WWE

The woman who accused WWE star Matt Riddle of choking her and forcing her to perform oral sex has dropped her lawsuit against the wrestler ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Court docs show Candy Cartwright -- a pro wrestler whose real name is Samantha Tavel -- filed for the dismissal on Monday.

It's unclear if the two sides reached a monetary settlement ... Cartwright's attorney, John Chwarzynski, tells us only, "The parties have put this in their past and are focused on the future."

We reached out to Riddle's attorneys for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Cartwright had alleged that Riddle sexually assaulted her during a 2018 van ride with other performers when everyone else had fallen asleep.

"Matt asked me to 'hop on his d***,'" Cartwright said of the alleged incident. "When I refused (although we had previously been together I was incredibly uncomfortable in that setting) When I said no, he grabbed me by my throat, choked me and said 'what if I just made you?'"

Cartwright says she ultimately performed oral sex on Riddle "to get out of having intercourse with him. It was incredibly humiliating."

She added, "It is never ok to put your hands on a woman, it's also not ok to not listen when she says no."

For his part, Riddle adamantly denied the allegations ... saying that while he did have an affair with Cartwright -- he did NOT sexually assault her.

"At the end of the day, I’m not perfect," Riddle said in a video message in July 2020. "I did have an affair, and I’m not happy about it. But, I never sexually abused anybody, I never sexually assaulted anybody."

"And, when I wanted to get out of this relationship, out of this situation, she said no and she kept pursuing me ... And then, when she didn’t get her way, she used the Speak Out movement to try to ruin my career."

Riddle has remained a big WWE star despite the suit and the nature of Cartwright's allegations ... wrestling for RAW every Monday.

WWE Hall of Famer Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff -- the man who famously had epic matches with Hulk Hogan in the 1980s -- has died, his family announced Monday.

He was 71 years old.

Orndorff's son, Travis, did not reveal his father's cause of death, but said in a statement, "It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. He is better known as "Mr. #1derful” Paul Orndorff."

Travis continued, "Most of you will remember him for his physique. Many will remember his intensity. But if I could only get you to understand and see his heart. He will always be Pop, Paw Paw, and Daddy at home."

"And as much as many of you hated him as a wrestler, he absolutely loved you for it."

Orndorff became a star in the 1980s ... after he was a headliner in the first-ever Wrestlemania in 1985.

In that matchup, Orndorff partnered Roddy Pipper in the main event to face off with Hogan and Mr. T.

Orndorff went on to have plenty of storylines and matches with Hogan ... before he officially retired in 2000. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

"RIP my brother," Hulk said in a statement Monday. "Love you and thank you for always making me fight for everything in our matches. Heaven just got even more wonderful. love U4LifeHH."

After retirement, Orndorff still made appearances at wrestling events -- even getting back into the ring at a tag team event in 2017 at 67 years old.

"He was an amazing father that showed me more love than I ever deserved," Travis says, "I love you Daddy."

WWE star Jimmy Uso has been arrested for DUI again ... after cops say he was driving in Florida with a BAC of .205, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police docs, Uso -- real name Jonathan Fatu -- was pulled over at around 10:35 PM on Monday in Pensacola after cops say he ran a red light after being clocked going 50 MPH in a 35 MPH zone.

In the docs, officers say during subsequent questioning ... they smelled booze on the 35-year-old, so they asked him to exit his Dodge Charger.

Cops say when Uso got out of his vehicle, he was noticeably swaying ... and claim that Uso had told them he had consumed "multiple" beers before getting behind the wheel.

Officers say Uso went on to bomb field sobriety tests ... so they arrested him.

In the docs, cops claim Uso's BAC breath tests came back at .202 and .205 -- well above Florida's legal limit of .08.

According to jail records, Uso was booked on a misdemeanor DUI charge, and he's currently still behind bars. Police docs show Uso was also hit with citations for speeding and running a red light.

His bond is currently set at $500, jail records show.

This is the second time in the last two years that Uso has been accused of drunk driving ... he was booked for DUI in Pensacola back in July 2019.

But, a jury later found Uso not guilty in the case ... despite police video that appeared to show Uso swerving and stumbling during his arrest.

Uso was also arrested earlier in 2019 after he allegedly got into a drunken dispute with cops in Detroit.

