WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall was physically escorted out of a wrestling event in NJ this weekend ... after promoters say the recovering substance abuser was way too hammered to do his job.

Hall has battled drug and alcohol issues for years ... but had teamed up with some other wrestling legends in recent years in a public effort to clean himself up.

Which is why the people at the Skate and Surf Music Festival in Asbury Park, NJ were so disappointed Saturday when Hall appeared to be wasted ... hours before he was supposed to host a meet and greet with fans.

According to our sources, Hall was given multiple chances to sober up ... but never did. Organizers told Hall to leave ... but he refused, demanding to be paid.

Eventually, security stepped in and escorted Hall off the property.

The event promoter, Ricky Otazu, tells TMZ Sports, "The event was too well run for us to make a fool of ourselves by allowing him to appear. We will no longer be associated with him until he gets his life in order."

Hall was arrested in 2012 for allegedly choking his girlfriend during a drunken rage and was sentenced to 10 days behind bars for a 2010 DUI arrest.

We made several efforts to reach Hall for comment -- and even called his close friends and family members -- but so far, no word from the wrestling star.

Check out these 16 sexy shots of Bad News Barrett -- and crown him with your #ManCrushMonday love!

A rep for the WWE tells TMZ Sports, "There is no excuse for a 20-year-old grown man to assault an 18-month old child, no matter what. Using a flimsy excuse about emulating a wrestling maneuver does not absolve Brandon Hoffman of this abhorrent crime. The death of Bryson Shoemaker is a tragedy, and WWE offers its condolences to the child’s mother, Sierra Shoemaker."

A Pennsylvania man killed an 18-month-old boy ... when he slammed the child to the floor while imitating The Undertaker's signature wrestling move ... this according to cops.

Cops say 20-year-old Brandon Hoffman was trying do the Undertaker's "Last Ride" move -- and intended to slam the child onto a bed ... but missed ... fatally injuring the boy.

Hoffman told cops he had been watching the child while the boy's mother was at work -- and had successfully pulled off another wrestling move before the accident.

Hoffman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault and more. Bail has been set at $150k.

Former WWE superstar Scotty 2 Hotty hasn't hung up his unitard yet -- but he's building a second career as a real estate agent ... and already has his first gigantic celeb client.

Scotty says he nailed his realtor's exam last month -- on the first try, no less -- and immediately started slinging homes in Celebration, FL ... near Disney World.

The former member of the tag team Too Cool flipped through his Rolodex of famous pals, and landed WWE legend Mick Foley ... who's in the market for a new crib.

Scotty says he's enjoying real estate much more than his previous J-O-B. As we told you ... he graduated from the fire academy a couple years ago, but he says it just wasn't for him.

If you're wondering ... Scotty can still bust out his finishing move, The Worm, and says he's prepared to do it ... if it helps close a deal.

ABC, bro.

The WWE is cashing in on Eddie "Hot Stuff" Gilbert even though he's been dead for 20 years ... at least according to his family, which is dragging the league to court to get a cut of the action.

According to docs ... Eddie's dad, Tommy Gilbert, is in charge of the estate and says the WWE is plastering his son's image and likeness all over TV and other media platforms without permission -- and, more importantly, without paying them a dime.

Tommy says old wrestling footage of Eddie -- a pro from '79 until his death of a heart attack in '95 -- is being used to promote the WWE.

Interestingly, Eddie's fam isn't suing to block use of the footage -- they just want a judge to force the WWE to fork over a share of its profits, plus damages.

A WWE rep tells us, "Through the years, WWE has acquired the legal rights to library footage of various former wrestling organizations including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Mid-Southern Wrestling among many others. WWE has made substantial investments to acquire these copyrighted works and has the legal right to use them."

The guys suing the WWE over alleged brain injuries are a bunch of "nobodies" brainwashed by lawyers to believe they can score a quick buck ... at least according to a WWE lawyer.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Big Russ McCullough, Ryan Sakoda and Luther Reigns claim the WWE has known for years its athletes are suffering brutal and debilitating injuries, but it's only interested in making big money.

We spoke to Jerry McDevitt, WWE’s outside counsel from K&L Gates. He tells us the guys -- who only wrestled for a short time -- are "being targeted by attorneys who tell them there's hundreds of thousands of dollars they can make by joining a class action suit like this."

McDevitt adds, "We know these claims are fraudulent, and will fight them."

