WWE

Insane scene in the squared circle Wednesday ... Mike Tyson kicked off a benches-clearing brawl by shoving Chris Jericho -- and UFC star Henry Cejudo was in the middle of it all!!

The fracas all went down toward the end of AEW Dynamite in Jacksonville, Fla. ... when Jericho called out Iron Mike for betraying him during a WWE match back in 2010.

Chris demanded Tyson apologize ... but Mike -- whose in-ring entourage included Cejudo and other MMA stars Vitor Belfort and Rashad Evans -- was having none of it.

Tyson straight up mocked Jericho ... ripped off his shirt, and taunted the guy right to his face!!

Then, Mike shoved Chris ... Chris pushed back -- AND ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!!!

We know ... it's scripted ... BUT IT'S AWESOME!!!

Check out the footage, the melee featured damn near every wrestler in the building -- with Cejudo, Evans and Belfort all mixing it up too!!

Eventually, Tyson and Jericho were restrained ... with the help of Cejudo and the other MMA stars -- but it all begs the question, is this the return to the ring Tyson's been teasing?!

As we previously reported, Mike's been training like a mad man and has said he wants to return to boxing for charity ... and is even open to a rematch with Evander Holyfield.

But, Iron Mike's now played a role in TWO AEW storylines the last few days -- remember, he got on the mat Saturday night for a Pay-per-view event -- so, could this be a legit future for the boxing legend as well???

As for Cejudo ... he retired from the UFC this month -- and a TON of MMA stars like Ronda Rousey and Ken Shamrock have made the leap to pro wrestling in their post-fight careers.

There is NO bad blood between WWE and Ronda Rousey -- so says Triple H who says he'll welcome her back in a heartbeat ... "as soon as she's ready."

"Of course, we want her. Of course, we do! One of the greatest performers for us ever," Triple H tells TMZ Sports.

It seemed Ronda pulled the ripcord on her WWE career back in April saying she refused to dedicate her whole life for some "f*cking ungrateful" fans.

Ronda also complained about the grind of being a pro wrestler -- and then seemingly took some shots on Twitter at WWE stars, Alexa Bliss and Lana.

That's a wrap, right? Not so fast ...

We spoke with WWE exec Triple H who tells us he's definitely NOT closing the door on reconciliation with Ronda ... but understands she needs a break.

"I think Ronda's in a place in her personal life where she's figuring some things out," Triple H says.

"But, the thing with Ronda is you never know what she is saying. Is she attacking the business really or is she attacking the business because she knows that's what will light up the fans that love the business?"

Triple H went on to RAVE about Ronda's skills and work ethic -- telling us she picked up pro wrestling faster than ANYONE he's ever seen ... including Kurt Angle.

Bottom line ...

Former WWE star Shad Gaspard was honored Friday during a sunset memorial at the site where he tragically died.

Shad's wife, Siliana, invited lots of friends and family, along with some of his many fans, to pay homage where the beloved star drowned last weekend, after heroically directing lifeguards to help his 10-year-old son out of the churning waters of Venice Beach. Shad's body was found 3 days later.

Shad was universally liked ... a genuinely good man who died a hero.

RIP

Did you know ... The Rock's signature move -- THE PEOPLE'S ELBOW -- was created as a joke to make Undertaker laugh?

It's true ... according to Triple H who's giving us the hilarious origin story for one of the most iconic finishing moves in pro wrestling history.

Triple H says guys like The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Mick Foley and more would try like hell to get 'Taker to break character during live matches.

Undertaker famously took the role so seriously, he's like the Daniel Day-Lewis of pro wrestling ... you could NEVER get him to crack.

But, during a 6-Man Tag Team match back in the day, Triple H says ... Dwayne Johnson tried out something new and goofy in the hopes to make The Dead Man smile.

"I believe the first time Rock did The People's Elbow was in a match where we were tryna make 'Taker crack," Triple H says.

"It absolutely started [as a joke] and then it was getting huge reaction and everybody went with it."

Of course, The Rock LOVED the attention from the move -- and grew it from there.

