirations of competing in the ring again after suffering a career-threatening neck injury in 2016 -- but admits she never expected it would happen.

"I wasn't expecting to wrestle at all," Saraya told Mojo during a recent interview on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs daily on FS1).

"That wasn't in the back of my head. I always wanted to go back into wrestling, but with Edge and Stone Cold, they waited years before even trying to think about getting back in the ring."

The 30-year-old former WWE Superstar says she received the green light to compete in the squared circle from a renowned doctor in L.A., paving the way for her to return to in-ring competition after a five-year hiatus.

"Halloween, I went in there, and the doctor was straight-up like, 'Let's get you an X-ray,'" Saraya said. "He checked the X-ray and was like, 'These are pretty good, but you can't trust the X-rays. You have to go in with the MRIs and the CT to triple-check.'"

Saraya says she told AEW exec Tony Khan she was interested in competing during the negotiation process with the promotion ... in addition to being an on-screen personality, which she was relegated to in her waning years with WWE after the injury.

Saraya admits when she first debuted in AEW, she was concerned the fans wouldn't be as receptive to her since they were familiar with her character, Paige, in WWE, but she was pleasantly surprised with how much support she received.

"That was the biggest pop I ever got in my whole career," Saraya said. "I was like, 'Oh, my gosh! And I'm Saraya. And I'm trending for the first time in my career as Saraya,'" she continued.

Scooby Wright -- the ex-NFL linebacker and former University of Arizona football star -- is now trying his hand at a different contact sport ... auditioning to become the WWE's next big superstar!!

The wrestling org. invited the former Wildcat to attend tryouts at IMG Academy in Florida this week as part of the company's new recruitment strategy ... and, Scooby sure seemed to impress while there.

One of the 30-plus athletes -- 17 of which were former college football players -- who showed up, the 28-year-old moved around the ring just like he did on the football field.

Wright learned the fundamentals from on-site coaches, including how to absorb blows when hitting the mat. He even got some wisdom imparted to him from Matthew Jason Bloom, a veteran in the industry who wrestled under various monikers during different stints with the WWE.

No word yet on how the execs felt about the former backer ... but the dude has rarely ever disappointed in his athletic life -- so we're sure things went well.

If you need a refresher, the former two-star recruit balled out during his college career at UofA ... recording a staggering 270 total tackles, 17 sacks, five forced fumbles and an interception in 30 career games.

He went on to be picked by the Cardinals in the 7th round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

WWE Superstar Mansoor missed (yes, missed!) Saudi Arabia's stunning World Cup upset over Argentina -- all because he didn't expect his home country to win -- and now he's feeling serious regret!

TMZ Sports spoke with the first-ever Saudi wrestler to compete with WWE and asked him about one of the most shocking upsets in World Cup history (Saudi Arabia beat Argentina, 2-1 Tuesday morning).

"I'm very embarrassed to say, I feel like a really bad fairweather fan," Mansoor said. "I remember being like, 'Oh, man, it's the World Cup, Saudi Arabia's got their first match, I can't wait to see it. I'm going to wake up at 5 AM and watch this.'"

"Then I was like, 'Argentina, I think I'll sleep in.' But shockingly, they pulled through," Mansoor told us ... "Nobody saw this coming. Nobody in Saudi Arabia and nobody in the world."

"You can't write a better story than that," Mansoor said.

FYI, Saudi is ranked as one of the worst teams in the tourney ... while Argentina is regarded as one of the top 3. But, as the saying goes ... that's why you play the game.

"The biggest underdog upset in the history of the sport. Something like this is probably never going to happen again."

He continued ... "I'm just happy to be alive for it. I just wished I watched it live, but still, it's amazing."

As you'd expect, it's not just Mansoor who's thrilled with how the game turned out. The people in Saudi Arabia went absolutely wild after the game ... from shooting guns in the air (don't try this) to literally ripping a door off the hinges, fans were pumped!

Jake Paul and Julia Rose kept the clothing to a minimum during their trip to Hawaii this week ... putting their bodies on display in a set of incredibly hot pics.

The Problem Child and his model GF jetted over to the Aloha State for some R&R  ... and the dude definitely deserved it after whooping Anderson Silva AND making his WWE debut at Crown Jewel recently.

During their stay, Paul and Rose decided to turn their jungle excursion into a photo shoot ... with the two stripping to their suits and hopping under a waterfall to pose for the camera.

At one point, Paul even propped Julia up on his shoulder ... and naturally, he was grinning from ear-to-ear.

The couple is known to show off in front of the camera -- Paul has even gone buck nekkid with Julia in the past ... getting down to his birthday suit to celebrate his 25th birthday.

