WWE

Titus O'Neil isn't worried about the future of WWE ... telling TMZ Sports that the company is in good hands under the leadership of "The Game" Triple H -- calling him a "visionary" who has a "great mind" for the business.

O'Neil was effusive in his praise of both his former boss Vince McMahon AND Triple H, who stepped in after Vince retired as CEO and chairman of the sports entertainment conglomerate last month.

"I have full confidence that in time Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will continue to guide us into a whole another stratosphere when it comes to sports entertainment," O'Neil said.

"I think he will play to the purist of wrestling fans as well as those that love sports entertainment and combine it with the best of the best."

Titus -- who has been with WWE since 2009 -- gave HHH credit for signing megastars Logan Paul and Gable Steveson to the company ... saying both "will help contribute greatly to our business."

"Those are just two of, I'm sure, a lot more to come in regards to what Triple H is going to be able to as [the] head of creative," Titus said.

"Vince [McMahon] took a lot of chances," O'Neil said of the 76-year-old billionaire, "and Triple H, I'm sure, will do the same."

Vince grew the WWE into the most popular sports entertainment brand worldwide, but Titus believes HHH's time in charge of NXT prepared him for this moment.

As WWE prepares to celebrate the 1200th episode of "Smackdown," Drew McIntyre tells TMZ Sports he's obsessed with beating Roman Reigns in two weeks at "WWE Clash at the Castle" ... 'cause he has to finally win it all in front of fans!!

McIntyre and Reigns are set to meet face-to-face in the ring Friday night on a historic edition of "Smackdown" -- one of WWE's three flagship programs -- and the former two-time WWE champ isn't backing down from Reigns, whose held both titles for over 700 days!!

"I'm looking to raise those titles and Roman has been on this incredible run. But the truth is, it's been 700 days," Drew said. "He's not here as often as he used to be. I do believe titles need to be represented every single week. He's not able to do that these days."

McIntyre -- a native of Scotland -- told us a victory at 'Clash at the Castle,' which will be held in Wales for the first time in over 30 years, would mean the world to him since his first two title runs came with limited or no fans.

"I am very proud of the fact I was champion during that difficult time," McIntyre said. "I'm glad I was the champ setting the example. As a kid, I had the dream of main-eventing WrestleMania, lifting the title in the main event and I did that."

"But I also imagined there being tens of thousands of screaming people there," Drew said. "Which there wasn't."

"I would like to have some live fans in attendance for that third reign and I have the biggest opportunity of my life to do that in the UK, in the heart of Wales, against Roman. This is something I couldn't have envisioned as a kid because it didn't exist."

McIntyre -- who beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 to win his first-ever WWE title during the height of the pandemic -- knows defeating Reigns will be a tall task, but, ultimately, the Scottish native thinks a victory near his home turf is what's best for business.

"I think that titles need to be represented every single week and on the shows and in the live events and the appearances," McIntyre said. "And I want to be that man to represent the company on the highest level."

WWE Superstar Austin Theory knows it's damn near impossible to replace his former boss, Vince McMahon ... but there's one person he believes can and will get the job done, and that's the billionaire's son-in-law -- Triple H!!

TMZ Sports spoke with 25-year-old Theory -- who was with rising women's star Raquel -- out at LAX ... and asked him his thoughts on HHH succeeding Vince as the company's heartbeat.

"Triple H, I feel like he has a very creative mind," Theory said, "and I think now he always says it's very hard to fill Mr. McMahon's shoes, and it's gonna take a lot of people to do that."

Theory and Raquel both expressed that there's a level of comfortability with "The Game" in charge as the head honcho ... and the relationship they developed with him formed during their time in NXT.

"I would say for me, and I'm sure she feels the same way, but both of us coming up in NXT and Triple H was in charge there along with Shawn Michaels, and for us, it was a great experience," Theory said.

"I feel like there's a lot more freedom now and a lot more to explore," he added.

Theory called Vince, his former on-screen mentor, "iconic" and said that anybody stepping in after him would inevitably have tough shoes to fill because of what Vince meant to the world of sports entertainment.

"I would just say with Mr. McMahon, he's always gonna be, I think John Cena just said it, if there was a Mount Rushmore, he'd be the only one on it," Theory said.

