WWE

WWE star Carmella -- the Princess of Staten Island -- announced Monday she and her husband Corey Graves are expecting a child ... after previously suffering two miscarriages last year.

The 35-year-old former WWE Smackdown Women's Champion shared the exciting news by posting pics of her and Graves together, showing off her growing baby bump.

"After every storm there is a rainbow 🌈 our little miracle is due this november and we couldn’t be more thrilled," she wrote on Instagram.

Carmella -- whose real name is Leah Van Dale -- told "Good Morning America" she's been trying to main a positive mindset now that the couple is expecting after experiencing miscarriages in September and October last year.

"It's just all been such a whirlwind," Carmella said. "I think because of my past, it was hard to get excited off the bat about this one, but I was cautiously optimistic."

In February, Carmella revealed on Corey's 'After The Bell' podcast with Kevin Patrick that she had to step away from WWE because she had an ectopic pregnancy.

Carmella said she was "in a deep depression" for a while because she didn't know if she'd ever feel healthy enough to compete again. However, support from Stephanie McMahon kept her grounded and gave her the confidence she needed to return to the WWE.

Despite feeling nauseous and more tired than usual, Carmella told GMA this pregnancy has "been really good." Still, her excitement is mixed with apprehension because of her recent medical scares.

Meanwhile, Graves was "shocked" and "surprised" when Carmella told him their family was increasing, but the 39-year-old WWE commentator is excited to be a father!

Conor McGregor stole the show Saturday night at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ... and the spirits clearly moved him.

Conor was on hand to watch Mike Perry defeat Luke Rockhold, who threw in the towel after his teeth got messed up in the brawl.

Conor, who was sipping, then swigging, his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, toasted the crowd at the 1stBank Center and the crowd ate it up.

But McGregor wasn't done ... Perry invited him into the ring and they faked a face-off. That's when the Irish champ grabbed Perry's BKFC belt ... a move that would ordinarily have triggered another fight, except this one was for s**** and giggles. They stared each other down, WWE style, and that was that.

As for Conor ... he's been sidelined with an injury for 2 years, but he's expected to fight Michael Chandler soon.

Travis Kelce might be in the midst of one of the greatest NFL careers ever ... but the Kansas City Chiefs star tells TMZ Sports he has his eye on another endeavor -- the WWE.

Now, he clearly ain't ready to hang up his cleats in exchange for wrestling boots ... but the two-time Super Bowl champ said this week he definitely wants some kind of role with the org. -- and he hopes it happens sooner than later.

Kelce told us he's been inspired to seek out the job after he watched his good buddy, George Kittle, have a blast in the ring earlier this month.

"My guy George Kittle was at WrestleMania throwing clotheslines left and right, man," Kelce said. "It was awesome to see him go nuts."

So, Kelce said he's hit up his pal The Miz -- who actually lost to Pat McAfee at WrestleMania due to interference from Kittle -- and he told us he's working with the WWE Superstar to try to get some sort of action in the WWE soon.

"Hopefully," the 33-year-old tight end said, "we can brew something into fruition here."

Of course, Kelce doesn't have exactly all the time in the world to mix it up in the ring ... he's gone nonstop this offseason, hosting "Saturday Night Live," throwing ceremonial pitches at Guardians games and even making an appearance at Thursday's NFL draft.

Mercedes Moné is no longer the IWGP Women's Champion ... but the wrestling star already knows how she wants to get over the devastating loss when she returns to the United States -- by smoking a blunt with her cousin and WrestleMania 39 host, Snoop Dogg.

"I cannot wait to come back to the U.S.A. so I can roll up a big one, smoke one, roll one again, and go to Long Beach, baby, where you can go to my cousin's house, Snoop Dogggggggggg," Mercedes told Dean "Mojo" Muhtadi during an interview with TMZ Sports.

Moné lost her IWGP Women's Championship to Mayu Iwatani at the Stardom All Star Grand Queendom event in Tokyo, Japan. Still, despite dropping the title, Mercedes told us that wrestling fans in Japan treat her like royalty.

