WWE

Becky Lynch has some heartfelt advice for Ronda Rousey -- IF the WWE Superstar wants to return to the wrestling ring after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl ... DON'T!!

Of course, The Man and Rowdy Ronda have major beef ... but they also have something in common -- they are new moms.

Lynch -- who relinquished her title when she went on maternity leave -- gave birth to a baby girl in December with hubby Seth Rollins. She recently returned to the ring ... and is already SmackDown champ.

TMZ Sports talked to Becky and we asked her if she had any advice for Rousey, who also gave birth to a baby girl with husband Travis Browne in late September ... and she did, sorta.

"Don't [come back], cause I'm still on top, Ronda, you won't like it. That's my advice."

We also asked Lynch -- who has a huge match scheduled against Sasha Banks Friday night on a special 2.5 hour SmackDown on FS1 -- about her return to the squared circle ... following the baby.

"It's been crazy, Mike. It went from zero to 100 real quick. Coming back, and coming back on top after not wrestling for a year and a half. It's been wild, but it's been amazing. And, my baby comes along everywhere with me."

Ronda Rousey is now officially Momma Rousey ... the former WWE superstar just announced her baby daughter is finally here!!!

Rousey revealed the birth on her Instagram page late Monday evening ... saying in the caption, "La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne❤️."

The two pics Rousey shared to bring the good news to her fans were adorable, with one featuring the baby's hand over Ronda's heart and the other showing the baby's hand on the chest of her hubby, Travis Browne.

The child is Browne and Rousey's first ... and it's clearly safe to assume they're pumped over the birth -- given how excited they've been throughout the whole babymaking process.

You'll recall, 34-year-old Rousey left the WWE in 2019 to try to start a family with Browne ... and back in April, she and Travis shared the good news of their pregnancy.

Just a few months later, the couple also revealed the gender of the baby with a funny Pokemon-themed vid.

No word yet if the birth means Rousey is one step closer to making a WWE comeback -- but we're betting she'll be pretty content being Mom for now.

MVP quarterback today ... WWE superstar after that?!?

Kofi Kingston says that's entirely possible for Lamar Jackson ... telling TMZ Sports after watching the Ravens star flip during a touchdown run this past Sunday, he could see the QB killin' it in the ring!

"I would love to see what Lamar could do in a wrestling ring," Kofi says. "He would be incredible."

Lamar put his athleticism on full display in Baltimore's huge win over the Chiefs ... somersaulting into the endzone on a key fourth-quarter play.

The 24-year-old didn't exactly stick the landing -- he joked he hurt his backside in the tumble -- but Kofi tells us the sheer athleticism of it all stuck out to him big time.

"I'd give it a 10 out of 10," Kofi said of the flip. "I don't really care about the form ... He was just out there showing off."

And, now, Kofi says he's pretty damn sure Lamar could be as big of a star as he is in Vince McMahon's world!!!

"It'd just be a matter of getting the psychology aspect of putting matches together and stuff like that," Kingston says.

Here's a tip for anyone looking to call out Rosario Dawson -- ya better think twice, 'cause she will come for you ... and WHOOP YOUR ASS!!!

That's how it all played out on "AEW Dynamite" on Wednesday ... when the superstar actress showed up ringside to defend her fellow "Go-Big Show" judge, Cody Rhodes, from Malakai Black!!

Of course MB has been on a tear recently ... taking down Rhodes and a bunch of his crew (including his bro, Dustin) over the past few weeks.

RD clearly had enough of Black's run ... so she took matters into her own hands and confronted him outside the ring!!

But, Rhodes -- who wasn't expected to be at the event on Wednesday -- popped up out of NOWHERE and stormed down the crowd to help out ... and when Black turned his back, Rosario jumped on his back and started trying to choke him out!!

The scuffle lasted a few moments before Black was able to wiggle her off ... but the action didn't stop there -- he got in an all-out brawl with Rhodes in the stands!!

The whole incident sets up an insanely hyped rematch between Black and Rhodes, which will go down at Arthur Ashe Stadium next week.

"I am personally responsible for all of Gable Steveson's right business decisions in his life and his gold medal and his Hodge trophy and his NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship."

