AEW's Darby Allin Set To Finally Climb Mt. Everest ... After Breaking His Foot

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ready to rock
TMZSports.com

Darby Allin is hoping the second time is a charm ... as the AEW superstar tells TMZ Sports he's planning to climb Mt. Everest in April -- this after his first attempt was called off due to a broken foot!

Allin made the revelation this week while chopping it up with Mojo Muhtadi on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ahead of Wednesday's match at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam against Jon Moxley in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

We broke the story -- Darby broke his foot earlier this year during a match, and some people took the injury as a sign DA shouldn't attempt to ascend the world's tallest mountain (29,031 ft. peak). But, he ain't buying that line of thinking.

Mercedes Moné Down For Meg Thee Stallion Tag Team ... Future AEW Champs?!

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BEST TIME EVER
TMZSports.com

Mercedes Moné has plenty of challengers for her AEW Women's championship and her NJPW Strong Women's Championship ... and Megan Thee Stallion could be one of 'em!

Meg could be friend or foe ... but bottom line is the AEW star tells TMZ Sports she hopes to wrestle with or against the hip-hop superstar!

We caught up with the champ-champ stateside fresh off her title defense at AEW All In London -- and ahead of her title defense Friday night at Capital Collision. While Mercedes says she's locked in for her matchup tonight, she also floated the idea of stepping into the ring with the "WAP" singer.

Bryan Danielson Wants To Be The Face Of AEW ... 'It'd Be Cool To Be The Guy'

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A NEW JOURNEY
TMZSports.com

Bryan Danielson is staring down the barrel of what could be the last match of his wrestling career ... but, if he ends up beating Swerve Strickland for the AEW title, he'd love to become the face of AEW!

Danielson chopped it up with Mojo Muhtadi on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) to discuss his Title Vs. Career match going down this Sunday at AEW All In.

While people are busy reflecting on the career of BD -- with speculation he could be done after the match -- he told us if he were to win Sunday, he'd welcome a role he's rarely been allowed to fill ... being considered "The Man."

Nikki Garcia Bryan Danielson Is ... 'The G.O.A.T!!!'

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KING OF THE RING
TMZ.com

Bryan Danielson -- known to WWE fans as Daniel Bryan -- is taking part in what could be his last wrestling match ever ... and if that is the case -- what will his legacy be?

Well, according to Nikki Bella -- whose twin sister, Brie, is married to Danielson -- he'll be remembered as one of the G.O.A.T's!!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the former WWE Superstar out in L.A. this week and got her thoughts on her brother-in-law's Title Vs. Career match this Sunday at AEW All In ... which could mark the end of his legendary career.

AEW's Mercedes Moné Files For Divorce From Sarath Ton ... Ending Eight-Year Marriage

UPDATE

3:34 PM PT -- Mercedes Moné is opening up about her divorce from hubby Sarath Ton ... and it's clear there are no hard feelings. In fact, the wrestling star says they've been separated for years, but have now decided to legally split.

UPDATE

Wrestling star Mercedes Moné -- formerly known as Sasha Banks -- has filed for divorce from her husband, Sarath Ton ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Court records we obtained show the 32-year-old AEW athlete formally filed the docs on Tuesday in Florida ... officially ending the couple's marriage after eight years.

Reasons for the split were not immediately known.

Rhea Ripley, Buddy Matthews We're Married!!!

WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley might be a few weeks away from returning to the ring -- but she still found a way to grab a major win outside the squared circle -- she tied the knot over the weekend with her wrestler fiancé, Buddy Matthews!

The two made the big announcement in a joint Instagram post -- with the caption "Til Death" -- where they shared the news with their fans, who were over the moon.

While it's unclear where the two got hitched, or how big the shindig was, we know the couple rocked an all-black look for the ceremony, and they couldn't be happier!

Chris Jericho Talks AEW Growth, Wrestling Future ... And Becky Lynch Rumors!