CAN YOU SMELLLLLLL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKIN?!!?

Triple H -- who's a key figure in the new WWE docu-series "Undertaker: The Last Ride" (airs Sunday on WWE Network) -- says he's got a TON of great 'Taker stories that he reveals on the show.

... including 'Taker's hatred of cucumbers?! YEP!!

"Shad was one of those guys that everybody loved."

That's Triple H telling TMZ Sports why the death of former WWE superstar Shad Gaspard is such a huge loss ... explaining, "He was just a great human being."

Of course, Shad began his relationship with WWE in 2002 when he tried out for the "Tough Enough 2" reality show.

He busted his ass and earned a WWE contract in 2005 -- eventually making the big stage in early 2006.

He ultimately parted ways with WWE in 2010 but Triple H says they had a good relationship ... and even chatted just a few months ago.

"Just the greatest guy," Triple H said ... "So nice."

The WWE exec also said the fact he died while trying to save his 10-year-old son "tells you everything you need to know about the guy."

Gaspard was declared missing on May 17 after he was caught in a riptide during a swim with his son in Marina del Rey.

Rescuers were able to pull his son out of the water, but they were unable to save Shad. His body was found on May 20.

Triple H says WWE honored Shad on Wednesday's 'NXT' show -- but he believes there will be another tribute on "Friday Night Smackdown."

The L.A. County Coroner has identified the body found on L.A.'s Venice Beach as ex-WWE superstar Shad Gaspard ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The body was first seen on the beach by a citizen who called cops around 1:30 AM Wednesday ... according to our law enforcement sources. We're told officers responded and recovered the body right near Venice Pier.

A short time later, several people (we're told family members and close friends) gathered at the beach.

They were hugging, talking and crying. At one point, some of the people waded into the water.

The L.A. Fire Department held a news conference Wednesday morning, saying the body matches the description of Shad ... a 6'6" black male over 240 lbs.

As we first reported, he went missing on Sunday afternoon when a group of swimmers, including Shad and his son, Aryeh, got caught in a rip current south of the Pier.

Shad heroically told lifeguards to focus on getting his 10-year-old son to shore safely, but when they returned he'd gone under.

Police and Coast Guard boats and divers searched the rough water for nearly 2 days before suspending their efforts.

Shad loved hanging out at the beach, and less than 2 weeks ago he'd posted a heartwarming vid walking through the sand and surf with Aryeh. Shad wrote, "Love the life I built for my self and my family."

He was one-half of the popular WWE tag team, Cryme Time, along with his partner, JTG.

He was also a regular at the legendary Gold's Gym in Venice, and as we learned firsthand ... a truly great guy.

Shad is survived by his wife Siliana and their son.

He was 39.

RIP

We all thought it ... but now some confirmation -- Dennis Rodman intentionally went after Karl Malone during the 1998 NBA Playoffs to help push a pro wrestling storyline involving both NBA stars.

... this according to former WCW president Eric Bischoff.

Remember, Rodman famously slapped Malone on the ass during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Bulls vs. Jazz.

Of course, both NBA stars would clash at the WCW pay-per-view event, "Bash at the Beach," just a short time later ... begging the question, was the in-game altercation scripted beforehand?

The answer ... sort of.

Bischoff admits he encouraged Rodman to mix it up with Malone -- but not in any way that would affect the outcome of the game.

"Now, what I said to Dennis, not to Karl was, 'Hey Dennis, if anything were to happen off court while there's a timeout, while there's no gameplay ... so that the feud between Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman is real, on a kind of a 360-degree basis, not just what happens on our TV show,' that wouldn't piss me off at all."

In other words, Bischoff says he didn't give a direct order -- but didn't talk Dennis out of it either.

Bischoff also tells TMZ Sports he made sure both his boss at Turner Sports and the NBA knew that the Rodman vs. Malone story "didn't interrupt the gameplay."

Bischoff says he LOVED how it all played out during the game -- "I chuckled like a little kid because it accomplished so much."

