WWE

From the wrestling ring ... to Wakanda?!?

WWE superstar Kofi Kingston says he's hoping he can do just that ... telling TMZ Sports this week he's absolutely itching to be in the upcoming "Black Panther" TV series.

"I already fit the mold," he said out LAX. "I was born in the Mother Land, you know what I'm saying? Put your boy on the show!"

The comic book, superhero conversation all came about because during a match earlier this month, Kofi brought out a Thor hammer and wowed the crowd with it.

The 14-time WWE tag team champ showed it off -- and then beat the hell out of his opponent with it ... drawing huge cheers from the audience.

The scene was awesome -- and Kofi said he's desperately trying to replicate it on a Marvel project going forward.

"Look, man, there's a lot of us that are Marvel fans," Kofi said, "myself, Woods and E, your boys -- The New Day -- would love to be in a Marvel movie."

"We put things out into the universe and then we pray for the most positive. It's all about putting yourself out there."

Kofi Kingston is in awe at how fast Logan Paul has transitioned into a WWE Superstar ... telling TMZ Sports the YouTuber's skills in the squared circle are unreal!

We recently caught up with Kofi -- a 14x WWE tag team champ -- out at LAX, and he told us Paul's star power, coupled with his ability to pick up the craft quickly, makes him a perfect fit for WWE.

"To me, it just makes sense," Kingston said. "When you think about how popular Logan Paul is and even his entire story. His come-up and what he's been able to do in the world of boxing and entertainment in general, it would only make sense for us to be hand in glove."

Kofi praised Paul -- who alongside The Miz, wrestled his first match against Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38 -- saying, "he has a bright future ahead of him."

"To see what he did in the ring is very impressive," Kofi said.

"Especially as a performer who has seen a lot of people and has gone through the whole learning process, he shouldn't be that good, that quickly."

Kingston -- 1/3 of the "The New Day" -- said he takes Logan's word when he says pro wrestling is harder than boxing  ... adding it's a "true art."

"Well, I've never been a professional boxer, but it's awesome to hear him say that and kind of put respect on the grind that is WWE."

Kingston also said Big E's injury -- where he was dropped on his neck by Ridge Holland following a botched move -- reminds him how scary it is being a WWE performer.

"With E's situation and him breaking his neck ... you're reminded of just how dangerous what we do is," Kofi said. "It only takes one second for everything to go awry."

Former WWE superstar Velveteen Dream exploded on a gym employee before his arrest last month ... punching the man in the face and then biting him -- this according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The incident allegedly happened on Aug. 20 at around 8:4 PM at Club Orlando -- a fitness facility in Orlando, Fl.

Cops in the docs say a senior employee at the gym told them that an altercation between him and Velveteen Dream began after he said the wrestler had to leave an area that was closed for cleaning.

The man claimed Dream -- real name Patrick Clark -- went off on him, becoming "irate and argumentative." Things allegedly got so intense, the gym employee told Clark he had to leave the building entirely.

According to the docs, Clark then made threats to kill the gym employee -- before he hit the guy in his face.

Cops say the gym employee told them the two then got into a fight -- where Clark bit him. The two were then separated by another employee at the facility, cops say.

According to the documents, officers arrested Clark after they observed teeth marks on the employee's "left chest near the left armpit."

Court records show Clark has since been charged with two misdemeanors -- battery and trespassing on a property after warning -- over the incident. The records show his attorney did file a written plea of not guilty in the case.

As we reported, 27-year-old Clark was arrested again just six days later ... on a warrant for a violation of probation by the Orlando Police Department.

Brutal couple days for former WWE superstar Velveteen Dream last week -- TMZ Sports has confirmed he was arrested TWICE in Florida.

According to court records, VD -- real name Patrick Clark -- was initially arrested on Aug. 20 by the Orlando Police Dept. and booked on misdemeanor charges of battery and trespass on property after warning.

It's unclear what the wrestler has exactly been accused of -- we're working on it -- but the records show his attorney filed a written plea of not guilty and his arraignment hearing, set for September, was canceled.

Just six days later, on Aug. 26, Clark was arrested again in Orange County, Fla., according to jail records.