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COMPETITION IS GOOD
TMZSports.com

Chris Jericho's been with AEW since day one, and five years later, the promotion's rolling, and the wrestling legend's still kickin' ass ... so, when the FTW Champ stopped by the TMZ offices, we asked about the swirling Becky Lynch rumors -- could "The Man" be All Elite?!

53-year-old Jericho, in Los Angeles for Dynamite, sat down with Babcock Tuesday morning ... where the guys discussed everything from Chris' start in pro wrestling, his big move to All Elite Wrestling -- where he just retained his FTW belt at Double or Nothing -- how much longer he wants to compete, and Tony Khan's efforts to continue to build their brand, and much more.

Regarding Lynch, there's been a ton of speculation about Becky's future after she lost her WWE Women's World Championship title to Liv Morgan on Monday's ep of Raw. Lynch, whose WWE contract is reportedly up, was said to be very emotional after the match ... with many speculating she could be headed elsewhere.

AEW Champ Swerve Strickland Serving In U.S. Military ... Prepared Me To Be A Wrestling Star!

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IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS
TMZSports.com

AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland's one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the world ... and he says he owes a lot of his success to years spent in the United States Army.

Swerve stopped by the TMZ office on Monday for a conversation with Babcock ... where he opened up on everything from becoming the first Black AEW world champ, to how his military service prepared him for life, including wrestling.

"Like two weeks after I graduated high school, I was going to basic training and that got me ready to like do stuff on my own. It's not going to get done if you don't do it, if you don't take the initiative to get up and just grind and go," Strickland said of the experience.

AEW's Darby Allin Breaks Foot In Wrestling Match ... Week Before Everest

AEW star Darby Allin's Mt. Everest trip has been postponed ... 'cause the wrestler broke three bones in his foot right before he was slated to make the climb.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Allin suffered the injury less than two minutes into his match against "Switchblade" Jay White at AEW Dynamite on Wednesday ... when he attempted a front flip off the top rope.

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FRONT FOOT FLIP
AEW

It goes without saying his landing didn't play out like it was supposed to ... and he made awkward contact with the floor, which caused his dog to snap.

Allin was clearly bothered ... and briefly held his foot before limping back up.

Instead of calling it a night, the badass highflyer proceeded to wrestle in his first-ever match against White for 10 more minutes ... continuing to jump off the top rope and going about his business.

Ultimately he was pinned after running into a Blade Runner from White.

The ironic part -- during the match, Allin had his ankle "broken" at the hands of Bullet Club Gold so he could have enough time away from the squared-circle to tackle Everest.

Of course, Allin was already pretty beat up -- he shredded his back after flipping off a ladder and falling through glass in his retirement match with Sting.

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Daring Darby
AEW

Allin previously told us how stoked he was to make the Mt. Everest climb -- despite not having a ton of experience (he only trained six months), he was given the green light to do it.

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TO THE TOP
TMZSports.com

Now he'll be sidelined for a bit ... but is making the most of it -- he tells us Tony Hawk is planning to do a trick off his cast next week for charity!!

You got lucky, Everest ... 'cause Darby is coming for that ass next year.

AEW Stars CJ Perry & Miro Relationship Over ... After 7+ Years Of Marriage

CJ Perry and Miro have called it quits on their marriage 7+ years after tying the knot ... and unfortunately for the two wrestling stars, this isn't part of an AEW storyline.

TMZ Sports has learned the famous, now-former couple -- who also play a married couple in the ring -- broke up once and for all in winter 2023 ... after years of an on-again, off-again relationship.

The couple said their "I dos" in July 2016 ... a couple of years after they began dating.

We reached out to Perry, formerly known as Lana in WWE, who confirmed the split.

"Miro and I have made the difficult decision to separate after many wonderful years together,  and have decided to move on as friends, and hopefully onscreen characters somewhere down the road," CJ told us.

As for what went wrong, our sources say there wasn't an explosive fight or cheating ... they simply grew apart over the years.

In fact, we're told Perry and Miro, known as Rusev in World Wrestling Entertainment, remain friends and still plan to work together in the future.

