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The referee who was violently stabbed by a wrestler in the ring on Saturday actually agreed to take $75 to bleed during the match ... this according to cops.

A spokesperson for the Irving Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... officers spoke with the ref, Lando Deltoro, shortly after Devon Nicholson -- aka "Hannibal" -- repeatedly jammed an iron stake into his head at an independent wrestling event in Texas over the weekend.

The spokesperson says Deltoro told them he cut a deal with Nicholson prior to the match -- agreeing to dress up like a referee and then take hits to the head and gush blood in the squared circle.

The spokesperson says Deltoro told police, however, that the bit went too far ... and Nicholson actually ended up hurting him badly with the stake.

But, according to cops, Deltoro told them he did not want to press charges.

We also spoke to Deltoro on Wednesday, and he confirmed with us he was paid for the match, though he did not specify the amount. Deltoro also told us he did not agree to Nicholson's "extra" spiking.

As we previously reported, Deltoro suffered major head injuries as a result of the match, requiring sutures to close the open wounds in his head.

For his part, Nicholson says Deltoro gave him no indication during the match that he was being injured.

An independent witness told cops they saw Megan Thee Stallion and her female friend, Kelsey, fighting just moments before Meg was shot in the foot ... a piece of evidence Tory Lanez's team feels cast serious doubt on what Meg said about him being the shooter.

During Tuesday's preliminary hearing a detective testified this independent witness -- who allegedly saw the shooting happen -- claimed the gun's muzzle flash went off closer to Kelsey than Tory.

Tory's attorney, Shawn Holley, says that muzzle flash detail is "corroborated by the gunshot residue found on the other female's hands." She also tells us, "It was further established that Megan gave several inconsistent accounts of what happened that night and that she omitted key information to the police."

Holley is almost certainly referring to what Meg first told responding officers, she had glass, and not a bullet, in her foot. Meg later claimed she only said it was glass because she was afraid if she told cops there was a Black man in the car with a gun, Tory could get shot.

Remember, this was the month after George Floyd was murdered.

Still, Holley adds, "We look forward to the opportunity to cross examine her at trial about the numerous inconsistencies in her story.”

Jim Bob Duggar won't be serving as an Arkansas state senator anytime soon, because he got crushed in the Republican primary ... just days after his son, Josh, was convicted in his child porn trial.

The "19 Kids and Counting" star got clobbered during Tuesday's special election ... which saw him going up against other Republicans for an open state senate seat. The numbers are brutal ... Duggar only raked in about 15% of the vote, while former Springdale City Councilmember Colby Fulfer ended up the victor, with a decisive 46%.

Timing of the election couldn't have been worse for Duggar ... coming the week after Josh was found guilty of possessing tons of child pornography. Hard to say how much of a factor that was for voters, but this is exactly what his own son-in-law predicted would happen.

You'll recall ... Derick Dillard, who's married to Jim Bob's daughter, Jill, told us he thought Josh's conviction would hurt his father-in-law's chances -- and sure enough, he seems to have been right. Derick also happened to endorse Fulfer.

Abel Osundairo was proudly rocking a red MAGA hat while celebrating a big moment in his boxing career ... but he says he's not throwing a jab at Jussie Smollett.

Ya gotta see this video TMZ obtained of Abel and brother Ola celebrating Abel becoming the top amateur boxer in his weight class ... they're partying it up at a Chicago club, with some eye-catching hats.

Abel's got a red hat that says MAGA ... which, of course, plays like a reference to Jussie claiming his attackers yelled "this is MAGA country" during the hoax attack.

While some think he was gloating over Jussie, who was just found guilty of lying to Chicago cops, Abel's attorney, Gloria Rodriguez tells TMZ ... the hat is not a shot at Smollett or show of support for Donald Trump.

Instead, Abel's lawyer says he customized the MAGA hat with an outline of Africa as the letter "A" because he wants the hat to be a reflection of his Nigerian heritage. It's more like Make Africa Great Again ... than anything else.

