WWE

Just 'cause Rob Gronkowski is an NFL player again doesn't mean he's giving up his WWE 24/7 championship belt without a fight -- and he's already eyeing his own coach as a potential threat!!!

Remember, Gronk became the new 24/7 champ after beating up on Mojo Rawley at WrestleMania 36 last month ... pinning his friend to take over the shiny, new belt.

While it seemed like it was the beginning of a full-on career with Vince McMahon's org, the 30-year-old would end up BACK in the NFL weeks later to join his bestie, Tom Brady, on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So ... what's Gronk gonna do with his belt??

HE'S DEFENDING THE DAMN THING, BABY!!!!

Rob joined his brother, Chris, on his "Gronk'd UP" podcast to discuss the status of his championship ... and he makes it clear he's got his eyes peeled for anyone looking to steal his belt -- even Bucs head coach Bruce Arians.

"Imagine coming out of the meeting room, I'm like looking to my left down the hallway ... looking to my right to make sure no one is out of the meetings yet, and then all of a sudden ... Coach Arians just comes out of nowhere with a flying elbow and takes me out and pins me and becomes the 24/7 champ," Gronk says.

"That would be legendary. That would be an honor to lose to him."

Of course, the point of the 24/7 belt is ANYONE can come out of nowhere to try to take it from Gronk ... and he says he's gonna have a huge target on his back once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Gronk even speculates someone could try taking it from him DURING AN NFL GAME ... but he's up to the challenge.

"So many different people coming at me from all angles."

A 7-year-old battling cancer got the surprise of a lifetime Sunday ... John Cena visited the boy for an epic early birthday present -- coronavirus pandemic be damned.

The WWE superstar flew out to Odessa, FL to see the child ... with Cena wearing a mask and gloves to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 while there.

The trip turned out to be an awesome pick-me-up for David Castle, who's battling Wilms tumor, a type of cancer that attacks the kidneys -- because his mom tells WFLA Cena's presence brought the child to tears.

FYI -- Castle's family says the boy's been through A TON since his diagnosis in Oct. 2019, saying, David's "undergone very painful tests, surgery, and long days and nights at the hospital."

But, Cena did his best to take the boy's mind away from his fight ... gifting David with his own personal WWE belt and a bunch of other swag, including autographed T-shirts and armbands.

By the way, Castle's birthday is next week ... which makes Cena's trip an even sweeter one!!

Of course, John's been doing cool visits like this for YEARS ... the guy holds the record for most wishes granted to Make-A-Wish -- with more than 600 total!!!

WWE superstar Becky Lynch is blowing up outside the ring -- even scoring a role on "Billions" ... and tells TMZ Sports she's getting help in Hollywood from some wrestling pals who have been in her shoes!

Lynch's popularity has exploded over the years -- in fact, she's gotten so big, "Billions" creator Brian Koppelman rocked a Lynch t-shirt during a huge media event in 2019.

At the time, Koppelman said he was such a fan, he offered her a standing role on the show if she was interested.

In fact, Lynch says she's always been interested in an acting career -- she earned a degree in theater back in Ireland -- and believes WWE is the PERFECT launching pad!

Guess what?! She was right ... and when she followed up, he kept his word!

"You never know if people are gonna come through with these things, but he did and they did. I'm on the season premiere," Lynch tells TMZ Sports.

"When you're in WWE, everything is one take. You're live in front of the entire world and you don't really have the time to mess up and if you do mess up, you have to make the best of it."

"It's like this crazy amazing improv where you're also kinda the director, producer, actor, writer of your own character. So, I think it really just sets you up with a skill set that's unprecedented in any other field."

She's not wrong ... wrestlers like The Rock, John Cena, Dave Bautista and others have credited WWE with helping them blow up on the big screen and Lynch says they've gone out of their way to help her make the jump too!

"[The Rock has] actually he's been very helpful in guiding me," Lynch says.

"He's just being very giving and I think they all are because they've all been there and they're all ready to look after the next generation."

"Cena's also been so great to me and so generous with his time and his advice, checks up on me on what I'm doing now. I think everybody wants to see the next generation move to where they've been, ya know?!"

Lynch says she's got some huge projects in the pipeline -- some super-secret stuff -- but don't worry about her bolting from WWE any time soon.

WWE Superstar Jeff Hardy says he personally called WWE and asked for help the day before his recent DWI arrest ... admitting he knew something was wrong and wanted to change.

Remember, 42-year-old Hardy was busted for drunk driving on Oct. 3 ... adding to his history of several alcohol and drug-related arrests throughout his career.

The Charismatic Enigma opened up about his struggles with the "After The Bell" podcast with Corey Graves this week ... revealing how going to inpatient rehab for the first time helped him face his issues head-on.

