WWE

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry -- who earned the title of "World's Strongest Man" in 2002 -- says his son Jacob, will be an even better athlete than he was ... telling TMZ Sports the kid can already squat 600 pounds!!

Henry spoke glowingly about 16-year-old Jacob and his many talents in an interview with TMZ Sports ... telling us how proud he was of the high school junior for constantly striving to get better without needing a push from his father.

"Football-wise, he's already ahead of me," Henry said. "He's a really dominant player, impossible to block one-on-one. He took 28 double teams against the number one offensive line in the state and the best football team in the state of Texas."

"I know what Jacob is and what he's gonna be. I'm just looking forward to seeing it happen. He'll definitely be a better athlete than I am."

Henry said Jacob also has a bright future in wrestling, adding he understands the psychology of the sport and the subtle nuances that go into performing inside the squared circle.

Mark says Jacob's athletic prowess isn't the only impressive thing about him -- he says the kid can sing, too!!

"He's such a well-rounded kid," Henry said. "[He] loves God more than anything, and I just wanna see him have every outlet that he wants to try his hand in."

Sorry, America ... Dwayne Johnson will NOT be the next President of the United States, 'cause The Rock just slammed the door on a future political run for the most powerful office in the world.

Remember, the actor and former WWE Superstar admitted he was considering running for the job after 46% of the people polled in the U.S. favored Johnson for the role.

Wrestling stars like The Undertaker even supported Johnson ... telling us last year, "I think he can be the uniter that people are looking for."

But, on Friday, Johnson shut down all the POTUS talk.

"It's off the table. Yes, it is off the table," the 50-year-old said in a teaser clip of an interview with CBS Sunday Morning.

"I love our country and everyone in it. I also love being a daddy."

Johnson -- who has three daughters -- says he understands the job comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility and would require sacrificing too much family time.

"I know what it was like to be on the road and be so busy that I was absent for a lot of years when my first daughter [was] growing up."

"So, my number one priority is my daughters. Sure, CEO sounds great but the number one thing I want to be is a daddy. That's it."

FYI, Johnson's eldest daughter Simone Garcia is following in her father's footsteps ... she signed with the WWE in 2020.

AEW star Saraya, formerly known as Paige in the WWE, has reportedly been cleared to wrestle again ... after she initially retired from the sport back in 2018 due to a neck injury.

Saraya -- who made her AEW debut on the "Grand Slam" Dynamite Episode on Sept. 21 -- has been cleared by AEW's ringside physician Dr. Michael Sampson, according to Dave Meltzer.

The doc's decision will now pave the way for Saraya to step into real competition in the squared circle again -- something she hasn't done since 2017, when she was injured during a six-woman tag team match.

She had attempted to make a recovery immediately following the injury ... but in 2018, at 25 years old, she stepped away from the sport seemingly for good.

It appears she's now recovered enough to be able to get after it again without significant risk of re-injury.

The 30-year-old could be headed for a match with Britt Baker now -- as the two have already been intertwined in an AEW storyline.

Earlier this week, they got into an altercation in the ring -- potentially setting up a future match.

Sara Lee -- a past winner of WWE's famous 'Tough Enough' show -- has sadly died at 30 years old, her mother announced Thursday.

No cause of death was revealed.

"It is with heavy hearts we wanted to share that our Sara Weston has gone to be with Jesus," Terri Lee said in a heartbreaking post on social media.

"We are all in shock and arrangements are not complete. We ask that you respectfully let our family mourn."

Sara competed on 'Tough Enough' during the show's sixth season back in 2015. She was lauded for her strength, and outlasted all of the other females on the program to earn a one-year contract from the WWE.

She wrestled for the org. for most of 2016, but was ultimately released in September of that year. She went on to wrestle on the independent circuit.

Sara married former WWE wrestler Wesley Blake in 2017 ... and the couple had three kids together.

Sara had just posted a gym selfie on her Instagram page earlier this week, writing in the caption, "Celebrating finally being healthy enough to go to the gym 2 days in a row 👏🥳 first ever sinus infection kicked my butt."

We may have just found the world's biggest Dwayne Johnson fan ... a man in Mexico absolutely lost it, breaking down in tears as "The Rock" signed his WWE belt, and it was super sweet.

It all went down this week during Johnson's #BlackAdamWorldTour ... where he was promoting his upcoming superhero film.

DJ shared the clip on Instagram ... showing fans in Mexico City eagerly waiting to meet the actor -- and one of 'em had a WWE belt for the former wrestler to sign.

Johnson LOVES his fans and was more than happy to autograph the belt ... and that's when the guy is overcome with emotions to the point he starts shaking and praying.

"Thank you! Thank you, Rock! Thank you," the fan says, giving DJ a handshake.

"An emotional night," Johnson wrote in the caption, "Lots of tears of joy."

"Even my cold, dark soul gets a little emotional when I see people start to break and cry. It's a beautiful thing. THANK YOU MEXICO I love you back."

This memorable moment comes just a week after a younger fan met with the 50-year-old after waiting 2 hours.

And, like in Mexico City, the young girl, Carol, cried while they took photos and video together.

"This awesome girl (Carol) waited two hours to finally meet BLACK ADAM⚡️," Johnson said, "His heart may be cold and black, but it still beats 🖤 Especially, for kids."

"The Dolphins did not take care of you. The fact they put you out there, frankly, If I were [Tua], I would not go back and play for the Dolphins, because this was not just a failure of the medical team, this was a failure of the coaching staff, and failure of ownership."

