WWE

Hulk Hogan's a legend who put wrestling on the map, but he ain't the greatest of all-time ... at least not according to WWE HOF'er Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The guy who wears that crown ... is none other than the Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

"He's the absolute greatest of all-time to ever lace up a pair of boots, and the greatest world champ of all-time."

TMZ Sports talked to Stone Cold -- hours before WWE's Monday Night Raw Reunion (featuring Hulk, Ric and other pro wrestling legends) -- about his relationship with the 70-year-old icon.

Remember, Flair previously told us Austin was one of the people he credited with helping him get through his latest serious health scare.

It's clear, Austin has big love for Hulk ... but he has a special place in his heart for Ric.

"Hulk Hogan was such a huge name in his right with putting wrestling on the map, what he did, and taking it to the heights he did. But, Ric is someone I really hold near and dear to me" ... Stone Cold told us.

"Many people know Ric better than I do, but we've become such good friends and I have such admiration for him. I've been down in the dumps too and I've had guys reach out to me and it's helped me out when I've been in a bad time. So, any kind of support that i can be there for Ric, I'm glad. I'm proud to be his friend, a close friend. And, I wish him nothing but the best."

Stipe Miocic says it "kinda sucked" when Brock Lesnar was in the mix for a UFC title fight with Daniel Cormier ... telling TMZ Sports he didn't think it was fair since Brock hadn't fought in years.

Remember, Stipe had defended the UFC heavyweight title THREE TIMES (the most in UFC history) before losing to Cormier at UFC 226 in July 2018.

Stipe -- and many UFC fans -- believed he deserved an immediate rematch with Cormier ... but when Lesnar expressed interest in fighting DC, it seemed Brock became the priority.

Lesnar eventually ended talks with the UFC so he could turn his full attention to his WWE career ... and that's when the UFC decided to give Stipe the fight in August at UFC 241.

Miocic tells TMZ Sports the whole waiting game for Lesnar rubbed him the wrong way -- explaining, "I mean, the dude hasn't fought in like, 3 years. Been popped twice, suspended."

"It's like, how you gonna put a dude like that ... he's not even a money fight anymore."

Miocic continued, "When he fought Mark Hunt, it didn't get a lot of Pay-Per-View sales. So, what's the difference of bringing him in? So, I don't know, whatever, it's all good."

"Brock's doing his thing. Good luck with everything he does, but right now, it's me and DC."

WWE wrestler Jeff Hardy was passed out in a public stairwell and reeked of booze before cops arrested him Saturday ... this according to new police docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... Hardy was busted down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this weekend for allegedly being drunk in public -- and was eventually released on less than $200 bond.

Now, we've obtained police docs that say Hardy admitted to drinking vodka before cops found him passed out in a stairwell.

Hardy was facing a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication -- but we've now learned Jeff ain't facing more trouble in the case.

Court officials tell us ... because Hardy paid a $153 ticket for public intoxication, his case is considered closed.

Of course, there is a small chance Jeff could fight the ticket in court later this month ... but doesn't seem that'll be likely, considering he's not facing a conviction on his record.

41-year-old Hardy has been 1/2 of the famous Hardy Boyz tag team in the WWE for years. 

Ex-NFL punter Pat McAfee learned the hard way ... WRESTLING HURTS! 

McAfee was hosting his WWE Watch Along show for the 'Extreme Rules' pay-per-view -- when he invited WWE legend Matt Hardy to demonstrate a Kendo stick attack on his back. 

Hardy reached back and delivered an EPIC shot on Pat's back -- creating one of the most painful sounds we've ever heard -- and leaving one hell of a black and blue mark!!

The entire room erupted ... as Pat tried to cope with the pain. It's insane. 

What's interesting ... one of the stars in the room was Baron Corbin -- who was hit with a Kendo stick by Seth Rollins during their main event match later that evening! 

Bottom line ... it may be scripted, but it ain't fake. 

By the way, McAfee was a pretty solid punter in the NFL -- he was a 2-time Pro Bowler and was a 1st-team All-Pro in 2014. 

