Fights & Feuds

Kanye West is firing back at Taylor Swift fans who are trying to block him from a top spot on the music charts ... telling them he's not an enemy, though not exactly a friend either.

Here's the deal ... Swifties are calling on other Swifties to buy and stream Beyoncé's new country music to block Kanye's new music from getting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kanye's seen the "SWIFTIE EMERGENCY" on social media and now he's firing back ... and making some interesting counterpoints.

Ye says Swifties shouldn't be coming after him because, in his mind, he's been far more helpful than harmful to Taylor's career. Kanye's views in Wednesday's post jibe with what he's rapped about before ... namely, "I made that b**** famous."

Of course, T-Swift and Kanye have beefed ever since he crashed her 2009 VMA win to say Beyoncé had a better music video ... although, Ye is of the belief the longstanding drama has actually elevated Taylor's profile.

Here, Kanye also points out he was on Taylor's side when Scooter Braun bought her master recordings of which her dad reportedly made $15 million from ... and he says TayTay and Beyoncé are actually big inspirations to all musicians, including himself.

Kanye name-dropping Taylor on his new "Vultures" album seems to have opened up some wounds ... but he says the album is actually super positive and fun.

Travis Kelce is addressing one of the Super Bowl's most viral moments -- when the superstar TE nearly knocked head coach Andy Reid flat on his ass -- publicly beating himself up for his actions, admitting it NEVER should've happened.

"It’s definitely unacceptable and I immediately wish I would have took it back," Trav told brother Jason on the newly released episode of their "New Heights" podcast.

Thankfully, there doesn't appear to be any hard feelings between coach and player ... T.K. says he had a conversation with Reid on the field soon after the incident, and they're cool. Winning the Super Bowl also doesn't hurt.

“I just love playing for the guy and unfortunately, sometimes my passion comes out where it looks like it’s negativity but I’m grateful that [Andy] knows that it’s all because I want to win [the Super Bowl] with him more than anything,” Travis added.

Jason, who used to play for Reid in Philadelphia, was also critical of his brother's actions.

"You crossed the line, I think we can both agree on it," JK said, with Travis ... "I did."

Jason added ... "Let's be honest, the yelling in his face too is over the top. I think there's better ways to handle this, retrospectively."

Of course, Travis and Andy go back to 2013 when both men arrived in Kansas City.

Not everyone seems willing to just brush off the exchange and move on ... including some fellow NFL stars like A.J. Brown, who claimed he "would've been kicked out of the league" if he pulled a Kelce.

Travis seems unbothered by the outside criticism.

"I don't give a s*** what anybody else says."

Inside the org, everything appears to be great ... in fact, Reid and Kelce are together at the parade as we type.

Travis Kelce está abordando uno de los momentos más comentados en el Super Bowl y fue cuando la superestrella de los Chiefs casi golpeó al entrenador Andy Reid en su trasero, admitiendo públicamente que eso NUNCA debería haber sucedido.

"Es definitivamente inaceptable y desearía haberme retractado inmediatamente", dijo Trav a su hermano Jason en el recién estrenado episodio de su podcast "New Heights".

Por suerte, no parece que haya rencores entre el entrenador y el jugador. Travis Kelce dice que tuvo una conversación con Reid en el campo poco después del incidente, y que están en buenos términos. Ganar el Super Bowl tampoco hace daño.

"Me encanta jugar para él y, por desgracia, a veces mi pasión aparece y da la impresión de que es algo negativo, pero estoy agradecido de que [Andy] sepa que todo es porque quiero ganar [el Super Bowl] con él más que nada", añadió Travis.

Jason, quien solía jugar para Reid en Filadelfia, también criticó las acciones de su hermano.

"Cruzaste la línea, creo que ambos podemos estar de acuerdo en ello", le dijo Jason Kelce,  a lo que Travis respondió: "Lo hice."

Jason añadió ... "Seamos honestos, gritarle en la cara también es exagerado. Creo que hay mejores maneras de manejar esto, retrospectivamente ".

Por supuesto, la relación de Travis y Andy se remonta al 2013, cuando ambos hombres llegaron al Kansas City.

No todos parecen dispuestos a simplemente dejar pasar el intercambio y seguir adelante, incluyendo algunos compañeros de la NFL como A.J. Brown, quien afirmó que él "habría sido expulsado de la liga" si empujaba a Kelce.

A Travis parecen no importarle las críticas externas.

