WWE

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is sharing his fond memories of "Superstar" Billy Graham and the huge impact he had on professional wrestling ... after the WWE Hall of Famer passed away on Wednesday.

"I watched his career very intently," Austin told TMZ Sports this week. "He started becoming so entertaining with his promos that the crowd was starting to like him, which is what happened to me."

"He was great. He was all about the showmanship of it and the physique, and he was a different vibe and a helluva promo. He influenced a whole lot of people."

Billy died Wednesday with his wife, Valerie, and their daughter by his side ... after battling "very serious health issues" that left him hospitalized in the ICU for three weeks.

Despite now being gone, it's clear Graham will not be forgotten ... fellow Superstars like Ric Flair, X-Pac, and Bubba Ray Dudley have all expressed condolences after his death.

The WWE Universe is mourning the loss of "Superstar" Billy Graham ... who passed away on Wednesday, with tributes honoring the life and legacy of the late great WWE legend.

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair, whom Graham mentored, was among the first to give the Hall of Famer his flowers, thanking him for all he did for his career.

Graham also mentored Jesse Ventura, who too remembered his friend ... "There wouldn't be a Jesse 'The Body' Ventura without the in-ring success and trailblazing showmanship of Superstar Billy Graham."

"One of my proudest wrestling memories was having the honor of being inducted into the same WWE Hall of Fame class as Graham. Rest In Power Superstar."

Paul Heyman credited Billy with being the wrestler who made Vince McMahon realize WWWF/WWF/WWE performers were more than just professional wrestlers, but also superstars, too.

"A most heartfelt RIP to the man of the hour, the man with the power, too sweet to be sour!" Heyman tweeted.

Other WWE legends, including Iron Sheik, Bully Ray aka Bubba Ray Dudley, Sgt. Slaughter and X-Pac also reflected on the former bodybuilder's life.

As we reported on Wednesday, Billy's family told us he died after being taken off life support with his daughter and wife, Valerie, by his side.

Billy's health had been in steady decline -- he was suffering from congestive heart failure, diabetes, hearing loss, and a significant infection in his ears and skull.

Billy was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame in 2004.

He was 79.

WWE Hall of Famer "Superstar" Billy Graham has died ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Billy's family tells us he died Wednesday after being taken off life support. We're told Billy's wife and daughter were by his side when he passed.

As we reported ... Billy's wife Valerie announced Monday he had been in the ICU for three weeks as a result of various health issues. She said doctors wanted to take Billy off life support Monday night, but she initially refused.

Known for his prowess as a wrestler and a bodybuilder, Billy rose to fame back in the day wrestling for the American Wrestling Association and later the World Wrestling Federation.

Billy mentored big-time wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Scott Steiner, Ric Flair and Jesse Ventura ... and in 2004 the WWE inducted Billy into its Hall of Fame.

Billy's recent health issues took a toll on his body ... his family says he lost 45 pounds while suffering from congestive heart failure, diabetes, hearing loss, and a significant infection in his ears and skull.

We're also told his kidneys were failing.

Tributes are now pouring in from across the wrestling world ... with Ric tweeting, "THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR INFLUENCE On My Career!"

Billy was 79.

Logan Paul and Nina Agdal just hit a special milestone in their relationship -- the couple is celebrating their one-year anniversary together ... and the WWE Superstar penned his model girlfriend a special tribute in honor of the big day.

"One very special year with my Danish queen @ninaagdal," Logan said on Instagram on Wednesday ... sharing several romantic shots of them embracing over the past 12 months.

As we previously reported, Logan and Nina were first spotted in public at Novikov in London last June ... showing PDA as they grabbed dinner with their friends.

Speaking of friends, Logan's podcast cohost Mike Majlak took credit in the comments for setting them up ... saying, "i literally made this happen i want equity in this relationship too."

Logan and Nina have been attached at the hip ever since ... with Nina being his biggest supporter at all his WWE matches and other business events.

Agdal also recently showed serious love for Logan ... saying, "Obsessed with this boy 💘."

It looks like their special day will be filled with boating, bubbly and caviar ... and, of course, tons of bottles of Logan's Prime drink.

