WWE

WWE superstar Matt Riddle is acknowledging he had an affair with pro wrestler Candy Cartwright -- but adamantly denies her sexual assault allegations in a new video.

"I’m gonna make this quick. I have never in my entire life sexually assaulted a man, woman or anybody," Riddle said ... "And that includes Samantha Tavel (aka Candy Cartwright). I never sexually assaulted you."

As we previously reported, Cartwright -- a pro wrestler on the indy circuit -- claimed Riddle forced her to perform oral sex on him during a 2018 van ride with other wrestlers.

Riddle says the allegations are BS.

"The story about that van trip, and the driver being asleep, and me forcing you to do stuff and hop on whatever is a complete lie. It’s a fabricated story because you’re still mad."

Riddle says Cartwright is upset because "we had an affair" -- which he then broke off.

"It’s embarrassing because I feel like a real piece of crap cheating on my wife and doing that, and now having to talk about it publicly."

"We had a relationship. We had a fling. I started to get sad and depressed because I was lying to my wife so much to hide what I was doing. I was lying to all my friends because I didn’t want anybody to know, because it’s not something cool. I didn’t want to brag about it. I tried to end it."

"I told my wife about you and us. I tried to end it. I blocked you, I blocked your social media."

Riddle claims Cartwright tried to continue the relationship despite his efforts to stop it -- and claims she couldn't handle the rejection so she made-up allegations about him.

"At the end of the day, I’m not perfect. I did have an affair, and I’m not happy about it. But, I never sexually abused anybody, I never sexually assaulted anybody. And when I wanted to get out of this relationship, out of this situation, she said no and she kept pursuing me and harassing me and stalking me. And then, when she didn’t get her way, she used the Speak Out movement to try to ruin my career."

Turns out, Hulk Hogan is even more of a physical specimen than a superhero -- 'cause Chris Hemsworth is beefing up beyond God of Thunder size to play the legendary wrestler.

Chris says he has to get more jacked than ever for the upcoming biopic ... and that includes all the 'Thor' flicks, where CH already resembled a Norse god.

Chris told Total Film ... "As you can imagine, the preparation for the role will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor." He added, "There is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude."

It's supposed to be a full-blown transformation, and BTW ... Chris said he'd probably be balding in the movie.  Of course ... he'll also be sporting Hulk's iconic 'stache.

The movie tracks HH as he skyrocketed to wrestling fame in the 1980s. As wrestling fans know ... Hulk transformed the sport into family-friendly entertainment and the popularity of professional wrestling exploded.

All Elite Wrestling has suspended one of its biggest stars without pay for saying he wanted to "rape" a female WWE superstar during a 2016 interview.

Sammy Guevara -- known as Chris Jericho's protege -- appeared on the "Raw's 4th Hour" podcast back in '16 and said, "Sasha Banks ... when I was at the WWE the other week I wanted to go f**king rape that woman."

The comments resurfaced this week -- and now his bosses at AEW have decided to take action.

"Effective immediately, Sammy is suspended without pay until further notice," AEW said in a statement.

"Sammy has agreed to undergo extensive sensitivity training and, upon completion, his future status within the company will be reevaluated. During his suspension, his salary will be donated to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville."

Sasha Banks has also spoken out ... saying she recently had an "open discussion" with Sammy about his comments and apologized.

"Words like the comments he made, jokingly or not, have absolutely no place in our society! I don’t condone or tolerate this kind of behavior. "

Banks added, "What one thinks is just a side comment can have a massive impact on someone else’s life, and can send the wrong message."

"We have to hold ourselves accountable for our actions and the words we say, and I hope the situation shows him that."

Sammy is also speaking out publicly -- saying, "I've made stupid, inappropriate and extremely offensive comments in my past."

"I am truly sorry for my hurtful words and actions, and I will never forgive myself."

WWE superstar Matt Riddle says allegations he sexually assaulted a female wrestler in 2018 are "completely false" ... claiming the accuser is an obsessed, delusional liar.