"I would say a good percentage of professional wrestlers, maybe 69% to be exact, wanna be The Rock by the time it's all said and done."

That's Dean Muhtadi (formerly known as Mojo Rawley in WWE) -- telling TMZ Sports he's getting into acting -- in a way only he could.

Muhtadi landed a role in the upcoming action flick called, "Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins" -- starring Henry Golding -- that's set to be released on July 23.

(Muhtadi's fighting the guy with the chain in the trailer above.)

Dean -- who says he plans on getting back into pro wrestling in the future -- also had a cup of coffee with the Green Bay Packers ... and Muhtadi says acting in action scenes are super hard, physically.

"I'm not gonna lie. I felt like I just had a pay-per-view match or a big football game. But, man, what a blast we had," Dean tells us.

"Henry was absolutely unbelievable, great guy to work with, very down to the Earth, humble guy."

'Snake Eyes' was Dean's first big-time acting gig ... but he doesn't plan on it being his last.

"It was such a cool experience. I'm looking forward to more in the future."

So ... watch your back, Dwayne!!!

Nikki Bella is apologizing after some mean comments she made about Chyna back in the day resurfaced on social media ... she says it wasn't worth the cheap laugh.

Here's the deal ... Nikki and Brie Bella were on "Fashion Police" back in 2013 and the resurfaced clip shows Nikki holding up a photo of Chyna and saying, "We don't know if it's a man or a woman."

Nikki apologized Monday after getting dragged online, saying ... "I am sorry and embarrassed by my 29 year old self, who offended Chyna and, in turn, hurt her family and others.

She says she wishes she could take the comment back and adds ... "Please learn from me, it's not worth hurting someone's feelings for a meaningless laugh."

The resurfaced clip also features another dig at Chyna from host Joan Rivers, who says Chyna's "vagina has a penis."

As you know, Chyna died back in 2016 from an accidental overdose ... and she's since been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

In her apology, Nikki thanks Chyna for opening doors for women in wrestling, like the Bella Twins, and says she should be remembered as an "icon and pioneer."

You can't see him, but you WILL see John Cena back in the squared circle once again ... with the WWE Superstar confirming he's DEFINITELY making a wrestling comeback!!!

44-year-old Cena hasn't been in the ring since WrestleMania 36 last year ... when he lost to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.

But, the WWE legend hasn't hung up his spandex just yet -- Cena revealed he's 100% coming back to Vince McMahon's organization in the future.

"Those rumors are true," Cena said on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon.

So, when's he making his highly anticipated return?? THE TIME IS NOW!!!!

Just kidding.

"I'll definitely be back to the WWE, I just don't know when," Cena told Fallon.

When pressed about his cryptic Instagram post of the WWE logo back in May, Cena said he was just feeling "pretty nostalgic" and wasn't trying to announce a big comeback.

"Some people took it as I was returning immediately, which that's not the case. I haven't had my last match and I can't wait to have my next match."

Cena's name has been thrown around as a possible guest for SummerSlam in August ... and Triple H recently told TMZ Sports he felt like the huge event could act as a "pretty big carrot" to get him to take a break from Hollywood.

But, as Cena points out, his movie contracts ain't exactly letting him go get beat up on the weekends while filming massive blockbuster flicks.

WWE Superstar-turned-AEW talent scout Mark Henry says we might not have seen the end of Braun Strowman ... telling TMZ Sports he's hoping to bring the former champion to his company!!!

Of course, Strowman was recently let go by Vince McMahon's organization ... after spending the past 8 years as one of wrestling's biggest stars.

Now that Henry is an analyst, coach, scout and mentor with All Elite Wrestling, we had to ask if he's planning to bring his buddy on board.

"Super high on my list," Henry tells us. "It's not an all Mark Henry decision, but there's already interest on both sides."

"Hopefully by the time he's allowed to wrestle in August, I think the middle of August, then we could have a serious conversation about contractual things of that nature but right now there's interest on both sides. I love that dude."

Henry and Strowman -- real name Adam Scherr -- go WAY back to their strongman days ... and Mark played a huge role in getting him into the wrestling game.

Now, there's a good chance at a reunion once Scherr's contract is up.