He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the 7th-round of the 2009 NFL Draft -- and played until 2016, when he retired (partially due to knee injuries). 

WWE Wrestler Jeff Hardy -- aka Brother Nero -- was arrested down in South Carolina for allegedly being drunk in public. 

Jeff was arrested and booked Saturday for public intoxication and impairment in Myrtle Beach, where he posed for this mug shot. Jeff's distinguishable features are on full display -- his large gauges in his ears, and his unique facial hair make him stand out like a sore thumb among the weekend lineup for MBPD. 

It's unclear what exactly led to his arrest -- we're working on getting more deets -- but we're told he was released at some point Saturday on less than $200 bond.

Jeff is currently dealing with a knee injury -- for which he underwent surgery earlier this year and is recovering -- that's kept him out of the ring for a bit. He normally wrestles as one half of the Hardy Boyz for the SmackDown brand of the company. 

Jeff was arrested for a DWI last year in North Carolina after he was reportedly involved in a car crash, and allegedly blew a 0.25 BAC. 

This is funny ... 

Ronda Rousey has been out of pro wrestling since April ... and she just made a pretty hilarious video to show how much she misses the squared circle! 

As we previously reported, Ronda stepped away from her day job back in April to work on starting a family with her UFC fighter husband, Travis Browne. 

No word on how that's going ... but she's clearly staying creative in her time off. Check out the video in which she pokes fun at herself for being away from the ring for so long. 

She pins Travis, she trash talks her fridge, she recreates her walk-out in the shower and practices riling the fans with a some middle finger work and an f-bomb!

WWE Hall of Famer D-von Dudley even makes a cameo so Ronda can put Travis through a table! 

Unclear when Ronda will return to WWE action -- but it seems like it'll happen sooner rather than later (even if she's pregnant and not actually physically wrestling). 

Bernie Sanders is about to become a superhero in a new comic book chronicling his quest for the White House ... and he kicks his competitions' ass in the wrestling ring. 

TMZ has obtained a couple pages from Josh Blaylock and Devil's Due's new project, "Talk Bernie To Me!: The Bernie Sanders Special and AOC Surprise" which hits the market ahead of Independence Day. 

The graphic novel depicts Bernie as a larger-than-life candidate bruising his way to the Oval Office ... knocking out Beto O'Rourke, Jeb Bush and Elizabeth Warren on his journey to the highest office in the land. 

Check out the panel in the gallery ... the candidates are beating the hell out of each other in a battle royale that looks straight out of the WWE. Beto and Warren team up against Bernie, and they all go toppling over the top rope. 

Bernie manages to hang on to the rope and thrust himself back into the ring as the last man standing ... and he's declared the winner. 

The Vermont Senator isn't the lone focus of the graphic novel ... we also got our hands on another panel, and Joe Biden is getting super touchy-feely with Kamala Harris. 

You may remember a similar comic book with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a superhero ... and the Bernie version is from the same artist and publisher. It goes on sale July 3, with a portion of profits going to the ACLU and RaicesTexas.Org, a low-cost legal service for immigrants and refugees.

Legendary WWE referee Charles Robinson -- AKA Little Naitch -- had $55k worth of his prized possessions stolen from his storage unit last month ... and now he's on the hunt for the scumbag who took his stuff.

Robinson is a hardcore collector of Hollywood memorabilia and wrestling collectibles ... he's been socking away some VERY cool movie and TV items for decades. 

Problem is ... when Robinson went to check on his storage unit in Charlotte on May 28 -- he saw someone had broken into the unit and jacked all of his stuff.

Some of the stuff that was taken includes ultra-rare Evel Knievel stunt cycle toys, collectible "Chucky" dolls, "Friday the 13th" action figures, "Planet of the Apes" lunchboxes and WWF keepsakes. 

Robinson went to police and filed a report -- but so far, officials haven't been able to track down the culprit.

