WWE

Wrestling star Paige says she's leaving the WWE after more than a decade with the org. ... but she added that she has plans to return to the ring someday.

The 29-year-old -- whose wrestling story was so unique it actually was adapted into the 2019 flick, "Fighting with My Family" -- shared the emotional news in a statement on her Twitter page Friday.

"July 7 will be my last day with WWE," Paige said. "I'm so thankful and I appreciate the opportunities that the company has given me."

"I know after my neck injury taking me out of in-ring status, it was pretty hard to keep me around for as long as you did and for that I'm thankful too."

Paige -- real name Saraya-Jade Bevis -- made her WWE main roster debut in 2014, the night after WrestleMania XXX, and would quickly make history ... defeating AJ Lee to become the youngest Divas champion ever at age 21.

Unfortunately, her promising career was cut short after she sustained a neck injury from a Sasha Banks kick during a six-man tag team match in 2017.

The British superstar retired from in-ring competition onscreen in 2018, but later received exec roles with the org.

Paige -- who has wrestling in her blood (her parents, Julia and Patrick, as well as her brothers, Roy and Zak, were all wrestlers, and even run a promotion in England) -- said in her statement she was sad to close the chapter of her life ... but did tell her fans she'd be inside the squared circle again one day.

"Thank you to the WWE Universe," Paige said. "You guys are the most passionate group of fans I've ever seen. Hope you continue to stay on this journey with me."

Great news for WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes -- the wrestler went under the knife to fix his torn pectoral ... and he's officially on the road to recovery.

Cody's wife, Brandi, shared the news on Twitter Thursday night ... revealing the 36-year old's injury was about as bad as it could get, but everything went well and he's looking forward to getting better.

"The doctor just repaired Cody's pectoral tendon which was torn completely off the bone," Brandi wrote. "Successful surgery. He is on the road to recovery now."

Rhodes reportedly went to see Dr. James Andrews, a renowned surgeon who specializes in dealing with wrestlers and athletes who injure themselves over the years.

Cody initially suffered a slight tear of his pec just days before his scheduled match with Seth Rollins at the "Hell in a Cell" Pay-Per-View.

However, he would suffer a full tear of the muscle -- which spread from his chest to his entire right arm -- while weight training, leaving his status for the event in question.

Rhodes gutted it out and competed -- defeating Rollins inside the relentless structure -- but he paid the price for it, as Seth continually targeted the injured area throughout the match ... as well as the following night on "Monday Night Raw."

WWE Superstars with Rhodes' same injury are typically sidelined anywhere from 3 to 5 months ... but Cody -- son of Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes -- is hoping to return before that timeframe.

WWE superstar The Miz -- a HUGE Cleveland sports fan -- says he ain't droppin' his Browns support due to the Deshaun Watson trade ... but he did tell TMZ Sports he will never wear the QB's jersey.

We got the wrestler out in NYC this week ... and given the new sexual misconduct allegations against Watson this month -- we had to ask if his Browns fandom is still intact.

The Miz said yes -- reminding us that he's been rooting for the NFL team for decades -- but he made it clear, he won't tout Watson as his favorite player.

"Yeah, I'm still a Cleveland Browns fan," the 41-year-old said. "But you're not going to see me wearing a Watson jersey."

The Browns traded for Watson in March and gave him a massive, fully guaranteed $230 MILLION contract ... despite more than 20 women alleging he had been sexually inappropriate with them during massage therapy sessions in the past few years.

Since the trade, two more civil lawsuits have been filed against Watson claiming misconduct -- while other women have came forward to the New York Times to make further allegations against him.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about all of the new claims during Browns practice on Wednesday, but he told reporters, "I think for me, I'm going to be respectful of the investigation, of the legal proceedings and let that play out."

WWE star Cody Rhodes just showed off more of his gnarly pec injury ... and somehow, it looks even worse than it did when he wrestled Seth Rollins inside a "Hell in a Cell" match over the weekend.

In the photo Rhodes posted of the injury Wednesday morning, you can see the bruising from the torn muscle in his chest now extends all the way from his sternum down to his wrist.

It's pretty gruesome ... especially considering Rhodes also revealed on Tuesday night that it started out as simply a small bruise.

As we reported, Rhodes initially sustained the injury during weight training ... but was able to still wrestle Rollins on Sunday regardless.

In the match, Rhodes withstood multiple strikes to the injury, and eventually beat Rollins.

On Monday, around 24 hours after getting in the ring with Rollins, he was "attacked" by the superstar again on "Monday Night Raw", which put even more stress on the ailment.

Cody Rhodes is built different ... the son of WWE Hall of Famer, Dusty, defeated Seth Rollins in a "Hell in a Cell" match after tearing his pectoral muscle earlier in the day.

WWE announced the news on its "Hell in a Cell" kickoff show ... saying Cody had his right pectoral tendon "completely torn off the bone while weight training."

Still, the 36-year-old wrestling star proceeded to fight Seth ... inside, arguably, the most dangerous match in WWE history.

As the match was about to start, Rhodes took off his robe ... showing off the gruesome injury.

Fans were astonished at how bad Rhodes' injury appeared -- his pec was severely discolored and jarring to the eyes -- but that didn't stop Rollins from laughing at the injury and targeting the area during the match.

Cody even took a kendo stick right on the pec ... leaving him writhing in pain (maybe part of the show, maybe not).

Regardless, fans were super appreciative of Rhodes ... and gave him a standing ovation for the tenacity and resiliency after delivering 3 Cross Rhodes finishers to secure the victory.

Take notes, fellas ... AEW superstar Sammy Guevara popped the question by proposing to his pro wrestling star girlfriend, Tay Conti, at the Eiffel Tower in Paris -- and she said YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guevara, 28, asked Tay, real name Taynara Melo de Carvalho, to be his wife with one of the world's most iconic (and romantic) structures as a backdrop.

In classic, old-school fashion, Sammy got down on one knee before asking Conti -- who he's been dating since December -- to marry him.

26-year-old Conti wore a mauve pink, rose-gold colored dress ... while Sammy sported a green suit, white shirt and a paisley green tie. They looked stunning!

Of course, Tay managed to show off the new rock her future hubby got her, while Sammy held the Brazilian wrestler in his arms with a massive smile.

Sammy and Tay are regularly paired together on AEW programming ... and it appears they have undeniable chemistry both on and off-screen.

Sue Bird's TOGETHXR company has made good on its threats ... its now filed a lawsuit against The Rock's XFL over the league's rebranded logo less than a month after initially claiming it was way too similar to theirs.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed on Wednesday -- nearly four weeks after Bird and her fiancée, Megan Rapinoe, threatened to get lawyers involved following the XFL's creation of a new "X" logo.

In the lawsuit, TOGETHXR -- a media org. co-founded by Bird, Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel -- says the football league's logo, which was debuted on April 6, looks and feels "confusingly similar to TOGETHXR's brand and logo."

They included in the docs a side-by-side of the logos ... and said they made "repeated attempts" to contact the XFL and its legal team over it all.

But, in the docs, attorneys for TOGETHXR said the XFL has "failed to acknowledge that it has tread on TOGETHXR's rights" -- and now, they want a court to step in and force the league to stop using the X logo ... plus damages.

Bird and Rapinoe initially brought up their gripe with the logo on April 7 ... with the two star athletes sending loud-and-clear messages to Dwayne Johnson on social media.

"Welp. This is awkward," Rapinoe said in a tweet. "Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up is a response to the Cease and Desist and an ENTIRE new brand ID. @togethxr got this on [lock] boys."

Simone Johnson, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is kickin' ass and takin' names before ever stepping foot in a WWE ring ... hitting back at "fans" criticizing her wrestling name.

On Sunday, the 20-year-old, who signed with WWE in 2020, announced her pro wrestling name would be "Ava Raine" ... which disappointed some fans.

The trolls came out in full force saying "The Pebble" (sigh) would be a more fitting name -- an obvious play on The Rock's on-camera name.

Well, Simone is already following in her father's footsteps, and was quick with the comebacks, saying, "I beg of you guys to find a new joke. Anything."

She went on ... "I probably sound like a broken record & hopefully this is the last I'll mention this, but I don't understand why people being portrayed as separate individuals from their family name is such a heated topic."

"A name doesn't discredit any prior accomplishments from any family."

It's not easy being the child of a WWE legend such as The Rock -- one of the greatest sports entertainers in the world -- and Simone recognizes she'll be judged harshly no matter what she does.

"I could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway," Simone tweeted.

Simone is a fourth-generation wrestler. Her grandpa (Rock's dad) was Rocky Johnson, and her great-grandfather, Peter "High Chief" Maivia ... both paved the way for Dwayne.

AEW star Jake Atlas has been hit with a domestic violence charge ... after he allegedly scratched his boyfriend following an argument over a sexual encounter.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Atlas was arrested on May 23 after cops say the 27-year-old wrestler's boyfriend and a witness told them Atlas became very aggressive following a night of drinking.

Police say while Atlas was out at a bar, his boyfriend joined him there ... and say the boyfriend told them the two eventually "went back to a female friend's house to take part in sexual activities."

But, cops say Atlas' boyfriend told them that after he had paid "more attention" to the female than Atlas -- the 5-foot-11, 230-pound athlete became enraged.

In the docs, officers say the boyfriend and a witness told them Atlas started a "huge verbal argument" -- and then tried to attack the boyfriend multiple times.

In his alleged fits of rage, Atlas was accused of scratching his boyfriend and tearing the man's tank top.

Cops say in the docs when they tried to interview Atlas for his side of the story, "he only wished to talk bad about" his boyfriend instead of being cooperative.

Court records show Atlas -- real name Kenny Sanchez Martinez -- was ultimately charged with domestic violence battery, a misdemeanor. The records show he was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.

He's due back in court for a hearing in the case in late June.

Atlas -- who is openly gay -- wrestled in the WWE from 2019 to 2021. He went on to wrestle with AEW in late 2021, but suffered a significant knee injury in Jan. 2022 and has not returned to the ring since.

Ric Flair is gearing up for his in-ring return ahead of his final wrestling match this summer ... and if you think the WWE legend isn't bustin' his ass in the gym, check out the clip "Nature Boy" just posted.

Naitch shared video of him getting some work in on the rowing machine and the air bike ... in addition to mixing it up with the battle ropes.

"Success Is The Sum Of Small Efforts Repeated Day In And Day Out! WOOOOO!" Flair captioned the workout video.

Of course, the 73-year-old has been doing everything in his power to get in wrestlin' shape ... since announcing the last match of his storied career will be happening in July.

Ric joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weekdays on FS1) and opened up about his motivation for taking another match in his mid-70s.

The 16-time World Heavyweight Champion hasn't competed inside the squared circle since 2011 ... when he fought the icon Sting on TNA Impact Wrestling.

But, despite the 11-year layoff, the "Nature Boy," whose wrestling career began in the '70s, isn't showing any signs of age or ring rust.

In fact, the "dirtiest player in the game" has posted a series of training sessions with former TNA superstar Jay Lethal ... where he shined in vintage Flair fashion.

"I Will Prove Once Again, That To Be The Man, You've Got To Beat The Man!" Flair said at the time.

When we talked to Ric -- who nearly died after a medical emergency in 2019 -- he told us the final match wouldn't be happening if doctors didn't medically clear him.

"I don't have any aches or pains," Ric said. "I know I've had the health issues, but I asked 40 different doctors, and I decided I'm only gonna listen to one."

"Not necessarily the one that was gonna give me the right answer, but that I felt the most comfortable with," he added.

Naitch says he'll never be 100% of the wrestler he was in his prime ... but he says he's pretty damn close, and after watching the new workout footage, we ain't gonna argue with him.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle just underwent a brutal procedure on Tuesday -- the American Hero had BOTH his knees replaced ... but, luckily, he says everything went off without a hitch!!

The Olympic gold medalist posted a video from the hospital bed minutes ago ... shouting out his fans for their well-wishes and detailing the long road of recovery ahead.

"Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes for my 2 knee replacement surgeries today," Angle said Tuesday. "So far so good."

"I realize rehab is going to be a bitch, but I'm ready for it."

The 53-year-old laughed about his legs feeling numb due to an epidural he received for the procedure ... appearing to be in good spirits.

Of course, the dude's had his fair share of pain over the years -- Angle won a gold medal in wrestling in 1996 with a broken neck and went on to join the then-WWF in 1998, where he would reach iconic heights as a performer.

The technical wrestler made a name for himself all over the wrestling circuit -- fighting for various promotions such as WWF/WWE, ECW, NJPW, and Total Nonstop Action.

In 2017, WWE enshrined the 4-time champion into its Hall of Fame, capping off a remarkable career from one of the greatest wrestlers to step inside the squared circle.

Chris Jericho says his niece was seen on video being brutally punched and kicked in the face last week ... and now, the wrestling superstar is pleading for officials to do something about it.

The AEW talent explained the situation on his Twitter page on Sunday night ... saying his niece has been "incessantly bullied" at her middle school in Florida "for months."

Jericho says the bullying took a violent turn just a few days ago ... when she was beaten up in a street.

In the clip Jericho shared to his social media, you can see a girl being socked in the face multiple times -- before she was continuously kicked and punched while bystanders looked on.

Jericho says despite his family's efforts to get officials involved, "nobody did anything to help" -- and he pleaded with school reps to "take action."

He added in a message to TMZ Sports that his niece is "physically ok. But, mentally she’s hurting."

"She's scared to go to school," the 51-year-old wrestler said. "This could've been avoided as the family approached the school a few times prior but nothing was done."