"I talked to him, I mentored him but I tell him all the time, I can't talk business," Henry added. "When your contract expires, you call and let me know and then we'll have a talk."

If Scherr does make the switch, he'll have to go by a different name ... 'cause WWE holds the rights to the "Braun Strowman" -- but it's a small sacrifice for fans who wanna see him back out there.

There's even more awesome news ... we had to ask if we could see 50-year-old Henry enter the squared circle with AEW ... and he's hoping to make it happen!

"I got a lot left in the tank," he says. "I said this before, man. Once I turn 50 ... I said I wanna wrestle again so I can say I wrestled in 4 decades."

"Not many wrestlers get to that, not many. Especially at a high level. I wanna be able to get there and hopefully by October I'll be at 100%."

Henry says he has a bit of work to do to get back into fighting shape ... but it's clear he's spent a lot of time pondering the idea.

"I want it to be very skillful and I want it to be well thought out."

Ryan Cabrera and Alexa Bliss agree with Beyonce ... if ya like it, you should put a ring on it -- that goes for men and women, which is why he's already rocking a "man-gagement" ring.

The singer and WWE superstar were at LAX Wednesday when a photog noticed they were both wearing rings as they clutched their iced coffees. He asked the obvious ... did they already get married? But, they explained it's not what it seems.

Ryan says the band is his engagement ring from Alexa, and she says they want to normalize this practice. His reasoning is making sure all the ladies out there know he's taken.

As we reported, Ryan popped the question back in November after a year of dating, and now they're saying the wedding will be next year, and they're planning a huge celebration once the pandemic's a bad memory.

Sounds like the nuptials will be heavy on friends and light on family.

Alexa also seems to be in better spirits after mourning the death of her beloved pet pig, Larry-Steve, who died last month when he suffered a medical emergency ... and Alexa says multiple vets refused to treat him.

WWE superstar Alexa Bliss is still mourning the death of her beloved pet pig -- but will honor his memory by making sure no other animal suffers the way he did.

As we previously reported, Alexa's pig, Larry-Steve, suffered a medical emergency last week -- but she could not find a veterinarian in her area who would treat the animal.

Due to the lack of medical care, Larry-Steve died ... one day before his 4th birthday.

Alexa tells TMZ Sports she's still very shaken up by the whole situation -- but now feels motivated to save other animals in similar situations.

"We just know that, unfortunately, there's not enough vets that are able to treat pigs or any tools to be able to help larger animals," Bliss told us at LAX.

Bliss says she's been contacted by a bunch of animal owners who experienced similar issues with their larger non-traditional pets and she feels compelled to help.

So far, Bliss says she's raised more than $16,000 for a pig rescue in Florida and will name it after her late pet.

"They're building an insulated pig house for the winter and it's gonna be called The House Larry-Steve Built."

Alexa says she's not sure if she'll get another pet pig -- she's still in a lot of emotional pain -- but will stay deeply involved in the animal community.

"I would love to keep rescuing animals and pigs specifically because they are so emotionally smart. They have the learning capability and understanding of a 3-year-old child. They can feel grief and they can cry real tears."

WWE superstar Alexa Bliss is mourning the death of her pet pig, Larry-Steve -- claiming the animal died in severe pain after multiple veterinarians turned them away because he was just too big.

Bliss had raised Larry-Steve since birth back in 2017 -- and loved him like a member of the family at her home in the Orlando area. He evolved into a social media star who racked up nearly 90,000 followers on Instagram.

But, tragedy struck on Monday -- when Bliss says she noticed Larry had become extremely ill and it was clear he was suffering.

"Larry is very ill, can’t move or walk. In a lot of pain," Bliss said ... "His usual pig vet said she is not comfortable treating him in his current condition."

Bliss added, "Most vets are not comfortable treating pigs. If anyone knows of a pig vet please let me know."

Bliss says she ended up reaching out to 13 different animal doctors but couldn't find anyone close to care for Larry.

"Unfortunately in the state that Larry’s in right now there’s absolutely no way we are going to be able to transport him. He is in too much pain and weak."

Bliss says some vets hung up on claiming they only treat pigs "up to a certain weight" ... and Larry was just too big.