The celebration went down Sunday night at Chicago's Sage nightclub after he won a boxing tournament in Louisiana, vaulting him to the No. 1 amateur boxing ranking in the 189-pound division.

Remember, we've seen Abel show off his boxing prowess before ... so it's no shock he's climbing the ranks.

Ola's got an interesting hat too -- his red lid says, "Free Larry Hoover," which is timely considering Kanye West and Drake just squashed their beef with a benefit concert for the notorious Chicago gangster ... who Ola believes was wrongly imprisoned.

Sonya and Dell Curry's relationship is still clearly fractured, 'cause Steph's parents sat in completely opposite sections for their son's record-breaking night Tuesday.

Dell had a seat near the hardwood at Madison Square Garden in NYC for the Warriors star's big game against the Knicks -- while Sonya sat in a different part of the arena several rows back.

The two never appeared to speak to each other, or even look at each other for that matter, despite Steph breaking Ray Allen's mark for most 3-pointers in a career early in the evening.

To his credit, Steph was able to find both of his parents following the record-setting shot ... handing the game ball to his pops and then going in another direction to share a long embrace with his mom just off the court.

As we previously reported, Sonya filed for divorce from Dell earlier this year ... and court docs showed the two did not have a clean breakup at all.

Both parties accused each other of cheating ... with Dell saying Sonya began dating a former New England Patriots player while they were still together.

And, if their actions toward each other Tuesday were any indication, it's obvious things still haven't been repaired between the two.

It's a long since cold case that's suddenly been solved -- human remains discovered back in the 80s in a garbage bag have finally been identified as Frank "Frankie" Little Jr. ... the guitarist and songwriter for the O'Jays.

In 1982, police found the bag behind a business in Twinsburg, Ohio. At the time, they could tell the person had been stabbed to death several years prior, but they were not able to figure out his identity.

It was only 2 months ago when a breakthrough came courtesy of DNA technology and a non-profit org. Police explained, "In October 2021, the DNA Doe Project provided the names of potential living relatives, who were able to provide Frank's name."

Police say, that a close relative [of Little's] provided a DNA sample, which was analyzed by a crime lab, and sure enough ... Frank's identity was confirmed.

Frank played with the O'Jays in the R&B group's early days ... writing several songs including "Pretty Words" and "Oh How You Hurt Me."

It wouldn't be until after his tenure that the group scored its biggest hits, including "Back Stabbers," "For the Love of Money" and "Love Train."

After his run with the O'Jays, he joined the U.S. Army, served 2 years in Vietnam and eventually went back to his hometown of Cleveland ... his last known residence.

Kathy Hilton is finally back in front of 'RHOBH' cameras -- after holding out for more money -- getting a deal done just in time to guarantee she'll appear on season 12.

Kathy had previously refused to film anything for the franchise's new season because she felt she was being undervalued by show producers. It took several weeks, but both sides were able to come to an agreement that will see Kathy as a friend of the cast, making regular appearances on the show.

We spoke with Kathy's sister, and full-time cast member Kyle Richards last month about KH's absence as the rest of the women were seen shooting across town. Kyle told us Kathy had just been busy planning her daughter, Paris Hilton's wedding -- but our sources say the real hang-up was money.

Kathy is expected to begin filming with the Bev Hills cast just after the holidays. As we reported, production had been suspended late last week when 3 members -- Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne and Garcelle -- tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, we're told all women were vaccinated and have had mild symptoms.

As for everyone else who tested negative -- we're told production will resume at some point this week.

Boosie Badazz's destructive brawl during a performance was a planned attack that ended up costing the promoters a crap ton of money -- at least according to the promoters who are now suing him over it.

MN2S Corp. and We Are Live Entertainment -- booker and promoter, respectively, for the "Legendz of the Streetz" tour -- just filed suit against the rapper, claiming he caused all the mayhem that unfolded in October at Atlanta's State Farm Arena.

You'll recall ... there was a massive brouhaha that went down in the middle of the show, which resulted in equipment getting damaged, and the entire production getting shut down early. Boosie, as seen in the video, was right in the middle of the fracas.

