WWE

'WWE Tough Enough 3' winner Matt Cappotelli -- who bravely fought through two rounds of cancer -- has passed away ... this according to his wife.

"Today my love-my strong, sweet, beautiful love-took his last breath at 3:30 a.m. and went Home to be with Jesus exactly one year after his brain surgery," Lindsay Cappotelli wrote in a statement.

"You think you can be prepared for this when you know it’s coming, but you just can’t."

"The only person who’s comfort I want right now is the one who can’t give it to me. I miss him so much. I know where he is now is so much better, but it doesn’t change how much I miss him."

Back in June 2017, TMZ Sports reported on Matt's second surgery to remove a brain tumor -- over 10 years after he had one removed and had his pro wrestling career cut short.

But, in December, things took a turn for the worse ... doctors say he had a Grade 4 tumor that could not be operated on because it was too close to his brain stem.

Cappotelli fought like hell and will definitely be remembered as a warrior inside and out of the ring.

David Arquette says he's gonna BRING THE PAIN when he returns to the wrestling ring to face RJ City next month -- and he's especially pissed because RJ's been disrespecting Betty White!!!

Arquette -- former WCW Heavyweight champ -- is battling Canadian wrestler RJ City to settle their nasty Twitter feud once and for all!!!

The two have been going after each other -- RJ called Arquette a "burnt out actor" and a "piece of sh*t." Now, they've set a date to rumble -- July 15 -- at the Oceanview Pavilion in California.

Arquette hasn't wrestled a full match in 18 years, but tells TMZ Sports he's been training like crazy -- even doing DDP yoga! -- and feels motivated to "defend the honor of Betty White."

In the months before his death, ex-WWE star Vader received routine visits and phone calls from one of his old wrestling pals ... Sting -- and Vader's family says the relationship is nothing short of a blessing.

TMZ Sports spoke with Jesse White -- who says several of his dad's old pals reached out to offer their condolences after Vader passed away last week following a bout with Pneumonia.

"Dallas Diamond Page, [Stone Cold Steve] Austin, Mick Foley," White says ... but one of Vader's old friends made an extra special impression.

"I do have to send a big thank-you out to Sting, Steve Borden."

"Sting has been a huge blessing," White says ... noting the two became close over the past 10 months -- after Vader had been battling heart problems.

"My father was a God-fearing man and so was Sting, and they would sit down and read the bible together. Go over the bible, just talk about life and good time stories and, yeah, Stings been a huge blessing throughout this process."

White says he appreciate ALL of the support -- from friends, family and fans -- and invites people who liked his father to reach out with stories, photos and video to honor his memory.

He also told one of his favorites about his father ... so, enjoy!

Hulk Hogan and his family were "really upset" about the death of ex-WWE star Vader -- with Brooke Hogan and Nick telling us the wrestling star was a big part of their childhood.

"He was always a really nice guy," Nick told us at LAX ... "It sucks. My dad had actually wrestled him a couple of times and they had become friends over the years."

"We got up today and we heard the news and it was kind of somber. Everybody was really upset about it."

Brooke added, "My dad was very sad today."

Vader passed away earlier this week from heart complications after a bout with pneumonia. He was 63.

Ex-WWE superstar Vader has died ... after a two-year battle with congestive heart failure. He was 63.

Vader's son broke the news on social media, saying, "Around a month ago my father was diagnosed with a severe case of Pneumonia. He fought extremely hard and clinically was making progress. Unfortunately, on Monday night his heart had enough and it was his time."

Vader had undergone open-heart surgery back in March and seemed to be doing well -- but his health took a turn for the worse and he wasn't able to recover.

We spoke with Vader just a few months ago -- right after his surgery -- and he told us he was feeling better and looking forward to getting out of the hospital. He was super nice to us.

Before his wrestling career, Vader -- real name Leon White -- was a football star at the University of Colorado where he was a 2-time All-American offensive lineman.