He claims other wrestlers who've been approached to join the suit think it's a scam. McDevitt believes the suit spends more time talking about Chris Benoit and other wrestlers than it does the actual plaintiffs.

"It's sensational, but if you really look at ... what was done specifically to them?" McDevitt says. "There are almost no details as to what they actually suffered as a result of working with WWE."

Among the details included in the suit -- the plaintiffs say they were forced to wrestle, even when they'd suffered injuries like torn ligaments and concussions.

Three wrestlers have sued the WWE on behalf of all current and former wrestlers who have suffered serious brain and other damage as a result of "egregious mistreatment" by the organization.

Big Russ McCullough, Ryan Sakoda and Luther Reigns (obvious stage names) claim the WWE has known for years ... the brutality in the ring has resulted in dementia, Alzheimer's disease and a lot more.

The lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- claims the WWE, "under the guise of providing 'entertainment' .... has for decades subjected its wrestlers to extreme physical brutality."

The suit acknowledges wrestling is scripted but nonetheless unrelentingly brutal, claiming "WWE is in the business of selling violence."

The legal docs chronicle various matches in which wrestlers were destroyed. It mentions the 2014 Royal Rumble, in which one wrestler "demolished another with a series of brutal steel chair attacks," and the docs refer to "the carnage created by the match's victor."

The lawsuit gives an interesting inside look into wrestling, saying the goal of the WWE is to elicit "heat," meaning heightened violence with the use of various props, including chairs, ladders and tables. The suit singles out various moves, including the Brain Buster, Bulldog, Cobra Clutch Slam, Facebreaker, Jawbreaker and Powerslam. It singles out the chair shots to the head, which was banned in 2010.

The suit claims, "The WWE coerces its wrestlers to work while they are injured by, among other methods, threatening to strip them of their position within the organization if they refuse." It says they are "universally encouraged to 'wrestle through the pain.'"

And the lawsuit mentions Chris Benoit, who was "routinely hit in the head with a chair." Benoit, who killed his wife and son along with himself, was autopsied after his death. A doctor concluded Benoit's brain was so damaged from CTE, it "resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient."

Score another black eye for the WWE ... John Cena proved again how real the sport is with his fresh new panda eye.

Cena was snapped in Glasgow Wednesday showing off an Irish makeover ... but we're not exactly sure how he got it. It's a safe bet to assume he picked it up while grappling with a dude in a cod-piece.

It's apparently a great week for shiners ... supermodel Christie Brinkley got banged up Monday when she did a Fabio and took a bird to the face while vacationing down in Turks and Caicos.

Together they make a matching set.

Scott Steiner is calling BS on Hulk Hogan -- claiming he never threatened to kill the guy before WrestleMania ... and says Hulk's just acting like a scared little bitch.

We broke the story ... Steiner is under investigation over a March 26th encounter with Hulk's wife Jennifer -- when she claims Steiner grabbed her at the San Jose airport and told her he was going to kill Hogan. Jennifer and Hulk filed a report with police the next day.

"I'm not going to dignify [Hogan's] lies," Steiner said ... "I didn't put my hands on her."

Steiner says he did approach Jennifer that day -- but only to talk some serious smack about Hulk introducing "Macho Man" Randy Savage at his WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.

"I told her Hulk introducing 'Macho Man' into the Hall of Fame is bullsh*t ... He hated him. Everyone knew that."

Steiner says there were cops nearby during the airport incident -- "So if she felt her life was threatened, why didn't she talk to the cops?"

As far as the investigation goes, Steiner says he has NOT yet been contacted by police.

He did have one final thought -- "It's not my fault Hulk Hogan is afraid of me."

Whatcha gonna do brother, when a former wrestling star (allegedly) threatens to KILL YOU!?

Well, if you're Hulk Hogan -- you call the cops ... because that's exactly what happened during an alleged incident in San Jose involving Hulk's former wrestling ally Scott Steiner.

Here's what we know ... Hulk's wife Jennifer flew into San Jose for WrestleMania on March 26th -- and claims Steiner grabbed her at baggage claim and said he plans to "kill Terry" [Hulk's real name] as soon as he lands.

Sources close to the Hogans tell us ... Jennifer didn't recognize Steiner and called Hulk immediately -- who took the next flight into S.J. and went with her to file a police report early the next morning.

We're told cops are now investigating Steiner for "felony terrorist threats" -- and so far, officials have already gathered airport surveillance video which we're told shows Steiner confronting Jennifer.