Paul and Rose have been going strong since early 2019 ... and aside from a brief break, have been inseparable ever since.

Heads up, Jimmy and Jey Uso ... Logan Paul tells TMZ Sports if his little bro, Jake Paul, joined him full-time in the WWE -- the two would make for an unstoppable tag team!!!

Logan told us out at LAX this week that the combo of the two Paul brothers in the squared circle would be so insane ... he doesn't think there'd be anybody who could possibly doubt their potential in the wrestling org.

"I think it'd be crazy, right?" the 27-year-old said. "I don't think that's deniable. That would be an amazing -- yeah, that would be incredible."

Despite only joining the WWE a few months ago, Logan has already proven himself to be a bonafide star ... going toe-to-toe with Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel earlier this month.

In fact, The Miz just told us this week that he was blown away by what he saw there ... calling Logan "incredible."

But, even though Jake made an appearance during Logan's big championship bout with Reigns -- he's yet to fully show if he's got the same ability as his big bro.

Clearly, Logan thinks he does.

As for Logan's career going forward, he told us he ain't done with boxing despite all the WWE success -- explaining if it weren't for an injury, he would be fighting again soon.

The Miz says the WWE is big enough for TWO Paul bros ... telling TMZ Sports if Jake ever wanted to follow Logan's lead and have a career in the squared circle, he can be just as great as the Maverick!!

We spoke with Miz out at LAX this week ... and given Logan's meteoric success in the promotion -- after all, the dude just went toe-to-toe with Roman Reigns -- we had to ask if the Problem Child could become a problem in the WWE as well.

"If he has the heart, the dedication and the mind to step in and do what Logan did to get to where he is, then [the] sky's the limit," the former WWE Champ said.

"Logan was the fastest person I've ever trained that got it," he continued. "It was incredible. He's been able to do a lot of great things."

Miz applauded Logan for his ability to pick up the craft quickly ... especially after going up against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champ in just his third fight.

"For him to come into WWE in a short amount of time to learn what he's learned is incredible," Miz said. "If Jake can do the same, that's a pretty good tag team."

Miz says if Jake ever competed with his brother inside a WWE ring, it will take time to develop chemistry with one another ... which only comes over time.

"I think they're used to that kind of entertainment aspect, but it's getting the stuff inside the ring down," Miz says.

Ultimately, Miz knows Jake receives a lot of flack despite his undefeated boxing record, but he believes the 25-year-old can enjoy success in the WWE, too, if he applies himself.

"If he dedicates himself to WWE and what we do, who knows? I could see it. It would be great."

Ric Flair came up with a convenient way to get everyone high on his signature weed ... by using his own ganja blower to get smoke in fans' faces!!

The WWE legend threw on one of his famous robes and got the party started in a recent video ... saying, "Ric Flair Drip go Wooooooooooo!!"

The Nature Boy then used the weed blower (if that's what it's called) to blow potent smoke in the faces of those around him ... and you can tell the 73-year-old was having the time of his life.

"Let’s Wake Up To Ric Flair 💧! See You Soon Vegas! WOOOOO!," the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion captioned the video.

As you know, Ric joined his friend, Mike Tyson, in the cannabis business earlier this year, with the former heavyweight boxer collaborating with Naitch on his "Ric Flair Drip" line.

In September, the two icons linked up for an epic toking sesh ... smoking blunts after attending a cannabis conference in Chicago.

According to Benzinga, Ric's cannabis line includes many products that pay homage to Flair's fondness of flowers, vape cartridges, sweets, pre-rolls, and flower jars.

Flair is taking his brand to Sin City next ... and it appears the Hall of Famer isn't coming empty-handed.

WWE star Omos -- on the heels of his big match against Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel ---- returned home to Nigeria for the first time in 14 years to surprise his family ... and the video of the encounter is one of the sweetest things you'll see!

TMZ Sports has video of the 7'3", 400-plus pound athlete sneaking into his family home (hard to do when you're a freakin' giant!) in Lagos ... the first time he's been there since 2008.

A camera crew captured the moment 28-year-old Omos was spotted by his family ... and predictably, he was immediately met with hugs, kisses and even some tears from his loved ones.

We're told ... Omos' family had no idea he would surprise them, hence the shocked reaction.

Omos -- real name Tolulope "Jordan" Omogbehin -- was just in Saudia Arabia for WWE Crown Jewel, where he went toe-to-toe with Strowman in a battle of the giants.

We're also told ... the Nigerian Giant is expected to make a major announcement while in Lagos visiting his fam -- though, any news will be hard to top his surprise visit.

Omos signed with WWE in 2019 and was the WWE Raw tag team champion with AJ Styles -- but his reuniting with his family is one of the proudest moments of his career.