"I’ve learned so much in recovery ... just little things like one day at a time, just focus on today, not drinking or not drugging and just calling my sponsor every day and talking to another alcoholic man."

Hardy got candid about his conversation with Vince McMahon's org before his DWI, saying, "I called WWE and said, ‘I need help. I need treatment. There’s something wrong with me, with this alcohol thing.'"

Now, Hardy is focused on staying clean and sober ... and hopes that keeps him out of handcuffs.

"There’s something powerful about it when you admit what you are and you can like, own that ... and there’s a huge piece in my heart and my mind knowing that if I never drink again, I’m never going to get into any other trouble."

Gov. Ron DeSantis is bragging about opening up sports in FL -- and believes fans might be able to attend events as early as June!!

While speaking to the media about the state's plan to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic, DeSantis talked about how sports are a huge priority for him ... starting with pro wrestling.

"I helped recruit," DeSantis said ... "I wanted the wrestling to be filmed in Orlando. I’d like them to do WrestleMania. They were going to do WrestleMania in April. That was hundreds of millions of dollars. I want to keep that good relationship. I want them to invest in Florida."

DeSantis also mentioned UFC 249 taking place in Jacksonville on may 9 -- noting, "There's not going to be any fans but I think that's going to be a good event for people."

As for golf ... "I work with Phil Mickelson so they have what they need for that Tiger Woods match."

Event officials have not formally announced the venue for that match, but DeSantis is obviously lobbying hard for a course in FL.

As for baseball ... DeSantis says he's "hearing" it's coming back soon and obviously wants games in Florida.

"I think that's going to be exciting for a lot of people and I just think there are going to be a lot of possibilities. So, let's just be resourceful and creative."

And fans? DeSantis is optimistic fans will be able to watch live sports again in his state in a matter of months.

"I do think if the trends are good as you get into June-July. I think there is a window to have some fans. You’re not going to have everyone packed in."

"But man, in 90-degree weather in the state of Florida ... if you're out there and someone's 10 feet away from you and you want to watch a ball game or something? You may be able to do that."

This. Is. AWESOME!!!

WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre is showing major love for a real-life hero on his 100th birthday ... honoring Captain Tom Moore with his very own championship belt!!

Of course, Capt. Tom -- who served as an officer for the British Army in WWII -- went viral earlier this month when he set out to raise 1,000 pounds for the National Health Service by doing laps around his garden.

Turns out, Capt. Tom raised WAY more than that ... raking in a whopping 29.2 MILLION pounds (over $36 mil!!) for COVID-19 relief.

Drew -- fresh off his HUGE WrestleMania36 win over Brock Lesnar -- decided to show thanks for Cap's contributions throughout his life by sending a super bad-ass commemorative belt for his 100th birthday!!

"As WWE Champion it is my honor, on behalf of @WWE, to celebrate the 100th birthday and extraordinary achievements of @CaptainTomMoore with a personalized WWE title," the Scottish superstar said.

"Happy birthday sir, and thank you. #WalkWithTom #CaptainTomMoore."

On top of the awesome belt, Tom has received thousands of cards for his big day, which goes down on April 30th.

So cool. Shout-out to all involved.

Wanna own real live dirt The Undertaker used to bury A.J. Styles at Wrestlemania 36???

Better act fast because the WWE has collected the soil and put it up for sale -- and we're told it's already in super-high demand!!

If ya missed it ... 55-year-old Undertaker beat Styles in an epic "Boneyard Match" at Mania back on April 4 -- which featured the two wrestling stars fighting it out in a cemetery.

Now, to commemorate the tilt, WWE is selling real dirt from the night ... and the piece is actually pretty sick.

The memorabilia features a plaque with photos from the evening as well as a capsule full of the historic Earth that Styles was ultimately buried under.

WWE is listing the items for $74.99 a pop ... and is limiting quantities to just 536 total.

One source tells us ... "Demand is strong and it's already a top-selling item" on the official WWE online shop.

Of course, while it is just dirt ... WWE mementos tend to age pretty well -- some of the game-used items from iconic wrestlers in the past have sold for thousands!!

Forget boxers vs. briefs ... John Cena rocks a BANANA HAMMOCK in his real day-to-day life because he likes the way it fits.

Yep.

The WWE superstar was doing an interview/photo shoot with Men's Journal when he changed clothes between shots right in front of the reporter ... revealing his "hot pink" banana hammock thong.

As the reporter put it ... "Picture just some poor spandex holding on for dear life."

When the reporter asked 43-year-old Cena if that was his usual underwear (and not some special piece for the photo shoot), John confirmed that he's a hammock man, through and through.

"It is [my underwear] ... More for the fit, less for the color."

Hey, if it works for you!!!