Welp, that's wrestling legend Paul Heyman claiming ALL credit for everything positive the newly signed WWE superstar has done, telling Adam Glyn he's been behind it all.

"I had everything with Gable Steveson winning the Olympic gold medal. I arranged for Gable Steveson to train with Brock Lesnar at the University of Minnesota, which helped Gable Steveson win the NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship. Then he used my strategy to win the gold medal in the Olympics."

FYI, Gable won gold in Freestyle Wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics.

Heyman -- currently the special counsel for WWE Universal champ, Roman Reigns -- worked with Lesnar for years.

Of course, 21-year-old Steveson had a bunch of options after the Olympics ... but opted to sign a contract with WWE.

So, how does Heyman think Gable will fare in the squared circle?

"Now, we'll see how he does in WWE. He's not at quite the level of a Ronda Rousey or a Brock Lesnar, certainly not of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns."

Tonight's the night ... WWE Superstar Big E is cashin' in, using his coveted 'Money In The Bank' briefcase for a title shot against Bobby Lashley -- or Randy Orton on tonight's Raw.

TMZ Sports talked to E ... and the 35-year-old SmackDown star, holding the 'MITB' case, made the announcement.

"I'm a big proponent of setting your intentions, and I woke up this morning and I said, let me set my intentions to be a world champion here tonight in Boston," Big E tells us.

Of course, Big E won the 'Money in the Bank' ladder match in July ... entitling him to a title shot against either the Raw (Lashley) or SmackDown (Roman Reigns) champ at any moment.

Bobby is set to face Orton tonight ... so, E could wrestle either of the men.

Lashley's the current champ ... so we asked him if he had a message for the Raw champ.

"First and foremost, Bobby needs to worry about a certain 14x world champion in Randy Orton, who's trying to become a 15x champion tonight. so he's got that to worry about. so my message to bobby is worry about that apex predator first. Just know, I'm here. I'm in the building."

Why tonight on Raw from Boston??? We asked E.

"Why tonight? Why not tonight? Boston. Heckuva town. Kofi's from here. The fact that Kofi and Woods are both present. My sister lives here. I have extended family that lives here."

So, fam's here, Kofi and Xavier, but can he win the belt?!?

Stay tuned ...

Former WWE star Al Snow is being hailed as a hero ... after the wrestling legend saved a child's life Thursday by jumping in the ocean and pulling the boy from a riptide.

The incredible act of bravery all went down at Santa Rosa Beach in Destin, Fla. ... when Snow -- who gained fame in the 1990s for carrying and talking to a mannequin head named "Head" during matches -- says he heard yelling and screaming while he was in the water.

Snow says when he looked around, he saw a boy being hit by waves while being pulled away by a rough current.

58-year-old Snow says a lifeguard was on the beach ... but added, "I knew she wasn't going to make it in time" -- so he sprung into action.

"I made it, thank God," Snow said. "And, I caught him just by the arm just as a wave started to pull him even further out. If I hadn't have grabbed him, I think he'd have probably went out to sea."

"That would have been it."

Snow, though, says the rescue mission nearly turned dire after he snagged the child ... 'cause a wave took them under -- and it caused him to remember Shad Gaspard, the wrestling star who tragically died in the Pacific Ocean in May 2020.

"I was able to stay up," Snow said, "and hand him off to the lifeguard and I made my way back across to my friend and we went up on the beach and I felt like I was about to collapse. I was exhausted."

Snow said neither he nor the boy suffered injuries ... and added the child's mom cried and thanked him repeatedly afterward.

And, in a lighthearted moment, after everyone was safe and sound, Snow says a couple on the beach actually recognized him from his wrestling days!!

WWE is makin' a splash of its own ... 'cause it just signed 21-year-old Olympic gold medal winner Gable Steveson to its roster!!

"WWE today announced it has signed Olympic gold medalist and reigning NCAA wrestling champion Gable Steveson to an exclusive agreement," the company said.

"In the company's first-ever NIL deal, Steveson will join the WWE roster while defending his NCAA title for the University of Minnesota."

Of course, Steveson had a TON of options in addition to World Wrestling Entertainment ... multiple NFL teams reached out to Gable, and UFC honcho Dana White told us a few weeks back he planned on meeting with the Olympic hero as well.