Ex-WWE Superstar Paige says she felt "so f***ing stupid" and "so embarrassed" after her sex tape leaked in 2017 ... claiming she "didn't want to be alive anymore" and "was ready to end it all."

Paige -- who now goes by her real name, Saraya-- joined Renee Paquette on the podcast, "The Sessions" ... where she described how she hit "rock bottom" when her nude photos and videos hit the Internet.

"It was just the most awful moment of my life," Saraya said. "The person that I was with at the time showed me a picture on Twitter."

"I was just like, 'Oh my God,'" Saraya recalled. "I was like, 'Is that real?’ because I couldn’t believe it was real at first."

"I was f***ing 19 years old, and I was completely f***ing mortified. I ran out of the house. I ran. I just kept f***ing running," she continued.

Saraya says the video got her to a point where she felt like she "didn't really want to be alive anymore."

"It was f***ing awful. I just was so f***ing sad. I remember being like, 'If my dad is disappointed with me, I don’t think I could be here anymore.'"

On top of the public humiliation and potential scolding from WWE looming, Paige most feared her father would be disappointed in her once he saw the video.

Fortunately, Paige's father was understanding, explaining to his pro wrestler daughter that she had to "suck it up" ... and adding that he was still proud of her.

Paige also thanked WWE for supporting her ... and says the company even offered to help her get as much footage as they could off the Internet.

The legendary "Judo" Gene LeBell -- possibly the most badass man to ever walk the earth -- has died at the age of 89, and some of the biggest sports stars in the world are showing love in light of his passing.

LeBell passed away Tuesday ... leaving behind an incomparable legacy in mixed martial arts and wrestling.

Nicknamed the "Godfather of Grappling," LeBell's journey to stardom began when he won the heavyweight and overall Amateur Athletic Union National Judo Championships in 1954 and 1955.

LeBell is widely credited with introducing catch wrestling and grappling techniques to pro wrestling and MMA.

Speaking of MMA ... long before Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock fought at UFC 1 (1993), Gene fought in the first televised bout in America in 1963.

Gene, with his judo and grappling, beat top-ranked light-heavyweight boxer Milo Savage.

LeBell also trained some of Hollywood's biggest names like Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee.

Gene and Bruce first met during filming of the TV show "The Green Hornet" ... and became friends, often training together.

He also served as the referee for Muhammad Ali's crossover bout with Antonio Inoki in 1976.

Gene, also an actor and stuntman, appeared in hundreds of movies (there's a totally unverified story about LeBell and Steven Seagal going at it on set -- look it up).

Expertise aside, LeBell was revered for his relationships with fighters and wrestlers over his storied career, most notably former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

Gene trained Rousey (a former Judo star) ... and he also worked with WWE legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, the inspiration for the "Rowdy Ronda" character.

On Wednesday, Ronda posted a photo of her and Gene together ... captioning the pic, "Legend."

Triple H, a 14-time WWE champ, took to Twitter to express his gratitude and appreciation for Gene's contributions to the industry over the years.

"Gene LeBell remained a towering figure in the history and expansion of mixed martial arts and sports entertainment," HHH wrote. "A teacher to many of the sport’s greats, his influence is felt throughout @WWE to this day."

"Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time."

Longtime WWE executive John Laurinaitis -- recently caught up in a report alleging Vince McMahon paid hush money to former employees -- has reportedly been terminated by the promotion, according to PWInsider.

Laurinaitis -- a former wrestler who served in multiple roles with the company since 2001, including Head of Talent Relations -- was terminated recently, likely within the last week, per the outlet.

The split with Laurinaitis was handled quietly behind the scenes, the outlet reports ... and comes on the heels of McMahon's resignation as chairman and CEO of the sports entertainment conglomerate.

Laurinaitis's future with the company has been in doubt since The Wall Street Journal published the report ... accusing now 76-year-old Vince and John of engaging in inappropriate behavior with WWE employees.

Vince -- the face of WWE since 1982 -- has been accused of paying multiple women he allegedly had relationships with "hush money" ... in exchange for their silence.

"The board’s investigation, which began in April, has unearthed other, older nondisclosure agreements involving claims by former female WWE employees of misconduct by Mr. McMahon and one of his top executives, John Laurinaitis, the head of talent relations at WWE, the people said," a June WSJ article read.