Mercedes -- formerly known as Sasha Banks in the WWE -- told us she got rocked early into her contest with Iwatani, resulting in her having difficulty seeing, and described the fight with Iwatani as the "hardest-hitting" match of her 13-year career.

"I got this big ass balloon on my face in the first five seconds, and I just couldn't believe it," Moné said. "But I told myself, 'Mercedes, you have to finish. You're in Japan. The fans are chanting for you.' This balloon in my eye, I couldn't f****** see. That's why I couldn't kick out."

Mercedes told us she has one match left on her contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) on May 21 in Long Beach at Resurgence, meaning she'll be a free agent again and have to decide where she wants to continue her wrestling career.

When we spoke to Mercedes in March, "The Mandalorian" TV star told us she recently inked a deal with United Talent Agency (UTA). Since then, Mercedes says her success inside the squared circle has translated outside the ring, and things are aligning for her as an actress.

Shane McMahon is back in the gym just weeks after tearing his quad at WrestleMania 39 ... and the WWE talent was in great company -- 'cause he was sweatin' it out with All-Pro Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry!!

Shane -- donning a large brace on his left leg -- posted video of his workout on Tuesday ... showing him going through a series of exercises as he attacks his rehab.

The two were accompanied by famous athletic trainer Melvin Sanders -- who works with all the biggest names in the NFL -- as well as Luke Miller, who is Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott's physical therapist.

Remember, Shane-O-Mac -- who hadn't appeared on WWE programming since the 2022 Royal Rumble -- came out during a segment featuring The Miz and Snoop Dogg at WrestleMania at SoFi Stadium.

Snoop set up an impromptu match between Shane and The Miz ... but it was called off after McMahon tore his quadriceps.

53-year-old McMahon suffered the injury after his knee buckled following a leapfrog -- but thankfully, WWE's medical team was able to intervene swiftly.

Snoop Dogg ended up saving the day -- he fought Miz in place of Shane ... and defeated the former WWE champion using The Rock's signature "People's Elbow" finisher.

Shane has a reputation for his death-defying stunts over his career -- and has always prided himself on staying in shape in case the moment arises to entertain WWE fans.

Three weeks after getting chokeslammed through a table by Damian Priest, Bad Bunny got his revenge on the WWE superstar ... cracking him over and over with a kendo stick live on Monday Night Raw!!!

The scene at Allstate Arena in Chicago was wild ... Bad Bunny showed up out of nowhere after Priest was DQ'ed from his fight with Rey Mysterio -- and then went into full-on attack mode.

The "Tití Me Preguntó" singer beat the hell out Priest with the wooden weapon -- hitting him right in the ribs and the back ... before he chased him out of the ring.

The attack, though, didn't stop there -- Bad Bunny got in a few more swings ... before Priest hightailed it out of the area.

Eventually, the rapper grabbed a microphone ... and challenged the wrestler to a street fight at WWE Backlash -- a Pay-Per-View event set to go down on May 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"Damian, I don't know if you know," Bunny said, "but I'm not hosting Backlash anymore. Now, I'm going to Puerto Rico to kick your ass. May 6. Backlash. In mi casa, Puerto Rico. Damian Priest. Bad Bunny. In a street fight."

Seems Priest accepted ... and now the two will finally look to settle some beef that's been stewing ever since the WWE talent chokeslammed Bad Bunny through a table on Raw earlier this month.

Of course, things weren't always contentious between Bunny and Priest. In 2021, they actually teamed together at WrestleMania 37 to defeat The Miz and John Morrison, and Bunny had one of the highlights of the match when he hit the Canadian Destroyer on Morrison.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder's college basketball careers are over, but they could have a bright future in professional wrestling ... so says WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, who tells TMZ Sports the twins can succeed in the industry if they remain a dominant duo.

We spoke to Booker about the Internet sensations -- whose agent, Jeff Hoffman, confirmed earlier this week they would start training at the WWE Performance Center -- and the wrestling legend shared some words of encouragement for the sisters as they embark on their new journey.

"The best advice I can give to siblings is [to] learn this craft and stick together because it will be a ride," Booker said. "It's going to be a journey. This is a marathon. You got to be ready to run the long haul."