That's Chris Nowinski, one of the world's foremost experts on traumatic brain injuries, very much NOT mincing his words when it comes to the future of 24-year-old Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

And, whether it's in a Dolphins jersey or any of the other 31 teams, Nowinski believes Tua shouldn't see the field for a single snap the rest of the season.

"My advice would be, having been through it and knowing so many dead athlete stories where there was suicide or some aspect of CTE or some traumatic brain injury, do not go back this season."

Of course, the second-year signal caller was on the receiving end of an incredibly scary hit Thursday night ... as the Fins played the Bengals in Cincinnati.

After being slammed to the ground, Tagovailoa appeared to immediately lose consciousness ... and it was clear something was wrong.

Tua was placed on a stretcher and left the stadium in an ambulance, where he was taken to a local Cincy hospital for treatment.

To make matters worse, the game was only five days after Tagovailoa seemingly suffered a head injury against the Bills (Chris says he showed five signs of a potential concussion), but was allowed to return to the game.

As for his current condition, Tua was released from the hospital and was able to fly back to Miami, per reports ... where he's said to be resting at home in good spirits.

But, Chris says this is anything but a story with a happy ending ... 'cause there's real risk of long-term impact, and that's why Nowinski says Tua shouldn't play again this season.

If you're at all familiar with traumatic brain injuries and CTE, you've likely heard of Nowinski. The former WWE wrestler had his career cut short after sustaining a head injury ... and he recognized the sports world misunderstood the injury.

Chris went on to earn his Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience, and he co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the Boston University CTE Center ... where his work has been celebrated across the world.

Nowinski also had strong words for first-year Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel ... who told media after the game ... "the best news we can give is that everything is checked out that he didn't have anything more serious than a concussion."

"This is a statement of no faith in the coach," Chris flatly said.

"Really what he should be saying is it's nothing more serious than a traumatic brain injury that caused decerebrate posturing which is very rare, and a sign of a very serious injury."

There's much more. Nowinski also explains Tua's hand placement following the scary injury, and lays out the long-term effects with which he may now be forced to live.

Dwight Howard tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about his interest in joining the WWE -- explaining he'd trade the basketball court for the wrestling ring this year if the offer was right.

Howard showed back in July he certainly has the chops to cut it in the squared circle -- delivering an epic promo after crashing a WWE tryout in Nashville.

And, when we got him out at LAX this week, he made it clear that wasn't just a one-off thing ... telling us he really has a desire to eventually go head-to-head with Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley and the rest of the WWE's best in the near future.

In fact, Dwight said if the offer to wrestle in the WWE was better than one an NBA team could give him -- he'd have no qualms taking it.

"Whatever opportunity is best," the NBA free agent said.

As for what kind of personality Dwight would have in the org. -- he said he could be both a hero and a villain.

Triple H, meanwhile, seems to be down to give him the shot ... in a recent interview, WWE's CCO said all Dwight would have to do is give him a call and they could get things rolling.

“The ball’s in his court,” Triple H said ... "He came by our tryouts in Nashville, was incredibly entertaining, jumping in promos by himself and then with others -- incredibly entertaining."

Cody Rhodes is champing at the bit to return to WWE ... telling TMZ Sports the torn pec muscle he suffered has him more motivated than ever to step foot back inside the ring.

And, when we spoke to the WWE Superstar at LAX earlier this week, he told us he's getting closer to making his highly anticipated return.

"They know I'm stupid, and I'd try to test it," Rhodes told us, adding, "I got in my mind where I want to be, and I think a lot of fans have in their mind where I'd like to be, and that's hopefully where it's at."

Despite the serious injury, Rhodes return to the company has been awesome ... as they've embraced him with open arms.

"They've treated me like the house that built me," Rhodes said. "And honestly, it was amazing. "We were back, and everything was rolling so fast. And then I tore my pec."

"It was like the best three months of my life," he continued. "Hopefully, get back to that soon."

Rhodes tore his pectoral muscle while weight training before his match against Seth Rollins at "Hell in a Cell," and joked he was told he had the strength of an 11-year-old.

Rhodes isn't rushing his return, despite badly wanting to wrestle again ... but when he returns, he's intent on capturing the magic he had with the fans pre-injury.

Trish Stratus was rushed into surgery last week after experiencing severe pain in her stomach ... but, thankfully, she is now on the road to recovery.

The WWE legend shared the scary experience with her followers on her social media page on Sunday, saying after a 10-hour travel day, she felt pain so intense that it prompted her to go to the ER.

While there, she said she found out her appendix was "about to burst."

"I’m really glad I went to check it out," Trish said on her Instagram, "you know to avoid the whole dying thing."

Trish -- who said she initially thought nothing of the pain but decided to go to the doc after it kept getting worse -- posted videos of herself on a hospital bed both before and after the procedure. She seemed to be in good spirits in both clips, and said afterward "recovery hasn’t been too bad so far, definitely manageable."

"Got 3 new scars to add to my body badges and one less organ," she said ... adding, "Turns out it’s an organ that serves no function so good riddance old pal."

The 46-year-old -- who was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame in 2013 -- is now encouraging people to check in with their doctors about stomach pain instead of waiting until it's too late to intervene.

"A reminder that if you ever have a nagging pain in your lower right quadrant - do go to emergency," she wrote.

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.