In their lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the companies say Boosie was initially booked for a total of $150k for five different appearances alongside guys like 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, Jeezy and others. They even say they gave him a $50k deposit in good faith before night #1.

Welp, the companies claim before the show Boosie contacted We Are Live president, Leonard Rowe, demanding more dough than what was agreed upon. Rowe declined to pay more, and they allege Boosie threatening to torpedo the whole thing ... and then followed through.

They claim Boosie slipped past security and destroyed a bunch of pricey equipment before fighting with security. They say the show ended early as a result -- before Ross, the headliner, could even take the stage.

Admittedly, it's a very L.A. rite of passage, but actor Devin Druid's achieved it -- his first million-dollar home, a suburban pad he just sold for nearly $1.5 mil... TMZ has learned.

As you can see in the photos, the gated equestrian home just north of L.A.'s San Fernando Valley is quite elaborate, with 5 bedrooms and a guest house -- and while it's hardly a Hollywood Hills luxury mansion ... keep in mind the "13 Reasons Why" star was only 20 when he bought this place.

Pretty sweet starter home, with just over 4,200 sq. ft., for Devin, who paid $940k for it back in 2018 ... so, he'll probably turn a small profit too.

L.A. real estate guru, Roger Perry of Rodeo Realty Beverly Hills, had a hand in the sale, repping Devin.

Of course, this sort of thing is right up Roger's alley... he was previously featured on 'Million Dollar Listing' and racked up a long list of exclusive clientele in L.A. and Bev Hills.

Devin's giving up his backyard oasis, which we're told is the epitome of "peace and quiet with the conveniences of city life."

The Miz says the wrestler who repeatedly stabbed a ref in the head with an iron spike should NEVER be hired again ... telling TMZ Sports the dude should be perma-banned from the squared circle.

"You don't do that stuff," the WWE superstar told us out at LAX on Tuesday ... "That didn't look like a mistake."

If you missed it ... Devon Nicholson -- aka "Hannibal" -- badly injured a ref during a match at an independent event in Irving, Texas on Saturday.

In footage from the event, you can see Nicholson pounded on the guy's forehead with a stake over and over and over again -- 'causing the man to bleed severely in the ring.

The ref, Lando Deltoro, was eventually hospitalized over the incident ... though, thankfully, he's expected to make a full recovery.

When we asked The Miz about it all in Los Angeles just three days after the incident ... he said he'd be in favor of a lifetime ban for the wrestler.

"Accidents happen," The Miz said, "but I don't get stabbed with like a knife or whatever the hell the guy had."

For his part, Nicholson says he wasn't aware that he was injuring the ref ... saying Deltoro never gave him any indication that he was being hurt in the show.

As for Deltoro, he claimed he had no way of telling Nicholson to stop ... saying the wrestler was too big and too powerful to get any words out before he eventually slipped out of consciousness.

Before this superhero sweetie was one of the biggest heartthrobs on television, he was just another little Spiderman fan getting all dressed up to save the day in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

This cute kid's spidey senses were tingling to get on the big screen, and when he was cast alongside the Olsen twins, that is exactly what he did. He always had fairly small roles in feature films, but it wasn't until he scored a reoccurring role on "One Tree Hill" that he finally rose to stardom.

Since then, he's appeared on numerous other popular television series.

The woman Henry Ruggs slammed his Corvette into in a fiery car crash last month burned to death ... officials revealed on Tuesday.

According to reps from the Clark County coroner's office in Nevada, Tintor "died from thermal injuries due to a motor vehicle collision."

The officials added other contributing causes to the death included "inhalation of products of combustion, fractures of the nasal bones, right sided ribs, and left forearm, and a left hemothorax."

The officials ruled the death accidental.

As we previously reported, Ruggs is accused of drunkenly causing the accident ... after officials say he was speeding with a .161 BAC before he rammed his sportscar into the back of Tintor's RAV4 at around 3:39 a.m. on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas.