Gable will still wrestle in college ... but it's unclear if the other options are now off the table, or if Steveson could also fight MMA if he so desires.

Either way, Steveson was PUMPED to officially put his pen to WWE paper ... saying Thursday, "Childhood dream accomplished.. I have  officially signed with the @WWE!!! Thank you for the opportunity!! LETS WORK"

As for how WWE stars will welcome him ... it seems it'll be with open arms -- 'cause just a few weeks ago, Seth Rollins told us he'd be down to train the Olympian!

Triple H required surgery last week after suffering a cardiac event ... but, fortunately, the WWE star says he's expected to fully recover.

The wrestling org. made the announcement Wednesday ... saying the 52-year-old superstar -- real name Paul Levesque -- had the procedure at Yale New Haven Hospital.

WWE officials added, "The episode was caused by a genetic heart issue and Paul is expected to make a fully recovery."

Triple H has been wrestling for roughly three decades ... and has been an ironman in the sport -- only suffering one severe injury in his career, back in 2001 when he tore his quad.

The wrestler has recently taken a bit of a step back when it comes to action in the ring ... as he's been more involved in the business side of the WWE.

Hall of Fame wrestler Rikishi says his niece was tragically murdered in a shooting earlier this summer ... and now, he's pleading with the public for help in finding who did it.

Rikishi re-posted a flier Tuesday from the San Francisco Police Department ... which he says spells out the horrific details of his niece's death on July 30.

In the bulletin, cops say they responded to a report of a shooting at around 6:45 PM ... and learned a 45-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl had been shot.

Police say the 45-year-old was treated for her injuries and is expected to survive ... though they say, tragically, the 16-year-old died from her wounds.

Rikishi says the 16-year-old is his niece, Jaedah Tofaeono, and he pleaded with the public to "PLEASE HELP FIND THESE MOTHERF*****S."

"Need your help," Rikishi added. "They murdered my niece In the BAY AREA 16yrs old ... Check it .. Spread the word."

The SFPD says it's offering a $50K reward for "information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for the murder."

Ric Flair's barbed wire bat -- the one he used to smash and bloody Mick Foley's face at SummerSlam in 2006 -- just sold for nearly $20K at auction.

TMZ Sports has learned the Lucille-like bat, which was on the block at Goldin Auctions, was bid on 17 times ... and ultimately raked in $19,680.

The starting bid was $3,500.

The match is pretty iconic ... Flair repeatedly hit Foley in the face with the bat, turning him into a bloody pulp. But, Ric wouldn't stop, demanding Mick say, "I quit!"

It was the culmination of a rivalry between Naitch and Foley that lasted more than a decade.

As for the bat itself ... it's an Alex Rodriguez model Louisville Slugger C271 -- wrapped in barbed wire.

And, you know the bat's legit ... 'cause it's coming directly from the folks at WWE -- who have also included a letter of authenticity.

There's more really cool wrestling memorabilia that sold ... like Big Boss Man's match-used nightstick from SummerSlam in 1988. It sold for $6,765.

There's also Brutus Beefcake's shears from his '89 SummerSlam match ... when he teamed up with Hulk Hogan and took on Randy Savage. The scissors went for $8,400.

John Cena is speaking out after his crushing defeat at the hands of Roman Reigns at SummerSlam ... saying his time in the squared circle is up for now, but promising he will be back again.

The WWE legend duked it out with the Universal Champ on Saturday ... in an epic back-and-forth match at Allegiant Stadium.

But, the 16-time world champ came up short in the main event brawl, with Reigns taking the dub ... and then being confronted by Brock Lesnar right after.

Now, Cena is saying his goodbyes to Vince McMahon's organization ... at least, for the time being.

"Words cannot describe how appreciative I am that the @WWEUniverse allowed me the opportunity to return and perform," Cena tweeted Monday.

"Thank you staff, superstars, and most of all FANS for giving me an unforgettable summer at 'home' with my 'family.'"

"The journey takes me away now but I’ll C U soon."

Of course, Cena is a big-time movie star now ... but was able to make time to appear at WWE events throughout the summer. It certainly doesn't sound like a permanent farewell ... which is good for fans who want to see him go out on top.

Ric Flair says he is NOT a train ridin', oral sex givin' son of a gun ... telling TMZ Sports the viral photo making rounds has to be some other guy -- 'cause it ain't him!!

Here's how we got here: A pic began trending on Twitter on Wednesday ... which appears to show a man with light, slicked-back hair ... *clears throat* pleasuring a woman.

People were quick to say the guy in the photo was 72-year-old Flair ... with the jokes coming in left and right.

Welp, we made some phone calls ... and Ric himself tells us the guy in the pic is NOT him ... and for what it's worth, he hasn't been on a train in a while.

We wanted to show the photo ... but Harvey wouldn't let us. So, go search on Twitter.

The Nature Boy has made headlines recently for REAL things that actually happened -- the wrestling legend has parted ways with WWE after a lengthy relationship.

Flair has kept busy in his time since ... but not in *that* way.

NFL. UFC. WWE.

Those are three of the lucrative options U.S. Olympian Gable Steveson reportedly has on the table after winning a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Games.

TMZ Sports ran into Seth Rollins at LAX ... and we asked the WWE Superstar if pro wrestling would be a good career move for 21-year-old Steveson.

"I mean, we’d love to have him. He seems like an incredible athlete, and decent dude. And, you know, we've had some luck with Olympic gold medalists before, so why not?" Rollins said.

Seth is referring to Kurt Angle ... who won a gold medal in wrestling at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta before ultimately joining WWF (now WWE) in 1998 -- where he became a legend in the squared circle.

But, freestyle wrestling and pro wrestling are VERY different sports ... which is why Rollins is offering Gable some assistance.

"I do have a wrestling school, Black and Brave Wrestling Academy, so if he wants to move to Davenport, Iowa for three months, we'll get him ready."

Of course, since defeating the #1 seed in the gold medal match in Tokyo with fractions of a second remaining, 6'1", 260+ lb. Steveson says he's received interest from the NFL (Ravens, Bills), UFC, Bellator, and WWE ... to name a few.

Gable hasn't ruled out signing with any of the organizations ... making it clear if they write a big enough check, he's interested in football -or- wrestling -or- fighting.

Wrestling legend Ric Flair is no longer with WWE -- the Nature Boy has been released from his contract, the company confirms to TMZ Sports.

It goes without saying -- Flair is one of the most iconic wrestlers to enter the squared circle ... he's a 16-time world champ and has been a fan favorite since joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1991.

It's not the first time Flair has parted ways with McMahon's company -- he left in 1993 for WCW before returning to WWF in 2001.

72-year-old Flair had a cup of coffee with other promotions in the '00s -- including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor -- before returning to WWE in 2012. He stayed with WWE up until this week.

While Naitch is one of the most recognizable wrestling superstars on the planet, we're told the move is not a complete shock ... despite Flair re-upping with WWE last May.

At the time, Flair told Wrestling, Inc., "Well it's not for life but I hope [WWE keeps] renewing me. You never know, but I'm obviously not gonna go anywhere else if they didn't renew me."

We're told the split has been in the works ... and both sides ultimately came to an agreement recently.

Of course, if Ric wants to find work elsewhere, his buddy Tony Khan runs All-Elite Wrestling, which could be a possible landing spot.

WWE Superstar Roman Reigns knows exactly how to prep for a huge match against John Cena at SummerSlam -- hitting the beach with his smokin' hot wife in Miami!!!

Of course, the wrestling legend called out RR just last week ... saying he's coming for the Universal championship belt next month.

But, Roman doesn't seem too fazed -- ditching his shirt and soaking up the sun with his wife of 7 years, Galina Becker on Monday.

Just take a look at the pics -- the couple looks absolutely stunning ... with Roman showing off his tatted bod and Galina rocking a fun patterned one-piece.

SummerSlam is set to go down Saturday, August 21 at Allegiant Stadium ... and it's gonna be HUGE.

Cena -- a 16-time champ -- last competed at WrestleMania 36 in March 2020 ... where he lost to WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt.

Reigns ain't impressed by Cena's return, though ... saying, "He came out here, the same music, the same entrance, the same run to the ring, the same outfit, the same promo, the same insults."

"If I wanted that, all I had to do was search online for 2005 John Cena. It's the same thing, over and over and over. It's like missionary position every single night."