"As a wrestling producer, to be able to create a moment ... that played out on a platform so huge as the NBA playoffs was really satisfying."

So, how did the wrestling match turn out?

Rodman and Hollywood Hulk Hogan went on to defeat Malone and Diamond Dallas Page in a tag-team match.

The situation was featured on the ESPN docuseries, "Last Dance" -- which also touched on the time Rodman skipped out in a Bulls practice between Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals to appear live on WCW Nitro.

"I certainly didn't expect Dennis to skip practice and participate in Nitro," Bischoff says ... "That decision was all Dennis."

Officials are desperately searching for ex-WWE superstar Shad Gaspard -- after he went missing during a swim at Venice Beach on Sunday with his 10-year-old son.

Gaspard and his son were among a group of swimmers caught in a strong rip current around 4 PM -- with lifeguards racing into the water to pull everyone out.

Gaspard's son was rescued -- but the 39-year-old pro wrestler has not been located.

One official working with the L.A. Fire Dept. told media they believe the 39-year-old "did submerge."

Divers were sent to scour the area. Helicopters were searching from above.

One witness at the scene tells us ... when lifeguards raced into the ocean, Gaspard directed rescuers to help his son first, which they did.

During the rescue, we're told another big wave crashed down on Gaspard -- and that's the last time he was seen.

We're told the photo of Shad officials are using in the search (included in this post) was taken earlier Sunday, before the incident.

Shad was at the beach that day with his wife and their 10-year-old son.

Gaspard was a big star with WWE back in the day -- making up one half of the tag team Cryme Time with his partner, JTG.

Outside of pro wrestling, Gaspard made headlines in 2016 when he stopped an armed robbery in Florida.

In fact, Shad came on the "TMZ Sports" TV show to talk about it and couldn't have been a nicer guy.

This is heartbreaking -- Shad Gaspard was hanging at the beach with his son and shared how blessed he felt about life ... just days before the former WWE star went missing during a swim with his kid.

Gaspard posted a few photos of his 10-year-old boy -- along with a clip of them walking together by the ocean -- on May 6, and wrote ... "Love the life I built for my self and my family."

It's pretty clear ... Shad and his son enjoy spending some quality time together at the beach.

Sadly, as TMZ Sports first reported ... Gaspard went missing Sunday afternoon after he and his boy were among a group of swimmers who got caught in a strong rip current at Venice Beach in L.A.

Lifeguards were able to rescue the boy after Shad directed them to his son first, but the 39-year-old ex-pro wrestler reportedly submerged after a wave crashed on him ... and hasn't been seen since.

Officials are still scouring the area looking for Gaspard, and shared a photo of him taken earlier in the day in hopes he will be found.

Mark Henry has a warning for ex-WWE wrestler Lio Rush ... stop defaming me, or my (Harvard educated) lawyers are going to file a lawsuit against your ass!!

Let's explain ... earlier this week, Rush -- who was recently released by WWE -- fired off a barrage of Tweets attacking the Hall of Famer.

Rush accused Henry of torpedoing black wrestlers' careers, writing ... "This is why African American talent on the biggest platform will continue to not have equal opportunity because people like you constantly tear your own people down. A damn shame honestly.”

TMZ Sports talked to an extremely upset Mark Henry ... who says Rush's comments are straight-up nonsense.

"If you go down to the performance center at NXT, probably 25 I think, people of color in the facility, probably about 80 plus percent of them I helped get them there. I mean, it's completely opposite."

So, if it ain't true, why'd Rush write what he did?

Mark tells us Lio's clout chasing ... using his name and fame to promote his music career.

"He knew that I get a lot of attention. I have a lot of followers and he released the album, or song, or something, and he wanted to use that to get some attention. Get some buzz," Henry says.

Mark's adamant if Rush would've just asked for help, he would've plugged his music -- no problem -- but what he did instead was wayyy out of bounds.

"If he would've called me, I would've done it anyway. We would've just worked it. I would of really talked it up, we would of made world news, but now he said something slanderous."