Later that day, Alexa had to leave for work to shoot "Monday Night Raw" -- but left him in the care of her family while she spoke with him on speakerphone.

"It is heartbreaking that all I can do is just listen to him squeal in pain and no one will come help. No one will even just come and give him pain meds to help take care of his pain."

Sadly, Larry ultimately passed away early Tuesday morning.

Alexa posted a message on IG noting he died on the day before his 4th birthday.

"This morning Larry-Steve gained his Angel wings," Bliss said ... "I’m so sorry we couldn’t find you the help you needed in time."

"Some people didn’t agree to help you. But I want you to know Larry, YOUR LIFE MATTERED. We are completely heartbroken."

Coming soon to a city near you -- the WWE!!!!

Vince McMahon's wrestling org. is finally ready to take the show back on the road ... announcing a 25-date tour set to kick off in July.

Of course, it's been more than a year since the WWE has hosted any events outside of Florida ... with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the org. to create its ThunderDome setup in the Sunshine State.

WWE took one step towards normalcy by hosting 51,350 fans over two nights for WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa last month.

Now, fans will be able to see Superstars like Roman Reigns and Sasha Banks IN THE FLESH later this year ... with the return set to go down at SmackDown at the Toyota Center in Houston on July 16.

The famed Money in the Bank event will take place a few days later at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on the 18th ... and Raw will go down the next night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Braun Strowman is one of the most physically imposing men on the planet ... but the 6'8," 345-lb WWE Superstar tells TMZ Sports he still deals with perceived flaws in his appearance after totally transforming his body.

"I used to struggle and I still do struggle with body dysmorphia," Strowman says.

"I struggled with bullying growing up because I was a chubby little kid and then I grew to this gigantic mongoloid of a human being that I am and I'm still judged for it because people look at me and go, 'Oh, this big meathead.'"

FYI, Dictionary.com defines body dysmorphia as a mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.

Braun -- a former strongman competitor (those dudes are MASSIVE) -- recently dropped around 50 lbs ... and got absolutely ripped.

"15% of this work that I've done and transformed myself has been in the gym and doing the cardio. The rest is mental and food preparation," Braun says.

And, Strowman says his weight loss has had an awesome, unintended consequence ... it’s inspired a bunch of his fans to lose a crapload of pounds.

"The messages I get from fans, friends, family, strangers from all around the world that send me messages, 'Hey I seen your fitness goal, it's made me change the way I eat, made me get back in the gym, I lost 100 pounds, I lost 200 pounds.'''

There's more ... we also talked to Strowman about his Triple Threat match against Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania Backlash this Sunday -- for the WWE Championship.

Strowman described the epic match like this ... "This is King Kong meets Godzilla meets the Incredible Hulk," adding ... "And I damn sure ain't planning on coming out of the backside of WWE Backlash not carrying that WWE Championship."

WWE Superstar The Miz says he's 100% down to play the legendary Johnny Cage in the next "Mortal Kombat" movie ... telling TMZ Sports he'd put his blood, sweat and tears into perfecting the role.

Of course, the beloved Cage was left out of the iconic video game franchise's reboot movie that dropped last month ... but SPOILER ALERT: the ending teased the hell out of him being in a possible sequel.

M.K. nerds have started a social media campaign to see the WWE Superstar play the sunglassed badass in a future flick... with Miz tweeting out for M.K. producers to call his agent.

But, the champ tells us he's not kidding about wanting the role ... telling us he'd love to give the fans what they want.

"Honestly ... if I have a shot at it, I would definitely want to make sure that I give everything that I possibly can to make sure that not only the production company, the director are happy with the character that I get, but also the fans because they are the ones that are so adamant about Johnny Cage being in the movie," The Miz told us at LAX this week.

"This is an iconic character in the 'Mortal Kombat' franchise and it needs to be done right. If I'm the person to do it, then so be it. I'm ready to go!"

We know what you're thinkin' -- Miz is more of a wrestler than a karate guy like J.C. ... but he says he'd do whatever it takes to execute each move like the real Cage would.

The role would be a full-circle moment for The Miz ... who says he spent countless hours playing M.K. while growing up.

"I remember playing this game when I was a kid. Sega Genesis, I would never play Super Nintendo because it didn't have the blood, but I always played the Sega Genesis version and I remember playing as Johnny Cage."