Orange County Corrections Department officials tell us he was booked on an out-of-county warrant for a violation of probation by the Orlando Police Department.

We're told it all stemmed from a previous drug case against the wrestler in Seminole County, Fla.

OCCD officials say Clark is currently being held on a no-bond status and is still in the Orange County Jail. He is expected to be turned over to Seminole County soon.

The 27-year-old first joined the WWE in 2015 -- and he went on to become a star in NXT, showing off insane athleticism and over-the-top promos, stunts and moves. He was marred in controversy in 2020, though, following allegations that he sent indecent photos to underage kids. He vehemently denied the claims.

Nikki Bella is officially a married woman -- 'cause after 3 years of dating the ex-WWE star tied the knot with her "Dancing with the Stars" dancer fiancé, Artem Chigvintsev, in an intimate ceremony in Paris!!

The former wrestler and Broadway star got married in front of a small group of friends and family ... according to E! News.

Nikki posted a photo of her and Artem's hands with their wedding rings ... saying, "We said I DO, can't wait to share the entire journey with you all when our four-part special event."

The former "Total Bellas" star also shared a pic of the newlyweds in each other's arms as they took in the Paris skyline.

Nikki and Artem -- who met when they were partners on season 25 of 'DWTS' -- have one child, a little boy named Matteo, who was born in July 2020.

Nikki and Artem were engaged for a while due to the pandemic and coronavirus restrictions, but always knew they wanted to say "I Do" ... and now they did!!

You'll recall ... at one point during their relationship, "Good Morning America" accidentally called Nikki Artem's wife before the two ever jumped the broom.

Nikki and Artem were not married then, but now, after years of waiting, the romantic duo can proudly say they are husband and wife.

Vince McMahon celebrated his 77th birthday with his good friend, John Cena, yesterday ... in his first public sighting since retiring as the CEO and Chairman of WWE last month.

The 77-year-old billionaire hit up the Waverly Inn restaurant in NYC ... and was naturally joined by Cena, the 16-time WWE champion, and his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh.

Interestingly enough ... an unidentified woman was seen walking behind Vince as he prepared to get into his sprinter van. McMahon's wife Linda was absent.

You'll recall ... Vince resigned, then officially retired, after the Wall Street Journal published a story several months ago, claiming the WWE honcho paid multiple women "hush money" over the years.

McMahon's retirement sent shockwaves through the sports entertainment world ... and he's maintained a relatively low profile since announcing the news in mid-July.

Vince appeared to have no interest in talking ... as he tried hiding his face as he was getting into his vehicle.

Former AEW star Jake Atlas told cops he was "an international trained superstar" and then slammed his boyfriend as "terrible at sex" in a rant during his arrest back in May ... new police video shows.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see a police officer was trying to ask an agitated Atlas questions about an alleged domestic violence incident between him and his BF outside of his Orlando, Fl. home on May 23.

But, the wrestler, whose boyfriend had accused him of roughing him up during an argument earlier in the evening, appeared to be in no mood to play ball with the cop.

Instead, Atlas told the officer about his wrestling resume, all while bashing his boyfriend and their relationship repeatedly.

"I am an international trained superstar," said the 27-year-old, who is openly gay. "I have worked across the country, across the world, with my name. He is a nobody."

Atlas, real name Kenny Sanchez Martinez, went on to call the man a "f**ing bitch ass, f***ing p***y" ... before ultimately telling the cop, "[he] is a terrible boyfriend and he's terrible at sex."

The cop tried repeatedly to get Atlas to tell his side of the story and explain the events that had gone down earlier in the evening, but the wrestler never seemed to cooperate. Atlas was eventually arrested on the scene and later booked on a domestic violence battery charge.

Atlas' charges were eventually dropped, however ... with officials writing in court documents, "this case is not suitable for prosecution."

The wrestler later commented on the case following its disposition in July, apologizing "for my wrongdoing and any hurt, disappointment and complication I may have caused to my colleagues and fans."

Atlas said he participated in an outpatient program to deal with "a dual diagnosis in substance abuse and mental health," and is continuing to seek treatment.

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.