"And, you can't question my blackness. Like nobody can question my blackness, pull my black card. No, not allowed. Nobody."

Mark's so mad ... he tells us he's seriously considering filing a lawsuit.

"My lawyer went to Harvard. I don't know what kinda lawyers he's dealing with, but I got those Ivy League people around me, and they're pissed!"

But, there is one thing Lio Rush can do before he finds his ass in a courtroom ... say sorry, and really mean it.

Vince McMahon claims ex-XFL commissioner Oliver Luck "abandoned" his duties when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March ... and that's one of the main reasons Vince fired him, according to court documents.

Remember, Oliver Luck sued Vince McMahon back in April, claiming he was wrongfully terminated from his role as the commish and CEO of the XFL on April 9.

In his initial court docs, Luck redacted many of the details behind his allegations.

But now, Vince's attorney has filed his own court docs spelling out the reasons McMahon axed Luck. The details have now been made public.

First, McMahon claims Luck "effectively abandoned his responsibilities" on March 13 by shutting down the XFL offices in Connecticut ... and instead, working from home in Indiana.

McMahon claims Luck failed to "devote substantially all of his business time to his XFL duties as required by the contract."

Second, McMahon claims Luck approved signing ex-NFL receiver Antonio Callaway without first getting approval from Vince.

By the way, Callaway had previously been suspended by the NFL for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. McMahon claims he ordered Luck to cut Callaway immediately -- but Luck refused.

Luck's argument, according to court docs, is that Callaway didn't violate the XFL's personal conduct policy.

Third, McMahon claims Luck misused an XFL-issued iPhone -- using the phone for personal reasons when it was supposed to be exclusively used for work.

For his part, Luck claims McMahon's allegations are bogus and he's digging in his heels on the argument he was wrongfully terminated.

As for the COVID-19 allegation, Luck claims he simply couldn't return to Connecticut because the state had implemented a stay-at-home order on March 20, and he adhered by the mandate.

Luck claims he did everything he could to continue doing his job while sheltering-in-place.

Luck is demanding $23.8 million in salary and damages. He had signed a 5-year contract in 2018 with a $5 million annual salary and a $2 million bonus.

Congratulations are in order for Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins -- the WWE Superstars are expecting their first child together!!!

"The Man" made the huge announcement on Monday Night Raw just minutes ago ... saying she's relinquishing her women's championship belt to prepare for the little one's arrival.

"Tonight is no ordinary night for me," Lynch said. "I'm torn between joy and sadness, 'cause I'm at a place in my life where things are about to change and I needed to do something about it."

"I have to go away for a while."

Asuka -- who just won Money In The Bank Sunday night -- will now hold the belt, which Lynch revealed was in the locked briefcase all along.

"The match last night was actually for the Raw Women's Championship."

"You go and be a warrior, 'cause I'm gonna go be a mother," a highly emotional Lynch said to Asuka.

Lynch and Rollins have been dating since early 2019 ... and got engaged in August during a romantic beachfront proposal.

As we previously reported, Lynch is also kick-starting an acting career -- she's had a role on "Billions" and has John Cena and The Rock in her corner as mentors ... so we take it she'll still be busy in the meantime.

But, don't get it twisted -- Lynch is hoping to get back to the squared circle ASAP so she can get her belt back ... 'cause she's truly a badass.

Two of the baddest tag teams in WWE -- the Street Profits and Viking Raiders -- can't stop arguing over who's the best ... so they took their trash talk to the ring BASKETBALL COURT!!!

Is this a scripted bit? Absolutely.

Is it still hilarious? Yup!!

If you don't know the (gimmick) backstory ... the Profits and the Raiders have a pretty intense rivalry both inside and outside the ring.

The Raiders believe they're just better at things like "Ax tossing, Feast Eating, Boat Rowing, Combat, Cartwheels, and People Tossing."

So, how did things go down when they squared up on the basketball court? Horrible for the Raiders!

Both Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins looked like the Harlem Globetrotters with the way they were clowning Erik and Ivar ... and hitting some really impressive shots in the process.