The woman behind the allegation is Candy Cartwright -- who is a pro wrestler on the indy circuit.

Cartwright levied some heavy claims against 34-year-old Riddle on Twitter this week -- describing an alleged 2018 incident when the two were on the road with other performers.

"During the van ride, when the 3 other wrestlers had fallen asleep, Matt asked me to 'hop on his d***.'"

"When I refused (although we had previously been together I was incredibly uncomfortable in that setting) When I said no, he grabbed me by my throat, choked me and said 'what if I just made you?'"

Cartright says she ultimately performed oral sex on Riddle "to get out of having intercourse with him. It was incredibly humiliating."

She added, "It is never ok to put your hands on a woman, it's also not ok to not listen when she says no."

Unclear if Cartwright ever went to police with the allegations. She says she was inspired to speak out by other "brave women" who have come forward about sexual misconduct claims.

But, Riddle, through his attorney, is calling BS on the whole thing.

"The allegations by this independent female performer are completely false and another attempt to harass and humiliate Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and to try to tarnish their reputation in the community," attorney Daniel Rose says.

Rose says the Riddles believe Cartwright has had an unhealthy obsession with Matt for at least the past 2 years.

WWE has also issued a statement on Riddle saying, "We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter."

The org. added, "Individuals are responsible for their own personal actions. WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault."

"Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated. WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE.”

Jason Derulo is feeling accomplished -- and full -- after eating 20 burgers in 2 hours ... and now he's challenging The Rock to a hot dog eating showdown on the Fourth of July!!!

The "Cats" star and "Swalla" singer just set the stage for what could be the biggest celebrity culinary face-off of all time ... calling out The Rock and prematurely declaring victory if they go dog-for-dog on Independence Day.

Jason's fresh off a pretty impressive start ... he challenged himself to eat 22 burgers in 2 hours to celebrate reaching 22 million followers on TikTok -- yes, this is what goes down on the app.

While Jason came up a little short on his burger binge -- eating 20 burgers instead of the full plate of 22 -- he says it made him realize he could be a pretty darn good competitive eater.

Jason's got his work cut out for him -- The Rock is known for his epic cheat meals when he's not getting shredded in the gym -- but he says one of his hidden talents is his massive appetite. Gotta feed that anaconda!!!

IT'S ALL OVER, BABY!!!

Rob Gronkowski's run as WWE's 24/7 champion came to a screeching halt on Monday -- when he was pinned by R-Truth while shooting a TikTok video.

Yep, that's a real sentence.

Gronk -- who won the belt at WrestleMania 36 back in April -- has since unretired from football and signed a contract with the Tampa bay Buccaneers. So, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before someone else took his WWE belt.

And, that time came on "Raw" ... while Gronk and his pal Goon began to shoot their TikTok, R-Truth was waiting in the yard while disguised as a gardener.

Suddenly, Goon unzipped his shirt -- revealing an official WWE referee uniform -- and R-Truth came firing in for a surprise pin.

1, 2, 3 -- it's over!!!

"You gotta be serious man," Goon said after he counted Gronk out ... "You got a new career starting! You're with the Bucs now!"

As for R-Truth ... this is the 36th time he's won the 24/7 belt!!!

Great news for Daniel Cormier ... the UFC star doesn't have to worry about career options after he retires from MMA, because the WWE sounds VERY interested!

Triple H -- one of the top execs at WWE -- tells TMZ Sports he LOVES everything about D.C. ... and thinks he would EASILY cross over into pro wrestling.

In fact, HHH says the two have already talked about a possible gig ... but ONLY if it won't conflict with his UFC deal.

"I love Daniel. We've obviously talked a lot in the past. We've had conversations about him doing stuff with us in the past whether that's in-ring or whether that's commentary or doing different things."

"I think we'd love to do something with him if the time is right -- obviously, respectful to UFC and to Dana and everything else."

"We'd love to chat with him and we have an open relationship as far as communication so I'm sure shortly we will when he figures out what he wants to do."