He was drafted by the Rams in the 3rd round of the 1978 NFL Draft and played in Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As a pro wrestler, Vader was a huge star globally -- he was a 3-time WCW heavyweight champ. In WWE, he famously battled guys like The Undertaker and Kane.

He also made TV appearances on shows like "Baywatch" and "Boy Meets World."

RIP

Post Malone might have a side gig in the WWE after a killer entrance into his concert, which featured The Undertaker and a pretty badass choke slam!

Post performed in Austin, TX Saturday night, and during the show he played a video of him bumping into Undertaker backstage. You gotta see how well they pulled off the slam.

Later, he brought out 21 Savage for their huge hit, "Rockstar" and that's when Undertaker returned for his encore -- all 3 guys smashed the hell out of guitars.

David Arquette wasn't playin' when he told TMZ Sports he's heading back to the squared circle looking for respect ... 'cause he threw down an epic DOUBLE STUNNER on two dudes Thursday night!!

The former WCW heavyweight champ jumped in the ring at Championship Wrestling From Hollywood‘s “Peter & Ray’s Surprise Birthday Party Spectacular” ... and rocked The Rockness Monsters!!

The 46-year-old star bounced off the ropes ... threw a haymaker at one ... kicked the other in the groin ... and got 'em both at the same time with Steve Austin's signature move.

Remember, it was just a few days ago Arquette told us he was serious about a comeback to stop fans from hatin' on his heavily-panned WCW championship match.

John Cena and Nikki Bella's dinner date looked hard to swallow by the looks on their faces, and we're guessing it had nothing to do with the meals they ordered.

The on/off -- but lately, mostly off -- couple went out Tuesday night to the Cowboy Star Restaurant in San Diego, not far from where Nikki lives.

Witnesses tell us their conversation looked intense during the entire meal -- which could be good or bad. As we've told you .. they've been trying to work things out since Bella called off their engagement in April. Cena begged to get her back, but they haven't announced a reconciliation yet.

No denying ... Nikki did NOT look happy at this particular moment. Glass-half-full types will say they're having a tough convo that'll lead to a reunion. Half-empty peeps will say ... it's the last supper.

Dana White says he believes Brock Lesnar's contract with WWE is up at the end of the summer ... and he KNOWS Brock wants to take another UFC fight.

In fact, White says the opponent he's gunning to match up with ... is Jon Jones.

"Jon Jones is very interested in Brock Lesnar and Brock is very interested in Jon Jones," White tells TMZ Sports.

The issue ... Jones is currently suspended for failing a drug test surrounding his 2017 fight against Daniel Cormier.

The suspension is provisional until USADA makes an official ruling -- and it seems that could happen pretty soon.

"I'll end up figuring that out in the next month," White says ... "I don't know how that's gonna play out. That's up to USADA."

If it doesn't work out with Jones, there's another big name who could face Lesnar -- Dana says that too could be a really fun fight.

CM Punk says he's got a "gift" for his fans when he walks into the Octagon on Saturday -- telling TMZ Sports ... "I'm sharp and I'm ready and I'm focused."

Punk will make his long awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 225 against Mike "The Truth" Jackson ... it's CM's first fight since he lost his UFC debut against Mickey Gall in Sept. 2016.

"I lost pretty spectacularly in my last fight but I learned so much," Punk tells TMZ Sports.

One of those lessons ... Punk says he needs to control his emotions and take his time when the bell rings -- "not try to hurry up and just enjoy being in there."

UFC champ Tyron Woodley previously told us Punk has been busting his ass like a maniac in the gym ever since his first fight ... sometimes working out 3 or 4 times a day.

Punk says he's "hyper-focused" on getting a win ... but that's not the only measure of success. The most important thing is to grow and get better as a fighter.

And if he wins ... Punk says he'd be down for a rematch with Gall -- but don't get it twisted, he's laser-focused on Jackson.