The crazy part -- one of Robinson's items -- a "Jaws" statue (valued at $2,400) popped up on eBay on Thursday night ... but the seller's post and username were taken down before he noticed.

As for the storage company ... Robinson tells us security cameras didn't catch the act. Plus, he feels the company doesn't really seem concerned about helping him out. 

Former WWE star Terri Runnels will NOT go to prison after she brought a loaded gun to the airport ... TMZ Sports has learned prosecutors have dropped the case and she's now off the hook.

We broke the story, Runnels was busted at Tampa International Airport on May 29 when cops say they found a Glock 9mm handgun inside of a sock in the ex-wrestler's backpack.

In the pic of the gun obtained by TMZ Sports -- you can see there were AT LEAST 11 bullets accompanying the firearm.

But, Runnels told cops the whole thing was a genuine mistake -- saying she had forgotten to take the gun out of her bag after she went to kill an armadillo that was digging up her mom's yard.

Officials at the time clearly didn't care ... they hit her with a felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm -- and she was facing up to 5 YEARS in prison.

But, we've learned prosecutors have decided to drop the case issuing a "letter of release" dismissal.

According to court officials, it basically means the case has been dismissed ... but in theory, prosecutors could pick up the case down the road. But again, we're told the odds of that happening are extremely slim.

Runnels mainly worked as a manager during her wrestling career -- working with the likes of The Hardy Boyz, Edge, Christian and most notably her ex-husband, Goldust.

She was married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes aka Dustin Runnels) from 1993 to 1999.

Runnels won the WWE Hardcore Championship back in 2002 -- she's one of only 4 women to hold that title.

Ric Flair told us he wasn't gonna let his medical scare slow him down ... and he's proving it -- because the WWE legend ordered up a beer this weekend during an outing with his family.

Sporting a shirt with his own face on it (legendary stuff), the 70-year-old strolled into Hamilton's On Magnolia in Alabama (right near Auburn) flanked by his wife, Wendy Barlow.

Inside the restaurant, Flair was all smiles ... toasting his wife with a pint of beer.

Yeah, sippin' on brew may not be exactly what the doctor recommends just one month after undergoing heart surgery ... but Flair has told us he wants to live life to the fullest while he's still here on earth.

As we previously reported, Flair had a procedure to change up his pacemaker after a medical emergency in May.

When we spoke with Ric on the "TMZ Sports" TV show earlier this month, he told us he plans on living another 25 years ... AT LEAST!

UFC champ Daniel Cormier is keeping it all the way real when talking about Brock Lesnar -- telling TMZ Sports he's genuinely "disappointed" the guy pulled out of fight negotiations.

"I wanted to fight Brock," DC tells us ... "but you can only really worry about things that you can control. I can't control that he doesn't want to fight anymore. He's done."

Cormier says he appreciates the UFC and Lesnar for trying to make a deal -- but at the end of the day, Daniel thinks the WWE offered Lesnar too much money to stay out of the Octagon.

"I just think the WWE gave him such a great deal, they really always take care of this guy."

"Ultimately, you get paid that much money to go and wrestle as opposed to fighting me? There's no predetermined outcome there. I'm gonna try to kick your ass. So, I think he made the smart decision."

Cormier says he was friends with Lesnar before the fight talks began in July 2018 -- and says now that Brock's not a potential opponent anymore, they can go back to texting and talking on the phone.

"Maybe I can start going to watch him wrestle and do all that other stuff again."

Nikki Bella says she's incredibly grateful the cyst doctors found on her brain is benign -- but going through the process was "super scary."

The WWE superstar first revealed her medical issue this week on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" -- but she didn't really open up about the situation ... until now.

"They found a cyst on my brain, which thank god, it's benign," Nikki tells TMZ Sports ... noting, "I'm so grateful for my health."

Nikki says the diagnosis -- along with her neck injury -- will most likely keep her out of the WWE ring forever ... but she believes in miracles and hopes one day she can return to wrestling.

"You never know ... we'll see what the man upstairs has in store for me."