"Me importa una m*** lo que digan los demás".

Dentro de la organización, todo parece estar muy bien. De hecho, Reid y Kelce están juntos en el desfile mientras escribimos.

La reunión de Tom Sandoval con Lisa Vanderpump se convirtió en un caos en la entrega del martes de "Vanderpump Rules", con un interrogatorio bastante tenso.

Recordemos que Tom fue arrestado por engañar a Ariana Madix con Rachel Leviss en marzo de 2023, con las cámaras rodando la nueva temporada unos meses más tarde y por lo que parece, en el momento de la filmación, que todavía estaba en el ojo de del huracán.

Los ánimos se caldearon cuando Lisa le preguntó a Tom por qué seguía viviendo con su ex Ariana en la casa que compartían... instándole a hacer lo caballeroso de mudarse, darle espacio a ella y vender el lugar. Tom no estuvo de acuerdo, diciendo que quería que Ariana le permitiera comprar su salida y agregó: "Uno de nosotros puede mantenerlo porque es una gran casa. He invertido mucho trabajo y dinero en ella".

Claramente no iba a cambiar de opinión, diciendo que ya le había enviado a Ariana una carta de intención y su agente de bienes raíces también había hablado con ella al respecto, pero hasta ahora, ella había guardado silencio.

Tom se puso nervioso cuando Lisa le preguntó si estaba haciendo lo posible para solucionar el escándalo que había creado en primer lugar, levantando la voz para dejar claro que él sabía que era responsable del lío, pero estaba haciendo todo lo posible por superarlo.

Sin embargo, a Lisa claramente no le gustó su tono, instándole a parar, tener algo de remordimiento y a dejar de estar enfadado... pero él dijo que su furia estaba justificada porque ella lo estaba atacando.

En cuanto a la posición de Tom con sus compañeros del show, parece que las cosas no estaban muy bien en ese frente tampoco. Criticó a todos por su mentalidad mafiosa... diciéndole a Lisa que cada vez que se disculpó no tuvo respuesta, y cuando lloró, lo acusaron de derramar lágrimas de cocodrilo.

Él le instó a ver las cosas desde su punto de vista, diciendo que no es exactamente vivir un estilo de vida de rockstar, añadiendo que ha luchado con pensamientos suicidas sobre las secuelas de la aventura.

Tom Sandoval's meet-up with Lisa Vanderpump descended into chaos on Tuesday's installment of "Vanderpump Rules" ... with her post-affair grilling not sitting well with him.

Remember, Tom was busted for cheating on Ariana Madix with Rachel Leviss in March 2023 ... with cameras rolling on the new season a few months later -- and by the looks of it, at the time of filming, he was still in the thick of it all.

Tempers flared as Lisa quizzed Tom on why he was still living with ex Ariana in their shared home ... urging him to do the gentlemanly thing of moving out, giving her space, and selling the pad. Tom wasn't having any of it, saying he wanted Ariana to let him buy her out instead, adding, "One of us can keep it because it is a great house. I put a lot of work and money into it."

There was clearly no changing his mind ... telling LVP he'd already sent AM a letter of intent and his real estate agent had also spoken to her about it ... but so far, there'd been radio silence from her.

Tom became more wound up when Lisa asked him if he was doing his best to move on from the scandal he'd created in the first ... raising his voice to get his point across that he knew he was responsible for the mess but was doing his best to navigate it.

Though, Lisa clearly didn't like his tone, urging him to stop, have some remorse, and stop being angry ... but he said his fury was warranted 'cause she was attacking him. Yikes.

As for where Tom stood with his VPR costars ... looks like things weren't great on that front either. He blasted them all for their mob mentality .. telling Lisa whenever he apologized, it fell on deaf ears ... and when he cried, they accused him of shedding crocodile tears.

He urged her to see things from his POV, saying he's not exactly living a rockstar lifestyle, ... adding he's battled with suicidal thoughts over the aftermath of the affair.

On this episode of The TMZ podcast ...

We caught up with Kanye West at LAX fresh on the heels of 'Vultures' hitting #1 on the charts, and he told us that he can't be canceled, and stands by his antisemitic statements.

Katy Perry revealed on "Jimmy Kimmel: Live!" that the upcoming season of "American Idol" will be her last, while subtly teasing new music.

Tom Cruise reportedly has a new girlfriend, and the two are "growing closer" according to insiders.

