WWE

WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Valiant -- a 2-time World Tag Team champ -- was killed Wednesday morning near Pittsburgh when he was hit by a truck while crossing the street.

The 71-year-old -- real name Tommy Sullivan -- was walking in Ross Township, Pennsylvania when he was struck by a pickup truck around 5:30 AM.

Valiant was rushed to a nearby hospital but his injuries were too severe and he died shortly after the incident.

After his wrestling career, Valiant went on to manage WWE superstars like Hulk Hogan, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Dino Bravo and Demolition.

Ronda Rousey's been in some of the biggest UFC events in history ... but NOTHING can compare to the pressure cooker she's about to enter at WrestleMania 34 -- so says WWE star "The Coach."

We spoke to Coach with Rousey's 1st official match just days away ... and the "Monday Night Raw" commentator told us why Ronda's facing a situation like no other superstar in WWE history.

"She's been in main events before in the UFC but this is on another level," Coach told TMZ Sports.

"Just the pressure to perform in front of her new peers, because she's coming in and she's taken a very, very lucrative spot at WrestleMania."

Steph McMahon hit Ronda Rousey with a straight-up MEAN personal attack on 'Monday Night RAW' -- mocking the UFC star for the way she broke down after her losses in the Octagon.

Remember, Rousey went off the grid after her first loss to Holly Holm back in 2015 -- hiding her face at the airport and then stating on the 'Ellen' show she had suicidal thoughts.

After her next loss to Amanda Nunes, Rousey went into another black hole and suggested on IG that she hit "rock bottom."

So, it was shocking when McMahon decided to go "there" with Rousey on live TV -- telling Ronda:

"In the record books your very first match in WWE is going to be a loss to me. And we all know, the world knows, how you handle losses."

Obviously, the line was scripted and most likely run by Rousey before the show -- and the fact she approved it suggests Ronda's finally coming to terms with the way her UFC career wrapped up.

Ronda will be ready to exact revenge on McMahon at WrestleMania 34 -- when she teams up with Kurt Angle to take on Steph and Triple H.

Our money's on Rowdy.

Before Offset took the field for Quavo's charity football game in Georgia, the Migos MC was stylin', profilin' and DRIPPIN' with Ric Flair on the sidelines ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

WOOOOO!!!

FYI, Offset LOVES The Nature Boy -- and his track paying tribute to Naitch's swag, "Ric Flair Drip," has been blowin' up.

Flair's got love for Offset, too ... so, he crashed "Huncho Day" at Berkmar High and got the rap star on a video call with his WWE superstar daughter, Charlotte!

It's pretty awesome -- Offset tells Charlotte how dope he thinks her dad is, gives her props for killin' it in WWE, and, of course, shows off his QUARTER-MILLION-DOLLAR ice.

The whole time, Naitch is cheesin' hard in the background -- clearly impressed by his protege.

Hulk Hogan says it's ALL wrestlers he owes an apology to for his past use of the N-word ... telling TMZ Sports it shouldn't just be the black guys he has to say sorry to.

We got Hulk out at LAX, and wanted to get his thoughts on WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry saying that before Hogan is reinstated in the WWE, he needs to apologize to the African-American performers.

Mark's point was that Hogan has specifically offended these men and women, and he should specifically address them before he gets to come back.

Hogan definitely agrees amends have to be made, but says he actually needs to do it across the board.

"I totally agree with him, not to the black wrestlers, to all the wrestlers. What I said was way out of line and I'm forever sorry for that."

Hulk Hogan was in the house for the premiere of HBO's "Andre the Giant" documentary Thursday night in L.A., rubbin' elbows with WWE superstars and execs like Triple H ... but his return to WWE is still on ice.

Since WWE was heavily involved in the making of the doc on Hogan's former rival, there were whispers that this appearance signaled Hulk moving closer to a return to the company.

But, WWE recently released a statement to clarify that Hogan was only at the event since he was such a big part of Andre's history.