Ford even hot a half-court shot straight out of Dude Perfect!

Full game airs tonight on WWE's Monday Night Raw -- where we'll find out if the Raiders can mount a 4th quarter comeback after falling behind 55-0.

TMZ Sports has obtained the police report from the Alberto Del Rio arrest ... and it's very disturbing.

The accuser told police Del Rio exploded on her on May 3 in San Antonio, Texas -- accusing her of cheating on him with other men.

The accuser -- who cops say only speaks Spanish -- says Del Rio smashed her cell phone, her laptop and attempted to burn her passport in an attack that started at around 10 p.m. on May 3 and lasted until around 2:30 p.m. on May 4.

The woman also claims Del Rio attacked her, causing multiple injuries and left her, "feeling woozy and dizzy from the hits to her head."

There's more ... the accuser also claims Del Rio choked her and at one point "shoved a sock into her mouth, to keep [her] quiet."

The woman says, "When the sock was in her mouth, she could not breathe."

During the incident, the woman claims Del Rio also sexually assaulted her with his penis and other body parts. The woman is adamant she did NOT consent to sexual activity with Del Rio.

The woman told police that she is afraid of Del Rio and had planned on leaving the city as soon as possible.

The responding officer says he saw "multiple bruises" on the accuser's face, arms, legs and neck.

Del Rio -- real name Jose Rodriguez Chucuan -- was arrested for domestic violence and aggravated sexual assault. According to his booking sheet, the 42-year-old is listed at 6'4", 240 pounds. The accuser is 5'5", 132 pounds.

Del Rio was a WWE superstar from 2009 until 2016, winning the WWE championship, the 2011 Royal Rumble, and more. He's also an MMA fighter, who recently lost to Tito Ortiz in December 2019.

James Harrison might be the only man in America who wasn't surprised to see Rob Gronkowski return to the NFL -- he tells TMZ Sports he knew a Gronk comeback was in the works since at least November!!!

The former Steelers star says he and the future Hall of Fame tight end filmed a TV ad together more than six months ago ... and he could tell then Rob was gearing up to play again.

"I knew then that he was going to come back," Harrison says. "He was talking about it. He was itching then. He was feeling a lot better."

Harrison says taking 2019 off allowed Rob's body to heal up ... so Harrison could see the writing for a return on the wall.

But, James admits he NEVER saw Tampa Bay coming ... "because of course Tom [Brady] wasn’t there at the time, but once he got there it was like, 'Yeah, it makes sense.'"

As for Tom's departure from New England ... James says he WAS surprised to see his former teammate leave the Pats!!!

By the way, James is finding success in life after football ... he's set to have a role on Starz's new wrestling drama "Heels" -- and he says it's got him thinking about a possible WWE future!

He's been sliced and diced more times than a bad guy in a 'Wolverine' movie ... and now, Hulk Hogan is showing the world his battle scars from his 10 surgeries!!

"10 surgeries you can hang a MAC truck from my back and I’ll still take the whole WWE roster on brother," the 66-year-old said.

He's also showing off the "Immortal" tattoo he got around 2011.

Hulk's back issues have been well documented -- he started going under the knife back in 2009 after suffering extreme pain from all those years in the ring.

In fact, Hogan described in great detail all of the damage his body has endured from wrestling when he appeared on "OBJECTified" with Harvey Levin."

"I've had 17 surgeries over the last 10 years," Hogan said ... "My knees are fake, hips are fake, back is full of metal and part of my face is full of metal."

"I didn't get the memo about the fake wrestling,:" Hogan joked ... noting the physical punishment is VERY real.

Hogan even showed off teethmarks in his finger -- the result of a wrestling match from decades ago.

Hogan's most recent procedure took place at the end of 2019 ... and despite being told he would likely be out of the gym for 4 to 6 months, Hogan was able to lift again after 7 weeks!

Hogan hasn't wrestled since 2013 -- when he appeared in a match for "TNA Wrestling." He's talked about wanting his final match to take place in a WWE ring ... but so far, no word on if that will actually happen.