Plus, Beyoncé released two new country genre singles from her upcoming "Renaissance: Act II," despite receiving backlash at the 2016 CMAs.

Subscribe to The TMZ Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

No shocker that Kim Kardashian locked down a luxury suite at the Super Bowl, and even had it filled with A-listers -- but what is surprising is how NOT lit it was compared to Taylor Swift's.

The photos showing off their respective suites are out, and we gotta say ... the KarJenner box -- at least for some parts of the game -- comes across as a little bit of a snooze fest when ya see the lively scene in T-Swift's area.

Check out the pics for yourself and we'll let you decide which suite feels like the better time.

In Kim's suite, there are people slumped over and leaning on their hands as if they're just running out the clock -- and one dude in there looks like he's about to take a long nap.

The opposite vibe was happening across the way at Tay Tay's suite ... where Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Miles Teller and a few other stars were losing their minds and celebrating a ton. Of course, Taylor herself was leading the charge on the partying ... pounding beers, etc.

Kim's suite was just as star-studded, of course, with Justin and Hailey Bieber and other KarJenner sisters, Russell Wilson and Ciara, La La Anthony, Texans QB C.J. Stroud, Winnie Harlow and Michael Rubin all attending, but things looked sorta quiet.

Now, this ain't a competition or anything -- but the differences are notable because of the history of bad blood between Taylor and Kim ... which, as we recently learned, is still fresh on T-Swift's mind, something she commented on in her TIME Person of the Year cover story.

As we reported ... Taylor said she still feels like Kanye/Kim were wrong over the whole 2016 recorded-convo thing -- and even today, it sounds like she'd appreciate an apology.

No es ninguna sorpresa que Kim Kardashian haya reservado un palco de lujo para ver el Super Bowl. Tampoco es raro que esté lleno de estrellas. Lo que sí es sorprendente es lo poco iluminado que estuvo en comparación con el de Taylor Swift.

Las fotos que muestran sus respectivos palcos y tenemos que decir que el de Kim parece a ratos un cementerio, sobre todo si lo comparamos con la fiesta que se vivía en el palco de Taylor.

Échale un vistazo a las fotos por ti mismo y te dejaremos decidir qué palco te parece que está pasando un mejor momento.

En el de Kim, hay gente sentada y apoyada como si estuvieran agotados todo el tiempo, incluso hay un tipo que parece estar a punto de tomar una larga siesta.

El ambiente opuesto se vivíoa en el palco de Tay Tay, donde Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Miles Teller y algunas otras estrellas estaban perdiendo la cabeza y celebrando. Por supuesto, la propia Taylor estaba a la cabeza de la fiesta, bebiendo cervezas, etc.

Kim también estuvo rodeada de estrellas, con Justin y Hailey Bieber y otras hermanas KarJenner, Russell Wilson y Ciara, La La Anthony, Texans QB C.J. Stroud, Winnie Harlow y Michael Rubin, pero las cosas parecían un poco más tranquilas.

Sabemos que esto no es una competencia ni nada, pero las diferencias son notables debido a la historia de mala sangre entre Taylor y Kim, que, como hemos sabido recientemente, todavía está fresco en la mente de Taylor, algo que ella comentó en su aparición en la portada del Times.

Como informamos, Taylor dijo que todavía siente que Kanye y Kim estaban equivocados sobre el asunto del 2016, e incluso hoy en día, suena como ella apreciaría una disculpa.

Dwayne Johnson popped off over accusations he was booed for not following through on aid to Maui ... calling the claim "false clickbait garbage" in a furious response on X.

Here's the deal ... Nick Sortor -- an internet personality who has appeared on networks like Fox News and Newsmax -- posted a video to Twitter showing people at a WWE event raining jeers down on The Rock.

Sortor claimed these people were berating Johnson for not following through on his promise to aid the island of Maui following the devastating wildfires last summer.

He even pointed to some fans' chanting in the vid ... claiming they were saying "Maui" over and over -- and if you listen to the clip, it does sound like that's exactly what they're yelling.

But, DJ wasn't having this interpretation of events -- instead hopping on X to slam Sortor's analysis and insisting he was being booed for playing "the heel" in a WWE press conference -- professional wrestling-ese for "the villain."

Johnson said he tries to stay above the social media fray generally, but decided to correct Nick because he used "Hawaii's tragic events to draw attention" to himself before explaining his own role of villain at the presser Thursday.