"His appearance at tonight’s HBO premiere of the documentary and his plans to help others learn from his mistakes does not mean WWE is rehiring him."

"Hogan is not scheduled to be at any upcoming WWE events.”

FYI, we got Hogan touching down at LAX the day before ... and he ruled out a WWE return at WrestleMania 34.

Hulk Hogan and the WWE might be in talks, but Hulk tells TMZ Sports Hulkamania will NOT be running wild at WrestleMania 34, brother!!!

We got the Hulkster touching down at LAX ... and he immediately shut down the rumors of his 24-inch pythons popping up at the grandest stage of them all next weekend.

"No sir ... no WrestleMania," Hogan said.

As for whether he's ever coming back, all Hulk could tell us was, "Maybe someday, brotha."

Now, we feel like we should mention that Ronda Rousey gave us a solid "no" when we asked if she'd be at the Royal Rumble ... and we all know how that turned out.

Plus, we shot Nick and Brooke Hogan at LAX the other day, and they both made it clear they're 100% behind their dad crashing the party in New Orleans!!

The WWE just climbed the top rope in court and is ready to drop the elbow ... all to protect its brand ahead of WrestleMania 34.

The World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. just filed legal docs in Louisiana against anonymous makers of unauthorized WWE merch with the org's biggest event just weeks ahead in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Smoothie King Center.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the WWE wants a temporary restraining order to ban bootleggers from selling unauthorized souvenirs and memorabilia bearing WWE trademarks.

Ronda Rousey might not be the only ass-kickin' legend at WrestleMania ... 'cause Mike Tyson says he's down to return to the WWE ring!!!

Iron Mike dropped the bombshell at the 'Kids' Choice Awards' over the weekend ... telling WWE interviewer Cathy Kelley he'd be pumped to get a callback from Vince McMahon.

"I'm always willing to come back. I love the WWE ... I'd love to be back," Tyson told Kelley on the orange carpet.

You might remember ... Iron Mike unleashed hell at WrestleMania 20 years ago -- helping Stone Cold Steve Austin take out Shawn Michaels after famously feuding with the Rattlesnake.

Former WWE world champ Mark Henry ain't slammin' the door on his career in the ring ... saying there's still a chance he'd come back even though he's technically retired.

We spoke to The World's Strongest Man ahead of his WWE Hall of Fame induction at WrestleMania 34 in April ... and Mark told us he's too beat up to compete in the next year or two, at least.

But, could the right matchup lure him back inside the squared circle?

"If it was a perfect circumstance and something happened down the road, yeah," Henry told TMZ Sports.

Ain't the first time Mark's pulled the ol' switcheroo ... he had the entire WWE universe fooled with his infamous retirement speech back in 2013 ... before he flipped the script and body-slammed his rival, John Cena, straight through the mat!!

For his HOF induction, some fans figured Cena would get to do the honor ... but Mark says he actually has another BIG WWE superstar in mind (hint, hint).

The Rock, Jamie Foxx, and NFL star Todd Gurley are about to be stylin’ and profilin’ just like The Nature Boy ... 'cause they’re getting fitted for custom Ric Flair suits!!

We spoke with Ric’s business partner -- suit maker Adam Marks (aka Mr. Custom Made) -- before their official launch on Monday ... and asked him about the biggest names picking something out from Naitch's collection.

We're told over 6,000 people in total have expressed interest in swaggin' out like Offset's favorite wrestler. As for the celebs, Ric is personally picking out the fabrics, colors, and patterns for Gurley, Foxx and Rock's suits.

But ya don't gotta have celeb money to be wheelin' n' dealin' like Flair ... they're offering hundreds of fabrics in all styles ranging from around $700 to $2,500.

"I've always been custom made from head to toe," Ric tells us ... "now anyone can have a chance to style and profile like me."

WOOOOO!!!

John Cena says the WWE doesn't discriminate if you got chops in the ring and on the mic ... so if the right transgender wrestler were to come through, he'd be all for it.