Laurinaitis -- brother of late "Road Warrior Animal" Joseph Laurinaitis -- started as an in-ring performer with WWE ... before moving over to management.

As a result of WWE's investigation, Laurinaitis was removed from his role with the company ... and placed on administrative leave in June.

Add Hall of Famer X-Pac to the growing list of people who think highly of Logan Paul's wrestling future -- the legend tells TMZ Sports the newly-signed WWE Superstar is a "natural" and has the serious makings of a champion one day.

We spoke with Pac -- a two-time inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame -- out at LAX this week, and he was effusive in his praise of Paul, who won his first singles match as a competitor over The Miz at SummerSlam last week.

"He's a natural, man," Pac said. "Huge future."

Pac admits he used to not think so highly of the Maverick following his suicide forest video scandal ... but can tell Paul has truly grown as a person.

Pac -- a former NWO and D-Generation X member -- said what separates Paul from other newcomers is his athletic ability coupled with his intuitive feel for knowing what to do inside the squared circle.

"A lot of people can be great athletes like him, but he has like an aptitude for this, man. His timing is really good. He grasps the psychology of a match."

"I got nothing but praise for that guy," he added. "He could be like WWE champion material at some point."

"Gotta call it like you see it."

Since making his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38, Logan has been setting the WWE on fire ... earning the respect of fans in the WWE Universe and higher-ups like "The Game" Triple H.

Great update from "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan ... the wrestling legend just completed radiation treatment for cancer -- and celebrated by ringing the bell at the facility.

The 68-year-old made the announcement with an IG video -- just weeks after his cancer returned from a previous battle in 2021.

Duggan revealed in May he had to do 8 weeks of radiation treatment ... and as of this week, he's finally done with the grueling process.

"For eight weeks I've been coming by looking at this bell, listening to the other folks come by and ringing the bell and looking forward to it," Duggan said in the video.

"So out of respect, I'm not going to do no big 'hoo' in here, but when we get outside you better believe there's some 'hooing' ... But right now, after eight weeks, here we go, tough guy!"

Duggan also thanked the medical staff, his family, and his fans for holding him down through it all.

"I want to thank my wife and my daughters who stuck with me through all of this, but most of all, I want to thank you folks out there that have been able to share this, and you guys shared your stuff with me."

As we previously reported, Duggan battled cancer in 2021 and needed multiple procedures, including removing his prostate. He was declared cancer-free in December 2021 before it returned in May.

Ric Flair is preparing for his final wrestling match the only way the Nature Boy would -- by training his ass off and drinking every night leading up to it.

73-year-old Flair is slated to wrestle for the very last time (and first in-ring bout since 2011) on Sunday in Nashville ... teaming up with his son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo, and fighting Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

We spoke with Naitch leading up to the fight ... and he says he's faced plenty of challenges in training, but he never thought once about postponing or backing out.

Flair says he recently thought he had pneumonia or COVID-19 and dealt with plantar fasciitis ... but now, he's "good to go."

"I would never postpone it," Flair tells TMZ Sports. "They'd have to kill me for that. So many people have contributed their time and effort to make this happen. I just wanted to be at 100% of what I can be now."

Flair has dealt with numerous issues in the past -- he previously said it's a "miracle" he's alive after several serious health scares -- but he tells us he's beating all odds and training like a madman leading up to the match ... even doing 500 squats a day and crushing it on the stationary bike, despite having a pacemaker.

Ric says he's getting his heart rate much higher than he's expected to, and he's also drinking his fair share of adult beverages to make sure he's his true self.

"I guaranteed you that I'll be drinking every night," Flair told us. "I don't do good when I don't drink."

Flair says it'll be an emotional night to say the least ... and his whole family will be there to watch him perform.

As for whether he's guaranteeing a win, Flair's got a great perspective on the potential outcome.

WWE's newest Superstar Logan Paul is getting candid about his experience as a professional wrestler ... saying he knows what the naysayers may think about his new gig, but in reality -- "the s*** is hard!!!"

The Maverick is jumping right into the action after inking a deal with the promotion ... and is currently gearing up for a big match against his former tag team partner, The Miz, at SummerSlam in Nashville on Saturday.