WWE Hall of Famer "Superstar" Billy Graham -- known for his prowess as a bodybuilder and wrestler -- is on life support ... and his family says his situation is dire.

Graham's wife, Valerie, shared an update on her husband's status Monday ... saying, "Please urgent prayers needed for my husband. The doctors wanted to remove him from life support tonight. I refused."

"He’s a fighter and his will is strong even if his body isn’t. God is our hope."

According to a GoFundMe page for the WWE legend, the 79-year-old is dealing with a "myriad of very serious health issues" and has been in the ICU for over three weeks.

The once iconic bodybuilder is suffering from a significant infection in his ears and skull, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and hearing loss. His family said he's also recently lost 45 pounds.

Born Eldrige Wayne Coleman, Graham rose to prominence wrestling for American Wrestling Association and later the World Wrestling Federation.

In 2004, WWE inducted Graham -- who mentored the likes of Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Scott Steiner, and Ric Flair -- into its Hall of Fame.

Graham's family is asking people to donate to his GoFundMe ... as medical bills for the former champ continue to mount.

WAP meets WWE??

The crossover of the ages could happen if WWE Superstars Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez get their wish ... 'cause the Women's Tag Team Champions just revealed their dream wrestling match is against Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion!!

Morgan and Raquel were in Puerto Rico for Backlash when they laid down the gauntlet to Cardi and Meg while speaking to WrestlingNews, officially putting the award-winning MCs on notice.

Liv was asked which two celebrities she and Raquel would love to go toe to toe with in the squared circle ... and she answered without hesitation, "We’re talking Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. We want them."

Rodriguez added, "They’ve had a little interaction with some of our other Superstars. They’re always interacting on Twitter, so I think they would be more than willing to come and have a little fun with Liv and I."

On the surface, it seems like an unfair fight if we're talking inside the ring. After all, Morgan and Rodriguez are on top of their game after defeating Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and "The Man" Becky Lynch for the Women's Tag Team Championship.

But, Morgan told the outlet she and Rodriguez aren't trying to disrespect the two "WAP" artists by challenging them to a match ... and said how much they adore Cardi and Meg.

“I’m sure they are both highly athletic, so this is our official call out, but we love you guys," Morgan said. "It’s not in a mean way. We love you.”

It appears the Cincinnati mayor is taking Travis Kelce's advice by knowing his role and shutting his mouth ... 'cause Aftab Pureval just helped the Bengals announce their Week 17 matchup with the K.C. Chiefs -- and poked fun at his misfired trash talk in the process.

The team just dropped the funny clip on Wednesday ... showing newly-acquired offensive tackle Orlando Brown helping him record the promo inside his office.

"The Bengals play the Chiefs Week 17 ... and I've got nothing else to add," Pureval said in the clip.

When the mayor asked Brown how he did, the lineman jokes it "was better than the last time."

Remember, Pureval put his foot in his mouth days before last season's AFC Championship Game ... calling on Joe Burrow to take a paternity test to determine if he's Patrick Mahomes' dad, as he was 3-0 in head-to-head matchups at the time.

But, as we all know, the Chiefs ended up coming away with the 23-20 win ... and Kelce made sure to call out the Cincy mayor right after the game by channeling his inner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

"Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!!" Kelce said after the game.

Bad Bunny impressed Kendall Jenner in addition to millions of wrestling fans Saturday night, after defeating Damian Priest in a featured event.

BB made his grand entrance to his 2017 hit, "Chambea," as fans sang along.

The show went down in Bad Bunny's OG stomping ground ... Puerto Rico.

Kendall's BF is on a roll ... he defeated The Miz in a tag team match at WrestleMania 37.

It's kinda interesting ... both Bad Bunny and Priest are from Puerto Rico, but the crowd was squarely on BB's side.

Former WWE wrestler Sara Lee -- a past winner of the org's famous "Tough Enough" show -- died by suicide in October ... this according to a new autopsy report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office documents, officials say Lee ingested a lethal combination of alcohol and pills. They added that the former wrestler had left "letters of intent at the scene" before her death.

According to officials in the documents, Lee had bruises and abrasions on her head and body at the time of her passing -- though they suspected she may have suffered the injuries in a fall or falls while in an intoxicated state.