It's likely music to the ears of the executives at All Elite Wrestling -- where both are employed -- as the wrestling stars have portrayed themselves as a married couple going back a decade to WWE, through present-day AEW.

CJ and Miro, a former AEW TNT and 3x WWE United States champion, were last photographed out together in public in late 2022... and it's been a couple of months since they've wrestled together on TV.

Neither Perry nor Miro have yet filed for divorce.

Miro moved back to Bulgaria shortly after the couple called it quits.

La Roca Hey, llorones de Cody... ¡¡¡Callénse la boca!!!

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Hey, Llorones de Cody...
ESPN

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson se metió de lleno en su personaje para destruir a cualquiera que odie la nueva narrativa con Roman Reigns, y de paso, llamando a todos los "llorones" de Cody Rhodes a que "¡¡¡callen sus putos traseros!!!"

Tras su polémico regreso en SmackDown la semana pasada, la leyenda de la WWE se unió a "The Pat McAfee Show" para abordar su decisión de volver al ring, así como las críticas que ha recibido por aparentemente robarle el sitial a American Nightmare.

Como informamos anteriormente, un montón de fans de la lucha libre han expresado su molestia con la idea que La Roca reemplace a Cody en un combate contra Reigns en WrestleMania.

La Roca dejó claro que nada está escrito en piedra, y aunque tiene un gran respeto por Rhodes, su familia y sus fans, se siente diametralmente diferente sobre a los odiosos fans de Cody, a quienes califica de "llorones de Cody".

El actor se burló de los fans que están detrás de la campaña #WeWantCody y que están volviéndose locos ante la posibilidad que se estropeen los planes de Rhodes con Reigns, y es legítimo y bastante clásico.

"La Roca dice esto", dijo Johnson en el programa. "Todo lo que tienes que hacer es sentarte, conocer tu rol, cerrar la boca y disfrutar del paseo al que te llevará La Roca. Así que hagan hashtag esto, hashtag aquello, ¡cállense la puta boca!, hashtag llorones de Cody.

Como informamos anteriormente, los fans de Cody le mostraron una tonelada de amor en "Raw" a principios de esta semana, y él acaba de revelar que ya tomó la decisión sobre qué hacer con su combate en WrestleMania.

Rock atribuye todo a la vieja escuela de la WWE, y hombre, está de vuelta.

The Rock Hey 'Cody Crybabies' ... 'Shut Your Bitch Asses Up!!!'

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The Cody Crybabies
ESPN

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson got in full character to destroy anyone hating his new storyline with Roman Reigns ... calling on all the "crybaby" Cody Rhodes fans to "shut your bitch asses up!!"

Fresh off his controversial return on SmackDown last week, the WWE legend joined "The Pat McAfee Show" to address his decision to get back in the squared-circle ... as well as the criticism he's gotten for seemingly stealing the American Nightmare's thunder.

As we previously reported, a TON of wrestling fans are super pissed ... with the belief being Rock is boxing out Cody from a hyped-up match with Reigns at WrestleMania.

Rock made it clear nothing is set in stone in regard to the three moving pieces ... and while he has great respect for Rhodes, his family and his fans -- he feels the exact opposite about the annoying backers he refers to as "Cody crybabies."

The actor mocked the "grown ass men" behind the #WeWantCody campaign who are losing their minds over Rhodes' potentially spoiled plans with Reigns ... and it is legitimately classic stuff.

"The Rock says this," Johnson said on the show. "All you gotta do is sit back, know your role, shut your mouth and enjoy the ride that the Rock is gonna take your candy asses on. So hashtag that, hashtag shut your bitch asses up, hashtag Cody crybabies."

As we previously reported, Cody's fans showed him a ton of love on "Raw" earlier this week ... and he just recently revealed he's made his decision on what to do with his WrestleMania match.

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TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

Rock chalks everything up to old-school WWE ... and man, is it taking us back.

The Rock WWE Fans Criticize New Storyline ... Dwayne Skipped The Line!!!

The Rock may be cooking in the WWE once again ... but some fans aren't super happy about it -- 'cause it seems his return has knocked a major storyline off track.

Here's the deal ... last night, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson got into an intense staredown with current Undisputed WWE Universal champ Roman Reigns at the end of ESPN's WWE SmackDown -- an insane moment seemingly setting up a match between the two wrestlers.

Indeed, rumors have been floating around today that they will fight in the next couple of months -- maybe at WrestleMania in early April -- and the online response ... is a bit lukewarm if we're being totally honest.

Sure, there are diehard Rock supporters who want to see their champ-turned-actor wipe the floor with Reigns ... but a lot of people are pointing to recent Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes and asking why it seems his story's now taking a backseat to The Rock's.

See, right before The Rock came out for his staredown ... CR talked about taking RR's title from him -- a right to challenge Cody earned by winning The Royal Rumble just last week -- and then seemingly stepped aside as he introduced The Rock to the crowd as if to indicate DJ's getting the chance instead of him.

That's all kinda shocking for fans ... 'cause Rhodes has been on the road to Roman for a while now while The Rock only recently hopped back into the ring.

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AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE
WWE

As we previously reported ... Dwayne called out Roman Reigns back in early January during a surprise appearance on RAW during which he asked if he should be sitting at the "head of the table."

So it seems clear The Rock wants the title ... and that's where people are starting to voice their frustration -- because it sounds like the WWE's not really interested in furthering Cody Rhodes' journey anymore. Basically, they've backed a different dawg in the ring, and -- based on the X trend -- fans just aren't totally on board.

The major question here ... is it fair for fans to voice their frustration with The Rock at all? After all, the guy's not writing his own storylines as far as we know, and he's a legend in the sport, so it makes sense the WWE wants to use him.

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COOKIN' UP A DEAL
TMZSports.com

But, Johnson recently joined the TKO Group board -- the governing body of the WWE and UFC -- and he now holds "The Rock" trademark ... so you could say he's got a lot more agency than your average WWE superstar.

Plus, Johnson's got a bit of a rep as someone who gets what they want in Hollywood. When he was working on "Black Adam," for example, he said he worked his magic to make a standalone film instead of first appearing in "Shazam!" ... a departure from the OG plan.

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TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

Bottom line ... The Rock may still be cookin', but it seems a fair few wrestling fans want to try a new recipe.

La Roca Los fans de la WWE critican la nueva narrativa... ¡¡Dwayne se saltó la fila!!

La Roca puede estar haciendo de las suyas en la WWE una vez más, pero algunos fans no están muy contentos con él porque parece que su regreso ha hecho desaparecer una historia cuyo desenlace que muchos ansiaban ver.

Esta es la cuestión, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson se metió en un intenso cara a cara con el actual campeón indiscutido de la WWE Roman Reigns al final de WWE SmackDown, un momento increíble que aparentemente presagia un combate entre los dos luchadores.

De hecho, los rumores han estado flotando de que ambos podrían pelear en los próximos meses, tal vez en WrestleMania a principios de abril, y la respuesta en línea está siendo un poco tibia si somos completamente honestos.

Por supuesto, hay partidarios acérrimos de La Roca que quieren ver a su campeón convertido barriendo el piso con Reigns, pero mucha gente está señalando al reciente ganador del Royal Rumble Cody Rhodes y preguntándose por qué su historia ha quedado relegada a un segundo plano detrás de La Roca.

Miren esto, justo antes de que La Roca saliera para su cara a cara, Cody Rhodes habló de quitarle el título a Roman Reigns, un derecho que Cody se había ganado la semana pasada tras ganar el Royal Rumble, y luego aparentemente se hizo a un lado mientras presentaba a La Roca frente a la multitud como para decir que Dwayne Johnson iba a recibir la oportunidad en lugar de él.

Todo esto es un poco chocante para los fans porque Rhodes ha estado preparándose para desafiar a Roman desde hace un tiempo, mientras que La Roca saltó solo recientemente de nuevo en el ring.

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WWE

Como informamos anteriormente, Dwayne desafío a Roman Reigns a principios de enero durante una aparición sorpresa en RAW, donde le preguntó si él debería estar sentado "at the head of the table".