"And, to see this kinda all happen, it'd be like a dream come true."

Miz could have some competition, though -- it sounds like Ryan Reynolds is also trying to throw his hat in the ring.

Wrestling legends Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash (Diesel) were WWF Tag Team champs in the mid-'90s ... but initially got linked up together 'cause Nash's WCW character reminded the "Heartbreak Kid" of ... Andrew Dice Clay!!

Yes, Michaels was a HUGE fan of the "Diceman" ... and that's why he tells TMZ Sports that's what instantly attracted him to Nash's "Vinnie Vegas" character -- and ultimately gave birth to "Two Dudes with Attitudes."

"I had seen him on WCW as Vinnie Vegas. I can remember at that time coming off believing that Andrew Dice Clay was the funniest, and he sorta had an aspect of that in Vinnie Vegas," Michaels' says.

"Seeing it, and then, of course, quite some time later talking to Rick Steiner about it, and him mentioning [Kevin] and wanting to have a bodyguard for me."

Shawn was down, so Nash's "Diesel" character became his bodyguard. Together, they were 2x WWF Tag Team champions ... in addition to having a ton of success individually.

Michaels was a 2x Intercontinental champ ... while Diesel was Heavyweight champ and Intercontinental champ.

"There certainly were times we brought out the best in one another from an in the ring standpoint, and taking ourselves to a new level," Shawn says ... "Maybe less so personally. We were kinda troublemakers. But, to look back on it now, I'm very fond."

It's been decades since the men teamed up in the squared circle ... but the duo will be featured in an upcoming doc called "WWE Untold: Dudes With Attitudes" -- airing May 2 on Peacock.

Chicago Bears legend Steve McMichael -- who later became a pro wrestling star -- has been diagnosed with ALS and is already paralyzed from the shoulders down.

The 63-year-old -- who was a key part of the famous 1985 Bears championship team -- revealed the diagnosis to the Chicago Tribune ... admitting, "This ain't ever how I envisioned [my life] was going to end."

"Mongo" McMichael was a 5-time All-Pro during his 14-year NFL career and was named one of the 100 Greatest Chicago Bears of All Time.

He later became a star pro wrestler with a stint in the WWE in 1995 before moving over to WCW where he took on the likes of Bill Goldberg and Ric Flair.

Steve was diagnosed with ALS -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- back in February ... and unfortunately, it's ravaging his body rather quickly.

ALS is an "always fatal" progressive neurodegenerative disease -- that essentially shuts down the body's ability to function. Average life expectancy is 2 to 5 years from diagnosis, according to ALS.org.

According to Steve's official GoFundMe page, Steve's wife Misty "feeds him and supports him with all hygiene needs."

Steve is losing function in his legs -- and the Chicago Bears actually bought him a special custom wheelchair to help him get around.

Despite his medical situation, McMichael is still cracking jokes about the diagnosis ... telling The Tribute, "I thought I was ready for anything. But man, this will sneak up on you like a cheap-shotting Green Bay Packer."

BADDEST BABY ON THE PLANET!!

UFC legend Ronda Rousey just announced she's 4 months pregnant -- and she's fired up!!!

Ronda and her husband, ex-UFC fighter Travis Browne, made the announcement in a video Wednesday morning ... saying, "Umm, how do I put this? Pow, 4 months pregnant!"

Ronda explained, "I've been pregnant since January -- so 4 months, baby bump! I can't hide it anymore so it's time to show it off."

Ronda and Travis have been talking about wanting to have children for the past few years -- she even took a hiatus from her gig with WWE back in 2019 to focus on starting a family.

Ronda said in the video there's "much more to the story" behind the pregnancy -- but didn't want to focus on those details just yet.

For the record, Ronda and Travis have NOT revealed the gender yet -- but insist they will break that news soon.

Due date -- September 22!

Ronda sent a message to her fans saying, "Thank you everybody for all the well wishes and all the positivity to get to this point."

"Baddest baby on the planet coming to you soon!"

Congrats!!!

Ronda is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time -- she was the UFC's inaugural women's bantamweight champion and defended the belt 6 times!

Before her MMA career, she was a decorated judo athlete -- who won the bronze medal for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics.