WWE

WWE legend Jerry Lawler thinks officials in Tennessee and a local sheriff are responsible for his son's 2018 death ... and now he's "seeking justice" in a new $3 MILLION lawsuit, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Brian Christopher Lawler -- AKA Grandmaster Sexay -- died by hanging himself in his jail cell in July 29, 2018 following an arrest for DUI and evading police. He was only 46.

But, Jerry claims his death could have easily been prevented -- if officials would have followed proper protocol when dealing with a person they KNEW had a history of suicide attempts.

Lawler's attorney, Jeffrey Rosenblum, tells TMZ Sports ... Brian -- who suffered from depression -- told officers during his 2018 arrest that he had attempted suicide in 2013 and 2015.

But, when Christopher was put in a jail cell for the 2018 arrest, officials at the Hardeman County Sheriff's Dept. made no effort to protect him from himself, Rosenblum says.

Rosenblum says Christopher was attacked by another inmate during his confinement -- and suffered a head injury, left eye gash and a possible concussion. But, Rosenblum says officials refused to get him medical help.

Instead, Lawler was allegedly placed in solitary confinement with his shoes and shoe laces -- and the cell had two large bolts sticking out of a high point on one of the cell walls.

Lawler ultimately used his laces and the bolts to hang himself, Rosenblum says.

Before his death, Rosenblum alleges that Lawler repeatedly cried out for help and screamed that he needed to go to the hospital ... but never received the medical attention he requested.

Rosenblum says the family has filed a lawsuit in the hopes of holding officials accountable -- and any money they are awarded will go toward supporting Brian's son.

He also wants an apology from the Sheriff's Dept. and a court order "requiring Hardeman County to correct their unconstitutional deficiencies so that no other family has to go through what this family has had to endure over the past year."

As for the $3 mil, Rosenblum says that number is for compensatory damages "with an additional award of punitive damages to be determined by the jury for the benefit of Brian’s minor son."

John Cena is fully involved ... fully involved with his girlfriend, Shay Shariatzadeh.

John and Shay could not keep their hands and lips off each other as they dined Friday night at a Tampa restaurant, Ocean Prime.

They've been together since March ... so his former GF, Nikki Bella, is far, far away in his rear view. They broke up almost exactly a year ago. You'll recall, there was a thing over babies ... she wanted one, he didn't, he changed his mind, she wasn't moved by that, etc. etc.

BTW ... Shay is Canadian. She works as a product manager for a tech company in Vancouver.

If you're interested ... they ordered steak, potatoes, salad, a bottle of wine and a chocolate desert. And, get this ... they were at the table for 4 HOURS!!! She was holding his hand a lot and they laughed and talked through the evening.

Baker Mayfield shouldn't be judged based off his drunken arrest in 2017 ... so says Stone Cold Steve Austin, who tells TMZ Sports the Browns QB is a "class act" with a great head on his shoulders.

We spoke with the WWE legend -- who got to hang out with Bake for his new show "Straight Up Steve Austin" -- and says he had a great time with the signal-caller ... noting BM isn't the villain some people make him out to be.

"It was awesome. That kid's got such a presence about him. What a head on his shoulders and the way he puts things into perspective," Austin says.

Of course ... Baker was arrested in Arkansas back in February 2017 ... where he was infamously blasted by a cop who caught him immediately after he tried to run from being questioned.

Austin says that one little action is not who Baker is ... praising the 24-year-old's character during their time together.

"(He) had a little slip up in Arkansas a lot of people like to bring up. Man, that one little action ... this kid is a class act. Super savvy. very alpha. Guys rally around him because he's such a gamer."

"As a young man, boy, I'll tell you what -- he has a lot of composure and a lot of 'it' factor, x factor, very charismatic and very confident."

WWE superstar Jimmy Uso was arrested for driving under the influence near Pensacola, Florida early Thursday morning ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Details surrounding the arrest are unclear but here's what we know so far -- the 33-year-old was booked at 3:04 AM and the charge on the police website says DUI -- driving with an unlawful blood alcohol level.

Unclear what cops say Uso's BAC was at the time of the arrest -- we're working on it.

Cops say Uso -- real name Jonathan Fatu -- is still behind bars. His bond was set at $1,000.

WWE has been in Florida this week -- 'Raw' was in Tampa on Monday, 'Smackdown' was in Miami on Tuesday.

Uso has a history with the law ... back in February, Jimmy was arrested after allegedly getting into a drunken dispute with cops in Detroit. They claim Jimmy "squared up" as if he was going to fight the police. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstruction.

In fact, just on Monday, John Cena clowned Uso's mug shot from his February arrest during 'Raw' ... and Uso was smiling about it.

Uso is WWE royalty -- he's the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi and he's married to WWE superstar Naomi. He's also one half of the famous Uso Brothers tag team with his brother, Jey Uso.

The Uso Brothers are 6-time WWE tag team champs.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wants Hawaii's tallest mountain to be left alone ... joining protests to halt construction of a giant telescope atop Mauna Kea.

The Rock was in Hawaii Wednesday on the 10th day of protests at the base of Mauna Kea ... as natives continue mounting pressure to block the construction of a 30-meter telescope. Dwayne -- who is Samoan but grew up in Honolulu as a child -- told the crowd, "I stand with you."

The issue ... Native Hawaiian groups are concerned the construction will harm a site they consider to be sacred. Construction of the $1.4 billion project was supposed to begin in 2015 but opposition to it was also intense back then ... and the project never broke ground.

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."