41-year-old Cormier has repeatedly said he has 1 fight left in him in the UFC and then he'll retire -- but so far, no fight date has been set. He's hoping to get his rematch with Stipe Miocic sometime this year.

There's more ... Triple H also talks about Conor McGregor possibly joining the McMahon family business somewhere down the line.

"I think that Conor McGregor versus Vince McMahon with that Billion Dollar Walk on the line?! I mean, I think that's a match made in heaven!"

And, don't forget about Rob Gronkowski -- the reigning WWE 24/7 champ.

Will he be able to defend his belt now that he's back in the NFL?

"It's on the line 24/7," Triple H says ... "You might end up seeing him score a touchdown, spike the ball, get rolled up and drop the title ... who knows?!"

Triple H even kicks around the idea of Tom Brady taking the title from Gronk!!

"I mean, geez. He throws the bomb, Gronk catches it, scores a touchdown, spikes it -- Brady rolls up to high five him, shoots behind, gets the roll-up! 1, 2, 3!  New 24/7 champion!

Kofi Kingston, Chavo Guerrero, Chuck Liddell -- just some of the stars who gathered in Venice, CA on Thursday to remember their friend, Shad Gaspard.

Pro wrestlers like Shelton Benjamin, Lilian Garcia, Chris Masters, Mickie James, John Morrison and Montel Vontavious Porter (aka MVP) stood side by side with MMA stars like Chuck and Josh Barnett.

The event appeared to be a celebration of Shad's life -- the attendees were smiling and flexing afterward.

Of course, Shad passed away on March 17 when he was caught in a riptide while swimming with his 10-year-old son.

Lifeguards rushed out to help them -- but Shad directed them to rescue his son first. Moments later, a giant wave crashed on Gaspard, pulling him under.

Shad has been praised as a hero by superstars like The Rock and Arnold Schwarzenegger ... and a makeshift memorial was erected at the Gold's Gym in Venice where Shad often worked out.

RIP.

Here's the first EVER look at the newest addition to Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins' family!!

The Man posted an ultrasound of The Baby (nickname pending) in honor of her fiance's birthday on Thursday ... saying "I love you and can’t wait to start this next crazy chapter with you."

Still no word on gender, name or exact due date -- but hey, at least we got a pic!

Of course, the wrestling community went wild earlier this month when Lynch announced she was relinquishing her Raw Championship belt to start a family with the fellow WWE Superstar.

The couple found out a little one was on the way back in April ... and Lynch has recently said she's always wanted kids.

Lynch posted an emotional message to the papa-to-be on his 34th cake day ... saying, "This person right here is my favorite person in the world."

"I thought I was doing fairly well in life before, but then you came along and made me feel like the luckiest (and happiest) human in the world."

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

Can we just take a second to appreciate how attractive this couple is??

"I'm literally sitting in my car looking at pictures of me and my sons and just came to tears."

That's WWE superstar Titus O'Neil revealing how angry/sad/frustrated he is over the killing of George Floyd -- admitting he feels "hopeless" and doesn't know how to explain it to his children.

"As a black father this sh*t is frustrating," O'Neil said ... "I’ve been able to teach my kids a lot about life but I’m not equipped to teach or tell my kids or other black and brown kids on how to deal with this Type of sh*t OVER AND OVER AGAIN."

O'Neil says black people in America -- especially parents -- are tasked with an impossible challenge of explaining why black people are constantly the victims of police brutality and racism.

"I doubt very seriously that my Friends, Coworkers, business partners etc that don’t look like me have EVER had to think about half the stuff I do as a Black Parent trying to Raise two Black Men in this country."

"I doubt they’ve ever had to Have 'The Talk' with their children, I doubt they’ll ever Have to tell their children how beautiful and Amazing they are as much as I tell mine, I doubt they’ll have to wonder if their kids will be okay with driving their cars outside of getting into an accident, I doubt they have to go shopping for Body cameras to install in their kids vehicles."

O'Neil continued ... "WHAT I DON’T have is ANSWERS and That’s where many Black and Brown people are at today and have been for years."

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."