In the meantime, Nikki says she will monitor the tumor for the rest of her life "because you never know how it can change."

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry did a pretty cool thing on Sunday -- organizing an event in his hometown of Austin, Texas to give haircuts and shaves to people in need.

Henry says he didn't just want to hand out cash and call it a day -- his focus was put boots on the ground and do something for the people that would really make a difference in their lives.

So, after talking with local organizations, he decided to spearhead a shave and haircut event -- because a lot of homeless people had been telling him the way they look can be a tough hurdle to overcome when trying to find a job.

Mark connected with the people from the Austin Area Urban League and the Maestro's Classic beard care company to set up the event ... where they offered free shaves, haircuts, food and water to anyone who needed the help.

Henry says he learned A LOT while talking with the people who came through his event -- especially when it comes to the way homeless people are treated by the rest of society.

"People don't acknowledge them. They treat them like they're invisible. 9 times out of 10 people just look at them and don't talk to them. That's gotta be a horrible existence."

Mark says he was so moved by the experience, he's already planning more events in cities across the country.

"I got a lot of joy out of seeing people smile and feel good about how they looked, it meant a lot to them," Henry says.

Pro wrestling superstar Jon Moxley -- formally known as Dean Ambrose -- is hours away from making his return to the U.S. indie circuit ... and the dude is FIRED UP!!

"I feel like I'm 18 again," Moxley tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm just so excited, just chomping at the bit to get back in the ring!"

Moxley was a HUGE star for years with WWE -- a former world champion who was 1/3 of The Shield, along with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.

But, his WWE contract expired earlier this year -- so he decided to pursue other options using the "Jon Moxley" moniker he created before his WWE days.

Moxley recently wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling -- his first post-WWE match -- and crushed it. And now, he's taking his talents back to the U.S. where he has an event Friday night for Northeast Wrestling in Connecticut.

"I'm so excited ... I could wrestle 'til I'm 100 ... stem cell research, you never know!"

Next up for Moxley is a match against Joey Janela at AEW's Fyter Fest later this month. And after that, it's Kenny Omega at AEW's massive All Out event in August.

Check out the video ... Moxley thanks his fans for sticking with him through his wrestling journey -- vows to put on great shows.

Welp, the pro wrestling stars whose in-ring engagement went viral -- racking up millions of views -- are now getting DIVORCED ... a little more than 3 years after the famous proposal.

Joey Ryan -- aka Joseph Ryan Meehan -- bent the knee and popped the question to Laura James back in February 2016 ... right in the middle of their Finest City Wrestling match in San Diego.

James -- shocked by the moment -- said yes ... and the two were all set to live happily ever after outside of the squared circle.

But, according court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the couple separated just 11 months after getting married in November 2017 ... and officially filed for divorce Tuesday.

James stated in the docs that the two are callin' it quits because of "irreconcilable differences."

The two are pretty famous in the wrestling world ... Joey Ryan has had matches in the WWE and is well known for his penis finishing move (for real, watch the clip).

As for James ... she's been a star in Lucha VaVOOM and Global Force Wrestling matches for several years.

John Cena's days in the WWE ring could be numbered ... with the superstar admitting he's been recently giving serious thought about hanging up his trunks for good.

The WWE legend was out in New York when he was asked by Adam Glyn about the disastrous match between The Undertaker and Bill Goldberg at Super Showdown on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

Goldberg suffered a nasty head wound during the match -- and both wrestlers are being criticized for a sloppy and dangerous performance. Some are calling for both wrestlers to retire.

Cena says when it comes to calling it a career, it's up to the individual and it's not his place to advise either wrestler.

However, Cena admits retirement is something he's been thinking about lately ... especially now that he's 42-years-old.

The difference between Cena and other wrestlers... Cena is in the middle of a booming movie career.

In fact, it was just announced he'll be joining the Fast and Furious franchise -- and Cena raved about how grateful he is to have the opportunity.

"I'm very grateful to Vin Diesel for certainly orchestrating it all and making it happen," Cena says.