We got on the topic by asking Cena about intergender matches -- which have become more of a thing lately with the Mixed Match Challenge ... and Ronda Rousey tossin' Triple H through a damn table!!

Since the 16-time world champ was down with it, we asked if a transgender competitor could be next -- and John didn't bat an eye.

"I'm a storyteller, my friend -- and that's what we do in WWE," Cena told TMZ Sports leaving Mastro's in L.A. "It's not segregated to sex, race, creed, religion, any of that -- so as long as the story's good, it belongs in WWE."

Mick Foley says he so believes in his old WWE partner Kane's Mayoral run, that he's willing to stump for the guy personally, even though they're from two different parties.

Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) is running for mayor in Knox County, Tennessee ... and he's getting a big help from his old running buddy, Mick -- who told TMZ Sports why Jacobs is the man for the job.

"One of the wisest, best read, most well-read, compassionate people I've ever met."

Foley says he feels like public service is Glenn's true calling ... which is why Mick is campaigning for Kane at an event in Tennessee -- despite him being a democrat, and the Big Red Machine being a republican.

"He's a republican, and I'm not, and that doesn't really matter. He's an honorable man and a great person, and he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think he could do a great job for the people of Knox County."

We also talked to the WWE HOF'er about the wrestling bombshell of the week -- Daniel Bryan's return to the squared circle.

WWE Superstar Mark Henry was personal friends with the 17-year-old boy senselessly murdered by an exploding package bomb last week in Austin.

TMZ Sports talked to '18 WWE Hall of Fame inductee -- who lives in Austin -- about the package bombings that terrorized the city ... injuring innocent people, and ending 2 lives.

Henry revealed he personally knew Draylen Mason -- an accomplished bass guitarist -- who was killed on March 12 when a package exploded in the kitchen of his home.

Draylen's mom was injured in the explosion ... but is expected to survive.

"It was just tragic to lose a kid like that, so young, and so full of life," Henry says ... "He was talented. Talented bassist. He traveled, and competed. It's just a hard loss."

WWE superstar Woken Matt Hardy ain't sure if Vince McMahon loved or hated his "Ultimate Deletion" -- but says if it's the latter, he will personally DELETE his boss!

"If McMahon has any issues with it, I certainly have a spot here at The Hardy Compound where I can DELETE him!!!" Woken Matt told TMZ Sports.

"Señor Benjamin (Hardy's father-in-law) would love to start digging a hole for him."

ICYMI, Matt capped off 'Monday Night Raw' with the WWE's 1st ever match (if ya wanna call it that) at his insane North Carolina estate -- and it was AWESOME.

Ringside fireworks. A lawnmower attack. "Scooby Doo" hide-and-seek. Hardy's fight vs. Bray Wyatt had it all, and fans loved it.

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley did, too -- so much that he crashed our interview to give Matt props!

Matt told us his Woken WWE takeover is just the beginning -- and anyone standing in its way, including Vince, will not be spared.

Hardy also weighed in on the return of Daniel Bryan ... and explained why his deletion played a part in it.

John Cena, Daniel Bryan's soon-to-be real-life brother-in-law and fellow WWE superstar, says Daniel's done "everything possible" to get back in the squared circle ... and John couldn't be happier for him.

"He's gone through every single protocol, 10-fold," Cena told TMZ Sports at Montage in the Beverly Hills. "He's one of the healthiest people in WWE, and it just takes a lot of convincing of other minds that he's that healthy."

Those minds, according to WWE, are a team of "leading neurosurgeons, neurologists and concussion specialists" in their fields ... who've medically cleared Bryan after almost 3 years on the sidelines due to post-concussive symptoms.

John's clearly on board with their diagnosis ... and told us no one deserves a comeback shot more than the former champ behind the "YES!" movement.

"He worked his ass off to make that happen," Cena said. "It is what he was born to do ... he's back where he belongs."