He went on to claim The People's Fund of Maui -- kicked off by himself and Oprah Winfrey in August with a $10 million donation -- has delivered more than $50 million to thousands of survivors who were affected by the fires.

He praised the resilience of those people whose lives were uprooted by the fires and wrote directly to Sortor "instead of posting bulls*** like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way."

He encouraged Nick to use his platform to lift up the people of Hawaii instead of trying to tear him down ... and apologized to "all our Poly/Hawaiian ohana of Maui, for shining light on this toxicity as you struggle through tough times."

BTW ... Sortor isn't backing down -- responding on X by saying he's also based in Hawaii and Dwayne has his contact info, so he's happy to meet Johnson whenever he wants.

FWIW ... a community note has been added to Sortor's tweet explaining the context of the booing video -- and the crowd may have been shouting "Maui" but that's also The Rock's character's name from the highly popular Disney movie "Moana," so it could've been yelled in a totally different context.

Dwayne Johnson estalló sobre las acusaciones de que fue abucheado por no seguir adelante con la ayuda a Maui, llamando a la afirmación "falsa basura clickbait" en una respuesta furiosa en X.

Nick Sortor -una personalidad de Internet que ha aparecido en redes como Fox News y Newsmax- publicó un video en Tuiter que muestra a la gente en un evento de la WWE abucheando a The Rock.

Sortor afirmó que estas personas estaban reprendiendo a Johnson por no cumplir su promesa de ayudar a la isla de Maui tras los devastadores incendios forestales del verano pasado.

Incluso se refirió a los cánticos de algunos fans en el video, afirmando que estaban diciendo "Maui" una y otra vez, y si escuchas el clip, parece que eso es exactamente lo que están gritando.

Pero Dwayne no tenía esta interpretación de los hechos, y apareció en X para criticar el análisis de Sortor e insistiendo en que estaba siendo abucheado por jugar "al villano" en una conferencia de prensa de la WWE.

Johnson dijo que trata de mantenerse por encima de la refriega de los medios de comunicación social en general, pero decidió corregir a Nick porque utilizó "los trágicos acontecimientos de Hawai para llamar la atención sobre sí mismo antes de explicar su propio papel de villano en la rueda de prensa del jueves".

Dwayne Johnson afirmó que el People's Fund de Maui, creado por él mismo y Oprah Winfrey en agosto con una donación de 10 millones de dólares, ha entregado más de 50 millones de dólares a miles de supervivientes afectados por los incendios.

Alabó la resistencia de las personas cuyas vidas fueron arrancadas de raíz por los incendios y escribió directamente a Sortor: "En lugar de publicar chorradas como esta, que sabes que son falsas, te animo a que publiques algo positivo para Hawái, para nuestro pueblo polinesio-americano. O realmente tomar una acción positiva y venir a Hawai para ayudar de una manera edificante".

Alentó a Nick a usar su plataforma para levantar a la gente de Hawai en lugar de tratar de derribarla y se disculpó con "todos nuestros Poly/Hawaiian ohana de Maui, por arrojar luz sobre esta toxicidad mientras luchas a través de tiempos difíciles".

A propósito, Sortor no da marcha atrás, respondiendo en X diciendo que tiene el contacto de Dwayne, por lo que está feliz de reunirse con él cuando quiera.

Otra cosa.... una nota de la comunidad se ha añadido al tuit de Sortor, explicando el contexto del video de abucheos, y la multitud puede haber estado gritando "Maui", pero ese es también el nombre del personaje de The Rock de la popular película de Disney "Moana", por lo que podría haber sido gritado en un contexto totalmente diferente.

Cynthia Bailey says her friend Kandi Burruss is gonna be just fine after leaving "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" ... but she adds the show itself needs some help.

We spoke to the 'RHOA' mainstay outside WeHo hotspot The Henry, just days after her friend and longtime costar Kandi announced at the Grammys she was exiting 'Housewives.'

CB says she's a little surprised, but noted she talks to KB a lot when cameras aren't rolling ... so, she kinda saw this coming.

Cynthia's not worrying about her pal -- who joined the show before its second season in 2009 -- adding Kandi does so well while still juggling the show, and Bailey can't wait to see how high the "badass bitch" will fly without it on her plate.

She also thinks Kandi has a safety net, telling us she's on great terms with Bravo ... so, returning to 'RHOA' will always be an option. As Cynthia sees it, the show's OGs can "come and go" as they please.