In 911 calls, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can hear witnesses telling dispatchers the fire surrounding Tintor's car following the collision was intense.

"It's almost all gone," a woman said of Tintor's fire-engulfed vehicle ... adding, "and I think someone is in it."

Elon Musk and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are going at it -- their war of words is erupting, and it's all over TIME naming him Person of the Year, or as she would put it ... "Freeloader of the Year."

The U.S. Senator from Massachusetts fired the first shot across the bow ... calling out Musk for -- as she sees it -- not paying enough taxes. She tweeted Tuesday, "Let's change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else."

The world's richest man quickly responded to Sen. Warren, saying ... "You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend's angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason."

He got even more personal, claiming Warren is simply projecting when she accuses him of ripping off taxpayers.

We've heard Sen. Warren issue this same grip before ... earlier this year she ripped another billionaire space guy (and former richest man), Jeff Bezos, for not paying enough income tax, while sinking billions into his space program.

Both Musk and Bezos have pointed out they're only taking advantage of the very tax code Warren and the rest of Congress created.

O.J. Simpson's parole has ended early ... and, according to his attorney, he's now "a completely free man."

A spokesperson for the Nevada State Police confirmed to TMZ Sports that Simpson was, in fact, discharged from parole earlier this month.

According to the spokesperson, Simpson -- who had been on parole since Oct. 1, 2017 -- was awarded good behavior credits which made him eligible for ending it early.

His parole was initially set to expire on Feb. 9, 2022.

"Mr. Simpson is a completely free man now," the former NFL star's attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, told the Associated Press following the news.

Of course, 74-year-old Simpson had been on parole after he served nine years behind bars following his conviction in his armed robbery case in 2008.

You'll recall, Simpson had been convicted of leading a group of men -- including several who were armed -- into a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007 to steal memorabilia from people he said had previously stolen from him.

O.J. was originally sentenced to 33 years behind bars for the crime.

Simpson has been living in Las Vegas since his release from jail -- golfing often while commenting on NFL games on his Twitter page.

Flavor Flav is lucky to be alive, escaping death by only a few feet after a massive boulder struck his car.

A rep for Flav tells us he was on a road trip from Vegas to L.A. Tuesday when the rain caused a boulder to fall down a cliffside in La Tuna Canyon and smash the right side of his vehicle. We're told the collision caused Flav to briefly lose control of his vehicle, thankfully, he was able to safely get it to the side of the road.

As you can see from the photo, the impact did quite a bit of damage. We're told if Flav had just been a few feet in another direction, the boulder would've killed him.

Luckily, Flav is up and talking, following the accident ... he tells us "God is good" and that he "came very close to death but is super grateful to be alive."

We're told that Fav seems to be physically fine, though mentally he is shaken up... and he wasn't the only one. A driver who saw the whole thing happen began to freak out just before stopping to make sure the rapper was okay.

Candace Parker says she and her wife have a baby on the way ... revealing Tuesday her partner, Anya Petrakova, is pregnant!!!

The WNBA superstar shared the awesome news on her social media page ... gushing over Anya on their wedding anniversary while calling the pregnancy "surreal."

"I LOVE YOU🐞," Parker said in a message to Petrakova. "I appreciate you, I value you and what we have."

"We've always dreamed of growing our family...," Parker continued. "It's surreal that we now have a baby on the way!"

Of course, Parker has been a mother for 12 years -- she and Shelden Williams had their daughter, Lailaa, together back in May 2009.

And, Parker says Lailaa is fired up to welcome the new addition to the family, saying, "Lailaa is pumped to be a big sister!"

Parker added that she's grateful Petrakova has loved "Lailaa as your own" since the two got together.

"You couldn't be more beautiful!" Parker continued in her message to Petrakova. "Glowing, while understanding that I have to constantly love, kiss, and talk to your belly AND yes… play Jay-Z for the baby (Goose knows "Song Cry" already by heart😜!)"

"I can't wait to embark on this next chapter in life with you!"