There's more ... Punk also says he's had a "real hard emotional couple of weeks" -- a reference to the WWE doctor who sued him over negative comments Punk made back in 2014.

Ex-WWE superstar Brian Christopher Lawler -- who famously wrestled as Grandmaster Sexay in the tag team Too Cool with Scotty 2 Hotty -- was arrested in Memphis after allegedly running from a hotel bill.

46-year-old Lawler -- the son of Jerry "The King" Lawler -- was allegedly staying at a Hampton Inn in downtown Memphis ... when he tried to flee the place without paying.

Cops found Lawler a short time later and arrested him for theft of services under $1,000. Lawler reportedly told cops he used a credit card that simply didn't have the funds to cover the $802 hotel bill.

Lawler has a history with cops ... he was arrested at least 3 times in 2009 -- once for disorderly conduct and another time for allegedly threatening a police officer.

Vince McMahon's XFL now has a boss ... and it's the same man who happened to raise one of the NFL's best quarterbacks -- Oliver Luck!!

Andrew Luck's daddy will be the new commissioner and CEO of the WWE honcho's rebooted league -- McMahon announced Tuesday.

It's not a gimmick ... Oliver's resume is legit. The 58-year-old's been president of NFL Europe, athletic director for West Virginia and recently served as one of the top execs in the NCAA.

In his first-ever statement as commish, Luck says he's going to "reimagine" the game of football as the boss of the XFL -- which will kick off in 2020 -- and give fans a "dynamic version" of the sport.

Remember, the XFL is doing away with all the shtick it used to have ... and is trying to be legit.

Tim Tebow, Dwayne Bowe and even a Gronkowski have expressed interest in playing in it.

John Cena says he doesn't just want to have kids to win Nikki Bella back -- telling TMZ Sports he's had an epiphany about wanting to have a family outside of his career.

The 41-year-old WWE superstar says he KNOWS his new outlook is a complete "about-face" from what he's been preaching publicly for decades ... but insists it's because he's grown as a person.

"I would love to be a dad," Cena says ... "and I realize very much that I have been steadfast in saying that I don't want children."

So, why the change of heart?

"Because I dedicated my life to my work and now I'm realizing that there is life and life exists and it's beautiful and I think part of that is being a parent."

"Total Divas" stars Nikki and Brie Bella hit the gym Saturday with baby Birdie ... and no sign of Cena.

Nikki kinda sorta back with ex-fiance John Cena. As we reported, Nikki told TMZ she and John are working on getting back together but the deal isn't sealed ... at least not yet.

It's interesting ... the conflict between the 2 involves a baby. For a long time, she wanted one but he didn't. It makes the kid in the pic more relevant.

Wrestling superstar Johnny Impact is back!

TMZ Sports has learned that Johnny -- formerly known as John Morrison, Johnny Nitro and Johnny Mundo -- is returning to the squared circle for Impact Wrestling's Slammiversary in July.

A.J. Styles, Matt Hardy and Sting have done their thing at Slammiversary in the past -- so the event's a big deal.

Johnny has been wrestling on the International circuit for the past few months -- but we're told he's finally inked a deal to return to Impact Wrestling.

Nikki Bella played with fire when she tried messing with the paparazzi ... and it burned her ass.

Nikki tells TMZ ... a story floating around showing her "canoodling with a mystery man" on a Miami balcony does NOT mean she's interested in him. She says it was supposed to be a joke to mess with paps since they had been following her and the rest of the "Total Divas" crew for days.

Nikki says the bartender is a 21-year-old model the show hired to serve them drinks at their penthouse ... but by Thursday Nikki had had enough with the paps. With a little liquid courage, Nikki says she hatched a plan to bring the guy out on the balcony and do some faux flirting to screw with the photogs.

Paps snapped away and a story about her canoodling hit the web ... something she had NOT intended to happen. Nikki wants to set the record straight -- she is NOT dating anyone else right now. And as she told us already ... she's actively trying to work things out with John Cena.