After Haley and Hanna -- who helped Miami reach the Elite 8 this past season -- announced they would not return to The U for a fifth season, speculation grew about the next endeavors the twins would pursue.

"We love the WWE," Haley said during their appearance on The Today Show last week. "The fan base, the sport, the fitness side of it ... they’re great, our partner, and we’re very excited in a future with them."

Of course, Booker T -- a five-time WCW champion -- knows what it feels like to break into the wrestling business with a sibling. The King of the Spinaroonie was one half of the legendary "Harlem Heat" tag team with his real-life brother, Stevie Ray.

In April 2013, Booker was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame. Harlem Heat reunited for one final match in February 2015, where they won the ROW Tag Team Championship and were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame together as part of the 2019 class.

If the Cavinder twins ever make it to WWE's roster, they won't be the first set of trailblazing twins. Nikki and Brie Garcia -- formerly known as the Bella Twins -- and Jimmy and Jey Uso created a blueprint for how siblings can dominate in professional wrestling.

"These young ladies that are coming in," Booker said, "they are so athletic."

"So much more athletic than the crop when I came up. I see this business going in a really great direction."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson continues to prove why he's "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" -- a 2022 Panini WWE Black Prizm card featuring The Brahma Bull sold for $126,000 at auction, the highest-selling WWE trading card of all time.

PWCC officials tell TMZ Sports they brokered the historic sale Thursday night ... and say the card's exclusivity -- it's the only one that exists -- is why it sold for so much.

"This is arguably the best WWE trading card in existence," said Jesse Craig, Vice President of Sales at PWCC. "Cards like this rarely surface for public sale since they are so scarce. And when scarcity outweighs public demand, you see record prices."

"This was the perfect combination to drive that demand," Craig added.

The card is considered a 1/1 masterpiece with a grade of Near Mint 7. It features a holofoil image of The Rock -- AKA "The Great One" -- slamming the Texas Rattlesnake, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, to the mat with what appears to be his signature "Rock Bottom" finisher.

Of course, The Rock and Stone Cold had one of the most storied rivalries in WWE history, culminating in a trilogy of matches that were instant classics at WrestleMania 15, 17, and 19.

When Rock and Austin weren't colliding in the squared circle on "The Grandest Stage of Them All," the two WWE Hall of Famers entertained the WWE Universe with their skills on the microphone, cutting some of the most legendary promos over their careers.

Both Rock and Austin have had successful careers post-WWE -- Dwayne is an A-list actor, and Steve Austin started a podcast and released his first beer (Broken Skull) -- but the magic the two created inside the ring shows why cards like these are in high demand.

WrestleMania 39 is over ... but Dolph Ziggler is already eyeing a spot on next year's card, telling TMZ Sports he's down to fight UFC star Conor McGregor on "The Grandest Stage of Them All" at WrestleMania.

We spoke to Dolph -- whose last WrestleMania match was in 2020 against Otis -- out in Beverly Hills recently ... and the former WWE Intercontinental Champion is already imagining what a feud with McGregor looks like on the heels of the WWE and UFC merger.

"Why not make it a best of 3?" Ziggler asked. "Octagon. Boxing match. Wrestling. Fighting. WWE. And then set it all up for the best out of seven at WrestleMania."

"That's just where the money is, but not everybody can go and back it up. But some of us can," said Ziggler, the 2012 men's Money in the Bank ladder match winner.

ICYMI -- McGregor posted a pic of him holding a WWE and UFC championship belt with the hashtag, "It's inevitable," one day before WWE sold to UFC's parent company, Endeavor.

After Vince McMahon announced he sold WWE and joined forces with UFC to create a new $21 billion sports company ... Ziggler wasted no time going after The Notorious.

"ABSOLUTELY AMAZING #WrestleMania PS: If I can drop 45 more pounds, I can drop anyone talking trash! seems even easier to get the deal done now, right @TheNotoriousMMA," Ziggler tweeted.

So, will we see Ziggler vs. McGregor at WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia next April?!?