As for Steiner, he's been very public about his dislike of Hogan for years -- and blames him for the demise of WCW wrestling ... where Scott and Hulk were allies in the NWO.

We reached out to Steiner for comment -- who told us, "Typical Hogan. He's just a punk."

Rap superstar Wale believes he's been "blackballed" by the WWE over an incident last year -- but he's begging the organization for a 2nd chance ... and tells TMZ Sports he's willing to do anything to bury the hatchet.

Wale believes he's been on Vince McMahon's bad side ever since he got into a fight with another fan at "Monday Night Raw" back in March 2014 ... a fight first reported by TMZ Sports.

But Wale -- who's a HUUUUUGE wrestling fanatic -- says the friction between himself and the WWE is killing him ... and he wants to make things right.

Wale says he has nothing but respect for Vince, Triple H and the rest of the gang -- and says he wants an internship with WWE to learn from the best in the business.

"I think me and Triple H should talk ... I think we could help each other."

Stay tuned ...

There's no bad blood between Dana White and Brock Lesnar after Brock turned down a UFC contract to sign with the WWE this week ... with Dana telling TMZ Sports he thinks Brock made the right move.

White says Lesnar handled the situation perfectly -- and even called up the UFC to give them a heads-up about his decision before he announced his deal with Vince McMahon.

"I think it's the right decision and I'm happy for him," White says ... "Vince gave him a deal he couldn't refuse at the right time in his life."

The blood is still VERY BAD between Bill Goldberg and Vince McMahon ... with the wrestling legend telling TMZ Sports there's NO WAY IN HELL he'd ever let his kid work for the WWE.

Goldberg was out in L.A. promoting Glory kickboxing ... when we asked if his 8-year-old son, Gage -- an aspiring Muay Thai fighter -- would ever follow his bone-crushing footsteps into the WWE.

"One thing's for sure ... I'll buy a company and have him work for ME before he went into the WWE."

Of course, Goldberg left the WWE on bad terms in 2004 -- and trashed Vince on his way out.

In fact, he gave an interview in 2011 saying, "I can't really say anything positive about the man. I'ts like working for a carny who's driven only by his ego."

Former pro wrestling star Bill Goldberg says the accident that took the life of a Mexican wrestling star this past weekend was a freak occurrence ... telling TMZ Sports pro wrestling is as safe ever.

Goldberg was out in L.A. when we asked him about the tragic death of 35-year-old Mexican wrestling star El Hijo Del Perro Aguayo who passed away after his spine was snapped during a match last weekend.

Aquayo lay motionless on the ropes for nearly two minutes after the injury, with the other wrestlers apparently thinking it was all part of the show.

Goldberg, a former WCW champion, says despite the horrific nature of the injury wrestling is totally safe, noting that it's VERY rare that these types of accidents happen.

"Name the amount of people who've died in the ring over the past 50 years."

We also asked Bill if he thought the WWE should do any sort of tribute to the fallen star at this weekend's Wrestlemania, and Goldberg thought it was definitely the way to go.

Scary moment for ex-WWE superstar Victoria ... when her husband confronted a gun-toting intruder at her Chicago restaurant ... AND BODY SLAMMED THE GUY.

We spoke with Victoria -- real name Lisa Marie Varon -- who tells us a suspicious man entered "The Squared Circle" restaurant this weekend and started making trouble inside the women's bathroom.

That's when Victoria's husband, Lee (who manages the joint) approached the man to find out what the hell he was up to.

According to Victoria, the man tried to push his way into the kitchen ... so Lee sprung into action and attempted to physically restrain him.

Lee says he saw the man reaching for his waistband and believed he had a gun -- so he slammed the guy down to the ground.

Turns out, Lee's instincts were right ... the guy did have a gun -- which was quickly recovered by one of the cooks.

Cops were called to the scene and arrested 18-year-old Arnez Harper on a count of felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

"He (my husband) used to be a bouncer when he was a young lad," Victoria says of her hubby ... "I think that guy crossed the wrong person."

Wrestling icon Kevin Nash says pro athletes should be all about the green ... telling us tokin' up to treat pain is a much better option than pills.

Nash -- who was a badass in both the WWE and the WCW back in the '90s -- explained why he thinks herbal therapy is the way to go ... and he sounds like he's done his homework on the issue.

Check out the clip -- Nash also talks pot politics in his home state of Florida.