Naturally, we did some digging ... that's what we do ... and found out this wasn't just a one-off.

Cena famously rocked a black banana hammock thong during a WWE segment back in the day ... while admitting he has a "thing" with nudity.

"I really honestly don't know my thing with nudity," Cena said ... "It got to be like a joke. Like, I could use it to ease a situation up. There would be some tension and I would get naked. And, people would be like, 'Alright it's not that bad."

Howard Finkel -- one of the most famous announcers in the history of pro wrestling -- has died, WWE confirms. He was 69.

Details surrounding his death are unclear at the moment.

The Fink (as he was lovingly called) had been ring announcing since 1977 -- when he was hired by Vince McMahon, Sr. for the WWE's predecessor, WWWF.

He became a full-time staffer in 1979 and went on to become WWE's longest-serving employee.

Besides that famous voice, Fink was involved in a bunch of WWE storylines over the years involving superstars like Mr. Perfect, The Million Dollar Man, CM Punk and more.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

"WWE extends its condolences to Finkel's family, friends and fans," the org. said in a statement.

Stephanie McMahon also weighed in -- saying, "In what has already been a tough week for our @WWE family, today we lost our 1st ever employee and WWE Hall of Famer, @howardfinkel."

"Howard’s voice is iconic & recognized by generations of fans. He will be missed. #RIPHowardFinkel Thank you for everything."

RIP, Fink.

Imagine having twins ... TWICE!!!

That's the reality for WWE superstar Roman Reigns who just revealed his wife Galina is pregnant with twins -- for the second time!

Roman and Galina already have 3 kids -- including a set of twin boys who were born in 2016.

But during an interview with Muscle & Fitness, Roman dropped the big news ... their fam is growing again in a big way!

"You have 3 kids?" the interviewer asked.

"3 with 2 in the oven," Roman answered ... "So, I'm looking to be a Papa Bear of 5! Breaking news! We haven't shared that."

First, CONGRATS!!!

Second, HOLY MOLY THAT'S A LOT OF KIDS!!!

By the way, the odds of having twins naturally is reportedly 1 in every 250 births -- so, in a way, they kinda hit the jackpot twice!

On the other hand, that's a LOT of poopy diapers.

No word on when the kids are due.

Worth noting ... Reigns notably pulled out of WrestleMania 36 just weeks before the April 4 event -- and even though it seemed the decision was based on his health due to prior bouts with leukemia, it now seems the pregnancy may have also played a role.

"You don't know the whole story," Reigns said in a video posted on March 30 ... "All you know is what you think, 'Oh well his health' and this and that, but you don't know what else is going on in my life."

Booker T is putting Ronda Rousey on blast for her "fake" WWE comments ... saying the remarks were a "slap in the face" to everybody in the org. -- and he wants her to say sorry, ASAP.

"It really is a slap in the face," the wrestling legend said on his 'Hall Of Fame' podcast this week. "And, I just think Ronda, she needs to apologize first and foremost."

If you missed it ... Rousey went scorched earth last week reflecting on her time in the WWE -- blasting her fans as "ungrateful" and calling her wrestling matches "fake fights."

When asked about Ronda's words this week, Booker T was downright appalled ... saying he couldn't believe the former UFC star would say that after everything the wrestling company gave her.

"To slap all those ladies in the face that made her look so good after receiving that check from this 'fake' business," Booker T said, "a check that, like I said, being put in a position where she was the women’s champion, she was in the main event at WrestleMania, that speaks volumes."

Booker's biggest gripe with Rousey is that her colleagues fought tooth-and-nail to make her look good in her first year in the biz ... even though they were more deserving of the praise.

"There are so many ladies in that locker room that really work really, really hard, work their asses off to actually get to that spot, like a Nia Jax, that never had got that kind of praise since she’s been there," Booker T said.

"And, then someone walk from outside, inside to this world and get it. It really is a slap in the face."

Jerry "The King" Lawler is on his way to Orlando, Florida for Monday's episode of 'Raw' ... despite having serious health issues in the past.

The 70-year-old legend is a staple on 'Raw' -- but considering his age and the fact he had a heart attack on the air in 2012, you wouldn't think he'd be game for shooting a live ep during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But, alas, Lawler packed his stuff and got on the plane Monday morning -- and even cracked jokes about being the only traveler at the airport.

"Not many people flying today," Lawler tweeted ... "I called the airline and said, "What time does your flight to Orlando leave?" They said, 'What time can you be here?'"

WWE says they are taking all sorts of precautions to keep everyone safe -- including medical screenings for everyone who enters the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

As we previously reported, a WWE on-air talent tested positive for coronavirus after WrestleMania 36 but the org. says they believe the person caught it from frontline medical workers AFTER the taping.