Now that he's gotten a few months under his belt as a high-flying tough guy, TMZ Sports asked if there are any misconceptions about WWE he'd like to set straight ... and the YouTube superstar sounded off on anyone thinking the job is a cakewalk.

"Yeah dog, the s*** is hard!!" Logan tells us. "The s*** is so hard! I come from the non-WWE Universe. So, I know what people say about it, I know what people think about it before I entered. Like, I came from that place. And, now that I'm in it, my jaw has dropped."

"It is such a difficult discipline that your body is simply not used to unless you do it for years."

Logan says he's been blown away by what his peers are able to accomplish in the squared circle ... teases he may have some insane moves of his own he may try out in the future.

But, Paul says it's so much more than just being able to perform with your body -- there's a whole 'nother can of worms wrestlers have to master.

"You can't just be a performer, physically," Logan adds. "You have to be a showman. You have to go out there and get people excited with your voice, and then show up on the day and perform physically, and fight someone. It's difficult."

WWE legend Ric Flair isn't mincing his words when it comes to his feelings on the retirement of Vince McMahon ... outright saying he hates it!

76-year-old McMahon retired last week after decades as Chairman and CEO of WWE ... so when Nature Boy joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airing weeknights on FS1) this week, we asked him if his former boss should've stayed on the job.

"Yes, I think he's one of a kind and I've said this," Flair tells us, adding Vince has made a lot of careers thanks to his genius.

"He's made so many people rich and he's literally has made chicken salad out of a lot of chicken s**t. Mojo knows what I'm talking about. He's made a lot of people rich."

Flair went on to say he doesn't condone the allegations against McMahon (Vince is being investigated by a law firm hired by WWE for allegedly paying off several former female employees with whom he allegedly had relationships).

"I mean they're just trying to murder him now and who knows and all. I'm certainly not defending anything that's negative and I'm not taking a side on the issue that apparently has been brought up but I know as a person and what he did for me, there's nobody like him."

As for the future of the world's top wrestling organization (McMahon bought the company from his dad in 1982), Flair says the company is in great hands with Vince's daughter and current WWE executive, Stephanie McMahon.

"I think Stephanie's a genius!"

As for Ric, it's a huge week for the 2x WWE Hall of Famer ... on Sunday, Flair will enter the squared circle as a competitor for the last time in his incredible career.

Some retired players go into coaching, others broadcasting ... but when Dwight Howard finally hangs up the J's, the NBA star has a future as a WWE Superstar, if he wants it, 'cause the 7 footer just showed up to a WWE tryout and cut an incredible promo.

TMZ Sports has video of the 36-year-old 8x NBA All-Star crashing tryouts in Nashville (WWE's in TN for SummerSlam) ... where he went all out on stage in front of Triple H and other company execs.

Howard channeled Sho'nuff (whom he was previously for Halloween) -- the bad guy from the 1985 movie "The Last Dragon" -- and he killed it!

Dwight, a big-time pro wrestling fan, is buddies with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil, so Howard decided to hop on a flight to Tennessee ... to catch some big-time wrestling matches.

While a bunch of college athletes are in town trying out, we're told Dwight was just having some fun (he isn't ready for basketball retirement just yet). But, that doesn't mean you won't see him in the ring sometime in the future.

"I think it is something in my future. I love the WWE. I love wrestling," Howard told Arash Markazi.

"I'm grateful and thankful for this opportunity to be here and just witness this whole thing, tryouts, and everything. Hopefully one day in the future, I'll actually be in the ring, wrestling and holding up a belt."

And, it sounds like the feeling's mutual ... a source from WWE told us "the promo was a good start!"

Ric Flair had a lot to WOOOOOO about Thursday ... the WWE legend showed up to Tennessee Titans training camp, and Derrick Henry and the squad were pumped!

The Nature Boy is in Nashville for the last wrestling match of his esteemed career ... so when 73-year-old Flair received an invite to camp, he pulled up, and spent some time with the players.

Of course, Naitch broke the team down ... to a bunch of woooooo's!

Flair told reporters at Saint Thomas Sports Park his favorite player is on the Titans, so when the invite came in, he wasn't going to say no.

"My favorite player in the NFL right now is Derrick Henry," Flair said. "Hated him at Alabama but I love him here."

Flair continued to sing the praises of the guy many consider the best back in the league.

"I didn't realize he had that speed. I didn't see that in college."

Ric even compared him to a future Hall of Famer.

"Yeah I mean 2,000 yards [a year] -- think about it. That puts him in the same class as Adrian Peterson. That's big-time stuff."

Henry also talked to reporters, telling them it was "pretty cool" to have Flair at practice ... 'cause Ric's someone Derrick used to watch on TV as a kid.

"He's a legend in the WWE world," Henry said.

"I watched him on TV growing up for a long time so it's surreal to meet people like him and come out here and let 'em talk to us after practice."

Flair's 'Last Match' goes down on July 31 ... where Ric will team up with his son-in-law, Andrade, and take on Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.

Wrestling star Hornswoggle -- who was born with a genetic condition that causes dwarfism -- says Jerry Jones should not have said he was sorry for using the m-word earlier this week ... explaining to TMZ Sports he doesn't find the term to be offensive.

Swoggle -- real name Dylan Postl -- broke it all down for us just a day after the Dallas Cowboys owner used the word while making a joke about one of his former employees who had passed away in May.

"You didn't need to apologize to me, Jerry Jones," the ex-WWE superstar said. "I'm a fan of yours for using the word because I use the word. Because I'm OK, and I don't take myself too seriously."

In his joke about Larry Lacewell, Jones said he wanted to "get me somebody, a m*****" to dress up like Dallas' former Director of College and Pro Scouting and stand next to him at practices.

Little People of America -- regarded as the largest dwarfism support organization in the world -- was appalled by the comment, and demanded an apology. Jones issued a mea culpa a short time later.

Hornswoggle, though, says he hopes Jerry continues to use the word -- telling us, "He's not using it in a derogatory way. That's my thing. He's not making fun of the community with how he's using it."

Swoggle added, "If you get offended by something like that, you're taking yourself way too seriously. We're all human. We all bleed the same blood. It's just ridiculous to me."

There might not be a Polamalu in the NFL anymore ... but there could be one in WWE rings soon -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned Troy Polamalu's nephew, Talati Polamalu, is trying out for the wrestling org!

The younger Polamalu -- who's currently a rising senior offensive lineman at Georgetown -- hit Nashville this week to showcase his stuff for WWE execs (including Triple H, Big E and Paul Heyman!) in the days leading up to this weekend's SummerSlam event.

The college football player jumped on stage and tried to get the crowd going by asking them for a "Talofa!" and an "Aloha!"

Talati then explained he wants to be a role model in the WWE for overweight kids ... saying, "Look at me. You can do this. You can do whatever you want, you just got to put the work in."

We've yet to see Talati's moves in the ring -- but there's a strong chance they look pretty good ... 'cause, after all, the 21-year-old has wrestling in his blood.

He not only participated in the sport in high school, but his aunt is WWE superstar Tamina Snuka.

And, of course, his uncle is Troy -- so ya know the 6-foot-3, 324-pounder is athletic as hell.

WWE Superstar Liv Morgan had some nice things to say about Ronda Rousey ahead of their big match at SummerSlam ... but although she respects her opponent, there's no way in hell she's giving up her belt!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the current SmackDown champ as she prepares to fight Ronda at WWE's summer classic ... and her message to the former UFC star-turned-wrestler was extremely clear.

"Ronda, I respect you," Morgan started. "You’ve done so much for women in sports and women in WWE. But I love this [belt] more than you, bitch. So this title is coming home with me."

Earlier this month, Liv won the "Money in the Bank" ladder match -- where she competed against 6 other worthy opponents ... which guaranteed her a title opportunity on her terms.

That same night, she turned in her "Money in the Bank" briefcase and challenged Rousey -- who had just defeated Natalya in a grueling match -- for her title.

Liv made quick work of Rousey ... pinning the self-proclaimed "baddest woman on the planet," which set the stage for their rematch, where Ronda will look to exact revenge on 28-year-old Morgan.

As for how Liv's been adjusting to life since being crowned champ at MITB ... she admits she feels an onus to represent WWE in the best possible light in and out of the ring.

"I feel more of a responsibility now," Morgan said. "I feel like I’ve always worked hard. I’ve always been willing to put in the extra work. So that aspect doesn’t feel any different."

"But just more of a, I guess, responsibility to represent the company," she continued.