However, she does say the show could use a few fresh faces to improve ratings -- not a complete blow-up of the cast, but a little something ... a notion former 'Housewife' NeNe Leakes also thinks needs to happen.

She also shouted out Phaedra Parks' role on "The Traitors" -- a reality competition/murder mystery show taking the TV world by storm, and said she should definitely come back to 'RHOA' now that Kandi's eyeing greener pastures.

Remember ... Kandi and Phaedra had an epic falling out during their time on the show -- with Phaedra even going as far as starting a rumor Kandi wanted to drug and sexually assault Porsha Williams during season 9. PP was fired at the end of the season.

Cynthia says any issues between Phaedra and Kandi are their business, she just knows Phaedra is "great TV" ... so she wouldn't be opposed to her return.

Cynthia also touched on Kim Zolciak-Biermann potentially coming back ... and while she thinks Kim is also must-see TV, Cynthia says it hurts to watch the downfall of Kim's marriage to Kroy.

We'll have to wait and see which, if any, OG cast members get tapped for a homecoming.

Consider Baron Davis on Stephen Jackson's side in his beef with Austin Rivers ... 'cause the former Hornets and Warriors star tells TMZ Sports he believes pairing LeBron James with his son, Bronny, would work wonders for the young hooper.

TMZ Sports caught up with B. Diddy just days after Rivers claimed it would be bad if King James' team drafted the USC standout ... which was met with heavy criticism from the "All the Smoke" podcast host, who referred to the former Clipper as "trash."

Davis -- who played 15 seasons in the NBA -- weighed in on the debate while out in Vegas for the Super Bowl festivities ... and he's optimistic about the potential pairing.

"Your daddy is LeBron James," Davis said, "I think it will do nothing but help him."

"You say it'll enable him because your daddy on the team, but like, nah, that s*** different. That's LeBron. LeBron's a coach, a basketball genius and that's his seed."

Davis used Ken Griffey Jr. as an example ... as the former MLB legend played with his dad on the Mariners in the 90s -- making them the first father/son duo to play on the same Major League Baseball team together.

"There's a certain type of swag, there's a certain type of s*** that you really didn't get to see as a kid," Davis said.

"Now you there, you get to see your dad's whole layout."

At the end of the day, Davis feels Rivers' own comparison to being coached by his dad is totally different than Bronny playing with his pops ... and the James duo will benefit whichever franchise they play on.

"[Bronny] already got the DNA. Now you got the whole layout, the whole trajectory, and the blueprint laid out for you."

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's contentious divorce could be close to coming to an end ... with each star taking one of the last key final steps on the path to a divorce settlement.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, both Pitt and Jolie are serving their final financial disclosures on the other party ... which is noteworthy considering there hasn't been much movement on their divorce case for at least a couple years now.

The final terms of any overall settlement of the divorce haven't been filed yet ... but Thursday's filings indicate that one of the most legendary marriages and acrimonious divorces in recent Hollywood history is finally coming to an end.

Whenever dueling parties in a divorce submit financial docs ... it means the end is near.

Remember ... Brad and Angelina first met on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" back in 2004 while BP was still married to Jennifer Aniston. The onscreen couple remained just friends through shooting though Brad separated from Jennifer about a year later.

Brad and Angelina quickly shacked up together after his separation was announced, and they built a big family over the next few years -- with six children in their brood.

Brangelina got engaged in 2012 and married in 2014 ... but Angelina filed for divorce just two years later in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.

In the same year, Pitt was accused of physically abusing at least one of his children -- even though he was cleared by authorities after an investigation ... and he denied the claims too.

The divorce proceedings continued to stretch out well after that ... and a judge eventually ruled Brad and Angelina were legally single back in 2019. Other elements of the divorce have been playing out behind the scenes since then ... and now, in '24, the finish line approaches.

Matters have gotten more complicated between Brand and Angie -- remember, in 2021, Angelina sold her portion of a winery she owned with Pitt ... a move that eventually led to Pitt suing her for allegedly not getting his signoff before selling to a Russian oligarch's company. That lawsuit is still ongoing ... and separate from their divorce case.

While other legal battles may still be lingering ... it seems like the divorce is nearly a done deal -- and now, it's just a matter of time before it becomes official.

El kickoff de WrestleMania de la WWE fue una locura, con la Roca dándole una cachetada a Cody Rhodes en la cara en una salvaje confrontación sobre el escenario.

El incidente tuvo lugar en Las Vegas el jueves, en donde Roman Reigns se dirigió a la multitud y anunció que se enfrentará a Dwayne Johnson en Filadelfia, afirmando que es su decisión y que no hay nada que Cody pueda hacer al respecto.

En ese momento apareció La Roca y tomó el micrófono, diciendo que sin importar lo que la gente piense, ellos respetarán el combate, ya que la Roca y Roman provienen de The Bloodline, las familias samoanas con la historia más rica dentro de la lucha libre.

Todo parecía escrito en piedra mientras se daban la mano, pero Cody no estaba de acuerdo. Subió al escenario y llamó "bulls***" a todo el asunto, ya que él ganó el Royal Rumble y se ganó el derecho a entrar en el ring con Roman.

Los chicos intercambiaron desagradables insultos sobre las familias de cada uno y cuando Cody les dijo que los abuelos de Roman y Rock estarían avergonzados de ver en qué se han convertido, el Campeón del Pueblo perdió la cabeza y golpeó a Rhodes en la boca.

Todas las partes fueron separadas y escoltadas fuera del escenario, pero esto no se detuvo allí, ya que un furioso la Roca se enfrentó al jefe de contenido de la WWE Triple H después, diciéndole que hiciera algo sobre la falta de respeto de Rhodes o lo manejaría él mismo.

Después de que todo se calmó, la WWE aparentemente se puso del lado de Rhodes, revelando que Cody obtendrá su deseo y se enfrentará a Roman en WrestleMania 40.

A transgender woman who sued her ex-boyfriend for throwing out her balls apparently didn't have a case worth litigating ... 'cause a judge tossed her suit, not to mention the BF's.

Brianna Kingsley had recently filed a lawsuit against William Wojciechowski in Detroit -- whom she was dating a couple years ago as she was transitioning ... and who she claims discarded her surgically-removed testicles in the wake of their breakup.

At first, Kingsley was suing Bill for allegedly not returning her balls to her -- claiming in her small claims suit that he was holding them hostage, and keeping them in a mason jar in his fridge next to a carton of eggs. However, after she sued him ... her ex countersued her, claiming she'd humiliated him and also noting that he'd already thrown the testicles away.

It was a lot of back and forth for a while ... and the absurd case was highlighted by a quote Kinglsey had said in court at one point -- saying, "We’re talking about my nuts … I wanted them in my fridge -- not his. The damages were the loss of these nuts."

Kingsley was seeking the return of her testes -- even though they'd already been thrown out -- plus an extra $6,500 in damages. The boyfriend was also seeking damages for his claim.

In the end ... hizzoner said the whole thing was ridiculous and not worth taking under further consideration -- in fact, he called their competing lawsuits against each other a "wash," and added that it would've been too difficult to put a dollar amount on balls.

The judge tossed both lawsuits and basically closed the book on this matter. He also noted his decision could not be appealed -- so no chance of either of them continuing to fight it.

BTW, Kingsley seemed proud to show off her balls a couple years ago after she underwent gender-reassignment surgery -- so we suppose it's understandable they were of value to her.

WWE's WrestleMania Kickoff was nothing short of bonkers ... with The Rock straight-up slapping Cody Rhodes in the face in a wild on-stage confrontation!!

The whole event went down in Las Vegas on Thursday ... with Roman Reigns addressing the crowd and announcing he will face off against Dwayne Johnson in Philadelphia -- claiming it's his decision and there's nothing Cody can do about it.

Rock then showed up and hopped on the mic ... saying no matter what people think of the controversial matchup, they WILL respect it -- as Rock and Roman come from The Bloodline, the Samoan families with the richest history in professional wrestling.

Everything seemed set in stone as both guys shook hands -- but Cody wasn't having it ... taking the stage and calling the whole thing "bulls***," as he won the Royal Rumble and earned the right to enter the squared circle with Roman.

The guys traded nasty insults about each other's families ... and when Cody said Roman and Rock's grandparents would be ashamed of what they have become, The People's Champ lost it -- rocking Rhodes right in the mouth.

All sides needed to be separated and escorted off the stage ... but it didn't stop there, as a livid Rock confronted WWE chief content officer Triple H afterward, telling him to do something about Rhodes' disrespect -- or he'd handle it himself.

After it all died down, the WWE apparently sided with Rhodes in the whole ordeal ... revealing Cody would get his wish and take on Roman at WrestleMania 40.