Jeff Hardy is back ... The Charismatic Enigma made his first AEW appearance Wednesday night since the company suspended him for his DUI arrest in Florida last June.

Hardy surprised wrestling fans at the Milwaukee Panther Arena in Wisconsin ... coming to the rescue of his brother, Matt Hardy, who had been getting beaten up in the ring.

Big Bill and Lee Moriarty blindsided Matt, Hook, and Isiah Kassidy ... but Jeff's music hit out of nowhere, and he ran out from backstage with a steel chair in hand, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Jeff whooped everyone in the ring ... and then threw the chair at Lee's face. He later hit the wrestler with his signature twist of fate maneuver and a legendary Swanton Bomb.

"I am unbelievably proud of my brother @JEFFHARDYBRAND," Matt tweeted about Jeff's emotional comeback afterward.

Of course, Matt said earlier this week that Jeff's return was imminent following the legend's recent eye surgery -- though he expected it to be about 6-8 weeks from now ... not days!!

Matt reassured fans that Jeff's been caring for himself during his time away from the squared circle ... and his appearance in the ring on Wednesday night proved he has been doing just that.

Logan Paul's wrestling career is just getting started -- the Maverick has officially signed a new contract with WWE ... just days after his stunning WrestleMania performance.

The 28-year-old initially signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion in June 2022 ... and after incredible outings at WrestleMania, Crown Jewel and Royal Rumble, the move was a no-brainer.

Logan shared the news on social media minutes ago ... holding his contract and snapping a pic with WWE chief content officer Triple H, who posed with his signature "point."

"A proven Superstar on the biggest stage," Triple H said on Monday. "Can't wait to see what's next for @LoganPaul"

The Internet superstar's match against Seth "Freakin'" Rollins was one of the biggest highlights of WM39 at SoFi Stadium ... but despite a surprise appearance from his Prime business partner, KSI, he wasn't able to leave with his hand raised.

Logan has won the entire wrestling community over ... with some of the biggest names in the sport applauding his ability to show off his athleticism in the squared circle.

Booker T thinks WWE joining forces with UFC's parent company will pay enormous dividends for both sides -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's going to be good for everybody."

We spoke with Booker -- a commentator on WrestleMania 39's kickoff show this past weekend -- at LAX fresh off Endeavor and WWE merging to create a new, publicly traded company valued at $21.4 billion ... and asked him if he could see any crossover happening with the superstars between the two respective sports entertainment brands.

"Of course," Booker said. "I think the UFC always needed a little more entertainment in their life. I think WWE will definitely add to that flavor. It's going to be good for everybody."

"UFC fans already gravitate to WWE. Daniel Cormier was at the NXT show a couple [of] days ago. Those guys and WWE, they go together. Great tag team."

As we previously reported, Vince McMahon sold WWE -- the business he purchased from his father in 1982 -- to Endeavor ... after serving as the chairman and CEO of the sports entertainment conglomerate for over 40 years.

McMahon will now serve as the executive chairman of the board with Endeavor. Meanwhile, Dana White will continue in his current role as UFC President, with Ari Emanuel as the new group's CEO.

Booker told us UFC legends like Tito Ortiz and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, with their larger-than-life personalities, gave UFC the flare it needed ... adding he could see guys Colby Covington and Conor McGregor crossing over to the WWE.

"You look at a guy like Colby Covington, who's very controversial and chaotic. I think he'll fit in perfectly," the WWE Hall of Famer said.

The five-time World Heavyweight Champion says athletes like Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle are anomalies ... but he's predicting that with the new joint deal in place, we'll see some guys from UFC working with the WWE.

An all-out brawl erupted outside a Texas nightclub in a scene that sort of looked like a WWE Royal Rumble ... and most of it was caught on video.

Footage of the wild fight shows a group of mostly scantily clad women going at it in a San Antonio parking lot near Privat Social Club. Of course, there were many observers watching and recording the lunacy with their cell phones.

The video opened with a young woman grabbing another female by her hair and whipping her to the ground. The two wrestled on the asphalt while throwing punches at one another.

Then a security guard picked up a third woman and body-slammed her to the ground, causing her cash to go flying into the air.