Así que parece claro que La Roca quiere el título, y ahí es donde la gente está empezando a expresar su frustración porque pareciera que la WWE ya no está realmente interesada en promover el viaje de Cody Rhodes. Básicamente, han apoyado a un luchador diferente en el ring, y si miramos lo que está pasando en X, los aficionados simplemente no están totalmente a bordo.

La gran pregunta aquí, ¿es justo que los fans expresen su frustración con La Roca? Después de todo, el tipo no está escribiendo sus propias historias por lo que sabemos, y es una leyenda en el deporte, así que tiene sentido que la WWE quiera usarlo.

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Llegando a un acuerdo
TMZSports.com

Pero, Johnson se unió recientemente al directorio de TKO Grupo -el órgano que gobierna la WWE y UFC- y ahora tiene "The Rock" como una marca registrada, por lo que se podría decir que tiene mucho más agencia que una superestrella promedio de la WWE.

Además, Johnson tiene fama de conseguir lo que quiere en Hollywood. Cuando estaba trabajando en "Black Adam", por ejemplo, dijo que utilizó su magia para hacer una película independiente en lugar de aparecer por primera vez en "Shazam!", una desviación del plan OG.

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TMZ investiga
TMZ Studios

En pocas palabras, La Roca puede seguir cocinando, pero parece que un buen número de fans de la lucha libre quieren probar una nueva receta.

AEW's CJ Perry Hospitalized W/ Finger Infection ... 'Please Keep Me In Your Prayers'

AEW star CJ Perry has been hospitalized for several days with a gruesome infection in her finger that has since spread up her arm ... a complication that has required surgery.

The 38-year-old shared photos with her millions of social media followers this week ... initially saying on Saturday she went to the ER after realizing a problem with her middle finger and arm.

"Please keep me in your prayers I’m at the ER @vphcares," Perry said on X ... explaining the medical emergency is the reason why she has not been competing recently.

"The infection from my small finger has gone up my arm. I am so sorry I had to miss last night and @AEW tonight. I look forward to debuting in Mexico with @AndradeElIdolo. Good luck @ToBeMiro and my client."

Perry -- who went by the ring name Lana during her WWE tenure -- provided an update on Monday ... revealing she had to undergo a procedure to address the ailment.

"The infection has gotten worse and I'm going into surgery tonight," Perry said. "Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I love you all."

Perry joined AEW this year ... making her debut with her husband and fellow wrestler Miro, on September 3 at the All Out PPV event. She's also an AEW manager and signed El Idolo as her first client.

Before All Elite, Perry was a WWE Superstar who also managed other wrestlers like Rusev.

Feel better, CJ!!!

Ronda Rousey I'm Not Joining AEW Focused On Mommy Duty!

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JUST A MOM
TMZSports.com

Ronda Rousey isn't going to AEW, according to the former UFC superstar herself who tells us despite not being signed to WWE anymore, she's focused on being a mom, not arm barring women in the squared circle.

TMZ Sports ran into 36-year-old Rousey in Los Angeles earlier this week ... where we asked her about the rumors she could ink a deal to become All Elite.

"No, no, I don't think so," Ronda responded.

Why not?

Mommy duties! 👶

"Just trying to be home with the family, and be a full-time mom," Rousey answered.

Remember, Rousey parted ways with WWE in October -- after signing with the company in 2018 -- and since has wrestled for Ring of Honor (November 17). ROH is owned by AEW ... hence all the speculation.

But, RR, mother of a 2-year-old baby, La'akea, says it's not happening ... at least not now.

There's much more with the UFC Hall of Famer ... who before wrestling played a critical role in elevating women's MMA to a level once thought impossible.

Hubby Travis Browne's career wasn't too shabby, either ... he was a heavyweight contender who beat the likes of Josh Barnett and Alistair Overeem.

We asked Ronda if she'd allow her and Travis' kids to follow in mom's (and dad's) footsteps and go into MMA, or professional wrestling.

Check out the clip ... Rousey's answer might surprise you!