"We need to spread awareness so that the schools do a better job of protecting our kid's mental health and safety. ALL kids. Not just the ones with famous uncles."

We reached out to cops for comment, but they told us they have not been made aware of the situation.

Sasha Banks was living it up with Steve Aoki at a concert this past weekend ... after being suspended by WWE for refusing to wrestle and walking out of "Monday Night Raw."

The WWE superstar clearly looked unbothered on stage with the famous DJ, as the two partied hard with Snoop Dogg's son, Cordell Broadus, in front of a packed crowd.

In the clip, Sasha is right in the mix behind Steve, who had the building jumping when he started playing Lil Nas X's and Jack Harlow's "INDUSTRY BABY" track.

As we previously reported, Sasha Banks and her tag team partner, Naomi, were suspended by WWE on Friday for abandoning Monday's show and skipping out on their match.

Smackdown announcer Michael Cole informed the audience during the telecast that both women were out indefinitely and effectively stripped of their tag team titles.

Sasha's appearance on stage at Steve's concert is the first time she was seen at such a large venue since WWE announced the ban.

73-year-old Ric Flair is returning to the ring as a wrestler for the last time -- just years after cheating death following a medical emergency in 2019 -- something Nature Boy tells us wouldn't be happening if he wasn't cleared by his doctor.

"I don't have any aches or pains. I know I've had the health issues, but I asked 40 different doctors, and I decided I'm only gonna listen to one. Not necessarily the one that was gonna give me the right answer, but that I felt the most comfortable with," Naitch told Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weekdays on FS1).

Ric says the physician gave him a clean bill of health, paving the way for him to return to the ring on July 31 in Nashville, TN ... under Jim Crockett Promotions.

Naitch and his team are still looking for an opponent ... something they expect to be squared away over the next few days.

Question is, why is the 16x world champ -- an immortal figure in the sport -- wrestling again?

Ric tells us he just wasn't happy with his last few performances ... and knows he can be better.

"I couldn't stand the last couple of matches I had. Couldn't stand the last year I had," Flair, who last wrestled against Sting in 2011, told us.

Flair says he's been training with Rob MacIntyre from John Cena's gym (as well as with Jay Lethal) ... and the fitness guru has been pushing him hard.

"I needed someone to motivate me. And, what motivates me is doing something I like to do, and that's wrestle."

Nature Boy admits he'll never be the exact guy he was in his 30s, 40s, and 50s, but he'll be pretty damn close.

"I'll never run at 100% again. But, I'll be running at 80, 85%."

And, let's face it ... just wrestling into your 70s is pretty damn impressive. Factor in decades of wrecking your body in the ring, a plane crash in 1975, and a near-death medical emergency in 2019, and it's nothing short of incredible that Naitch is about to kick ass in the ring.

Woooooooooo!!

We also talked to Ric and Wendy Barlow about her humanitarian trip to Ukraine.

WWE Superstars Sasha Banks and Naomi have been "suspended indefinitely" and stripped of their tag team title after walking out of 'Monday Night Raw' earlier this week ... the company just announced during Friday Night Smackdown.

Ringside announcer Michael Cole dropped the bombshell during the telecast ... saying the now-former women's tag team champions won't be wrestling until further notice while they serve the suspension.

In addition to the suspension, Cole stated there will be a future tournament to crown new WWE women's tag team champions.

As we previously reported, Sasha and Naomi were slated to take part in a six-pack challenge to determine the number one contender for Bianca Belair, the women's champ.

However, Banks, a former women's champ herself, reportedly got frustrated with Vince McMahon and management's vision for the show ... resulting in her and Naomi blowing off the show and leaving the arena.

Shocking news coming from Stephanie McMahon -- the chief brand officer of WWE is temporarily stepping down from her role on Friday to be with her family.

"As of tomorrow, I am taking a leave of absence from the majority of my responsibilities at WWE," she said on Twitter. "WWE is a lifelong legacy for me and I look forward to returning to the company that I love after taking this time to focus on my family."

The announcement is a complete surprise ... but the response has been overly supportive from wrestling fans.

It's unclear what the reason behind the absence is -- although 45-year-old Steph's husband, Triple H, recently revealed he nearly died due to a health scare ... vowing his wrestling career was over.

McMahon -- Vince's daughter -- has been part of WWE since 2000 ... and was an in-ring performer for 18 years.

Stephanie was made EVP of Creative Writing in 2007 ... and switched over to CBO in 2013, where she has remained ever since.

McMahon and Triple H got married in 2003 ... and have 3 kids together, Aurora (15), Murphy (13) and Vaughn (11).