Back to the first two women. One pulverized the other with her fists until, finally, someone stepped in and broke it up.

Two more women were featured kicking each other's butts with one dragging the other around the parking lot.

Security guards managed to get the situation under control before anyone got seriously hurt.

San Antonio Police arrived on scene after everything had calmed down. Cops said the fight originally started between a woman and a security guard for unknown reasons. The guard maced the woman, who then left the location as hell broke loose.

Tony Yayo -- the rapper who inspired John Cena's famous "You Can't See Me" gesture -- is speaking out against those criticizing LSU hoops star Angel Reese for waving her hand toward Iowa star Caitlin Clark ... saying, "When a Black girl do it, it's a problem, but when a white girl do it, it's not a problem."

TMZ Sports spoke with the G-Unit MC -- who was trending this past week after Reese's celebration during last Sunday's NCAA championship game -- and he told us the criticism she's been receiving is "kind of crazy."

Yayo said trash-talking in sports is part of the game ... adding he understands the emotions athletes experience when competing, especially for a national championship.

Yayo -- who recently wrapped up a tour with 50 Cent and is gearing up to release new music this summer -- said Reese is popularizing women's basketball ... and she's elevating the sport to newer heights.

"You got Lil Wayne calling her phone," Yayo said. "You got Boosie excited over LSU. This championship was big. Everybody knows who Angel Reese is now, as well as Caitlin Clark."

Tony said he's proud of how Reese has handled herself during the controversy ... and doesn't want it to diminish what the LSU Tigers accomplished, winning the program's first NCAA women's basketball national championship.

"I just don't want all this stuff to overshadow the win," Yayo said. "There are other people on the team. There's a great coach [Kim Mulkey] over there. I'm definitely looking up to anybody that's a role model to Black women in this world."

Diamond Dallas Page says he was overcome with emotion watching Cody Rhodes fight Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship at WrestleMania ... and tells TMZ Sports despite Cody coming up short, he knows he'll eventually win the title.

We spoke to DDP at LAX on Wednesday ... and the king of the Diamond Cutter told us he thinks Cody losing to Roman on "The Grandest Stage of Them All" will make him even more popular amongst WWE fans.

"When you're really over ... When it's done right [and] when the people are behind it, it doesn't matter who wins or loses," Page said. "He went and made AEW. Came back to here [WWE]. They were so happy to have him back because they knew what a talent he was."

"I couldn't be any prouder of the cat," Page added. "Very emotional for me."

Of course, some wrestling fans were confused by WWE's decision to keep the title on Reigns instead of giving it to Cody, who won the Royal Rumble in January -- but Page believes it's inevitable Rhodes becomes WWE champ ... explaining this is a part of the process.

Page feels Cody has no reason to be disappointed he didn't win Sunday. DDP said Cody's father, Dusty Rhodes, is proud of his performance in the main event against Reigns, who needed help from The Bloodline and Paul Heyman to defeat the American Nightmare.

DDP praised Cody for how he responded after tearing his pectoral muscle last summer before a match against Seth Rollins ... and for rehabbing as hard as possible to put himself in a position to be in the main event at WrestleMania.

WWE apologized on Friday for showing a photograph of the Auschwitz concentration camp where more than 1 million Jews were murdered ... during a WrestleMania promo Saturday night.

The company faced backlash from fans, media, and even the Auschwitz Memorial once it became clear they used the image to promote the Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio match.

But now, the WWE is apologizing, saying they had no idea the image was used.

"We had no knowledge of what was depicted. As soon as we learned, it was removed immediately,” the company told The Washington Post.

It remains to be seen if the explanation will be enough ... the Auschwitz Memorial ripped into WWE before the apology, saying, "The fact that Auschwitz image was used to promote a WWE match is hard to call 'an editing mistake.'"

"Exploiting the site that became a symbol of enormous human tragedy is shameless and insults the memory of all victims of Auschwitz."

According to Auschwitz Memorial's website, the Germans established Auschwitz in 1940 in German-occupied Poland during World War II, and it was the largest of the Nazi concentration camps.