She was just 30 years old.

News of her death seven months ago rocked the wrestling world ... with the WWE saying in a statement at the time that it was heartbroken.

"As a former 'Tough Enough' winner, Lee served as an inspiration to many in the sports-entertainment world," the WWE said. "WWE offers its heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and fans."

Lee participated in season six of "Tough Enough" in 2015 and earned a one-year contract with the WWE from it. She wrestled for the org for most of 2016, but moved on to the independent circuit a short time later.

In 2017, she married WWE wrestler Wesley Blake ... and the couple had three kids together. Days after her death, Blake penned an emotional note to Sara on his Instagram page ... writing, "You were a motivator, a best friend, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, the back bone of our family, and (my favorite), my wife."

"I can’t promise that I will stop grieving but I know now, that you’re free," Blake said. "I can’t thank you enough for giving me the best years of my life so far."

RIP.

Trinity Fatu -- formerly known as Naomi in WWE -- is officially making her return to the wrestling ring, but the squared circle isn't the end goal ... 'cause the wrestling superstar wants to act on stage in a Broadway play!

"Before I became a wrestler," Trinity told TMZ Sports' Mojo Muhtadi, "My dream was to be on Broadway. I love theatre. To dance since I was 8 years old. I sing. That was always an aspiration and dream of mine."

Fatu says along the way, she fell in love with wrestling ... and being the superstar she is, it dominated her life.

"Once you get the wrestling bug, it kind of takes over your whole everything, and that's what happened. So, literally, the last 13 years has been all about wrestling and I kind of got away from it, but it's always been in the back of my mind as something, if I ever had the opportunity, I'd do it."

Trinity says now that she's in a different place (no longer with WWE), she again focusing on making her ultimate dream a reality.

"Now that I am where I am in my life, I've definitely been pursuing it. Going to New York as much as I can, taking dance classes, taking acting classes, and just really trying to learn more about the craft. Broadway, Off-Broadway, I just want to be in it."

But, that doesn't mean the pro wrestling star is giving up on kicking ass in the ring. In fact, Trinity will make her highly-anticipated return with Impact Wrestling on Thursday.

Naturally, her best friend Mercedes Moné -- who was just over in Japan competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) -- traveled back to the United States to support her.

Remember, Trinity and Moné were suspended indefinitely after they walked out of "Monday Night Raw" last May and were stripped of their women's tag team titles, effectively ending their WWE careers.

The Impact match airs tonight, but was already taped ... and the 35-year-old former 2x-Smackdown Women's Champion admitted she felt pressure in her debut match, especially after Tamina and CM Punk surprised her at the show.

However, their support gave her the confidence to overcome her fears after the long layoff.

"It was everything," Trinity said.

"It gave me that extra boost I needed to follow through and really do it. I was so scared. Mercedes being there. She was there with me the entire weekend. Helping me pick out my outfits."

Trinity's back in the ring, and hopefully, will grace a Broadway stage sometime soon!

The South Carolina man who stalked and attempted to kidnap WWE superstar Sonya Deville was sentenced to 15 years in prison, TMZ Sports has learned.

On Tuesday Phillip A. Thomas II pled guilty to several charges, including attempted kidnapping, armed burglary, and aggravated stalking ... all in connection to Deville.

In August 2020, Thomas, who, according to prosecutors, was "obsessed" with Deville, drove from South Carolina to Lutz, Florida, where Sonya lives, to kidnap the WWE wrestler.

According to FOX13, Thomas entered Deville's home just before 3 AM, armed with a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, and pepper spray.

The outlet reports Deville -- real name Daria Rae Berenato -- fled and called 911 once she saw Thomas ... who made entry into her home. When cops arrived, Thomas was still inside the home.

In the months leading up to the break-in, Thomas also sent threatening messages on social media to 29-year-old Deville, according to prosecutors.

Deville was so shaken up by the terrifying situation ... she's had to resort to carrying a gun. In fact, she was arrested for unlawful weapon possession in New Jersey in February.

As for Thomas II, after his 15 years in prison, he will be on probation for 15 years.

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.