TMZ Sports - Page 50

Pro wrestling star Kurtis Chapman -- also known as "Mad Kurt" -- tragically died this week at the age of 26.

British wrestling promotion Revolution Pro announced the sad news Friday on Instagram, saying it's heartbroken over the "loss of our dear friend."

A cause of death was not made immediately available.

"We watched Kurtis grow from a child to a young man who loved professional wrestling and continued to excel in all aspects of his life," RevPro said.

"One of the most gifted technical wrestlers, charismatic characters and magnetic personalities. He will never be forgotten."

Chapman launched his wrestling career in 2014 with RevPro ... and instantly became a star thanks to his comedic escapades in the ring.

He won the RevPro Wrestling British Cruiserweight Title in 2017 and held onto the belt until May 2018. His last appearance was this summer ... when he successfully defended his Resurgence Arthouse title.

He also wrestled in Progress, IPW and other promotions.

Fans of Mad Kurt flooded social media with tributes following the news of his passing ... including wrestler Suge De La Geto, who said Chapman's personality made him different.

"Kurtis Chapman's sense of humor was so unique, so frustrating, he somehow made you love him and hate him at the same time," De La Geto said on X.

"Just a big kid that was never going to grow up; always out to get the reaction or the laugh.  I can't believe he's gone. Crazy to wake up to."

Gypsy Rose Blanchard says there was one artist in particular who helped her get through tough times behind bars ... Taylor Swift.

Gypsy tells TMZ ... she's been a Swiftie since the start, following Taylor's entire career and leaning on her music while serving 7 years in prison.

The famous felon says she and Taylor have both been through their own eras, and Taylor's music carried her through some of the best and worst times of her life.

More specifically, Gypsy says Taylor's tunes were a big help in getting through the abuse and trauma she suffered at the hands of her mother Dee Dee ... as well as her time behind bars.

As we reported, Gypsy would spend the money her father sent her in prison on Taylor's albums ... and we're told she was able to purchase every album Taylor put out, including her re-releases.

Gypsy says Taylor's songs kept her extremely motivated towards gaining her freedom ... and now she's finally out on parole.

As we've told you ... Gypsy's hoping she can meet her idol at this Sunday's Kansas City Chiefs game ... it's been on her radar for a while and her husband, Ryan, already bought tickets.

BTW, sources close to Gypsy tell us she's considering giving Taylor a shout-out on social media while at the game in hopes that Taylor sees it ... something Gypsy recognizes is a long shot.

No deal in the history of the NFL has been more awful than the one the Broncos made to get Russell Wilson ... at least, that's according to ex-NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, who tells TMZ Sports Denver's trade for the QB "is going to go down as the all-time worst."

The former Cleveland Browns decision-maker didn't mince words when discussing Wilson's benching with us this week ... explaining he believes the Broncos' 2022 swap with the Seahawks will now go down as a historic blunder.

"When you add the contract and the trade," Lombardi said, "it's the worst of all time."

The Broncos gave up a bevy of picks -- including a first-rounder and a second-rounder -- plus three other players in the move to acquire Russ before the '22 season. They then signed the 35-year-old to a massive $245 MILLION contract extension.

But, Russ played terribly in 2022 ... and wasn't all that much better in 2023 -- which forced Sean Payton to sideline him this week for Jarrett Stidham.

The head coach's decision likely signals the end of Wilson's Denver tenure -- and with it all but over, Lombardi's ready to dub it the most disastrous NFL deal ever.

Lombardi said prior to the Broncos' move, there had been other historically bad ones -- including the Vikings' infamous 1989 trade with the Cowboys for Herschel Walker -- but he said "none of those trades had contracts attached to them that impact the salary cap in future years."

"Russell will move from Denver," Lombardi said. "But his cap problems will remain for two more years."

Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. has been suspended from the Illini men's basketball team after he was charged with rape, the university announced Thursday.

According to the school, Shannon Jr. turned himself in to police in Douglas County, Kansas, on a warrant for his arrest this week ... after he was accused of sexual misconduct while he was in Lawrence back in September for Illinois' football game against the Jayhawks.

The school said Shannon Jr. was "not in Lawrence on official University business, nor was he a member of the University's travel party" when the alleged incident happened.

Jail records show Shannon Jr. posted $50,000 bail shortly after cops placed him in custody on Thursday.

The basketball player's attorney, Mark P. Sutter, said in a statement his client is innocent ... writing, "Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning."

"Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him yesterday in Lawrence, KS," Sutter added. "In less than 24 hours, my client responded, and he voluntarily surrendered to local authorities for processing and release. Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial."

Shannon Jr. just transferred to Illinois last season after three years at Texas Tech -- and he's become the Illini's best player.

Von Miller is finally opening up on his domestic violence arrest ... adamantly saying the allegations against him are "100 percent false."

The Buffalo Bills superstar sat in front of media members for over 10 minutes on Thursday to explain his side of the story ... roughly one month after he was thrown behind bars for allegedly roughing up his pregnant girlfriend during a bye-week argument in Dallas.

Miller repeated over and over again that he did not put his hands on his GF -- saying emphatically, "All of it is incorrect. All of it is untrue."

"Never in any of my relationships that I've been in, never in my current relationship with my girlfriend, did any of those things happen," he said.

"It is 100 percent false," he added. "It's overblown."

Miller was accused of pushing and shoving his GF, before putting his hands around her neck following a dispute over travel plans. In 911 audio, Miller's alleged victim can be heard telling an operator, "My boyfriend was choking me, hitting me, pulling my hair."

"I have bruises all over me," she added in the call, before saying she had "some blood on me."

Miller, however, said the claims were simply just not true, telling reporters, "All of it is incorrect."

"All I can say is it's just a matter of time before everything gets set straight," he said.

Miller -- who has been allowed to play for the Bills despite the allegations -- has not been criminally charged in the case as an investigation remains ongoing.

As for his relationship now with his girlfriend, Miller said, "Everything is normal."

A teenage surfer tragically died on Thursday after he was mauled by a shark in South Australia ... and a witness says the horrifying incident all went down right in front of the boy's father.

South Australia Police said in a statement they received reports of the attack at around 1:30 PM at Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park ... but, sadly, when medics arrived on the scene, they said the boy had passed.

A bystander at the beach told the Adelaide Advertiser ... the teen had been out in the water with his father catching waves -- when a shark suddenly took his leg.

"Another local guy ran out, jumped on his board, and paddled out to help him," the witness told the outlet.

"The shark was circling them as the guy pulled the boy out of the water. There was a lot of blood. He brought him to shore but I think it was too late by then."

Tragically, this is the fifth reported shark attack this year in South Australia ... and sightings of the sea creatures have been common in the area recently.

In fact, a teacher was just killed by a shark at Walkers Rock in May -- which is just west of where the teen died Thursday.

Dwayne Johnson is NOT the In-N-Out Burger virgin he claims to be.

"The Rock" posted a fun video earlier this week claiming he was trying In-N-Out Burger for the first time ... leading to a lot of attention, headlines and pats on the back.

While we enjoyed Dwayne's production and his zest for In-N-Out hamburgers, fries, the smooth drive-thru process and their friendly employees ... we noticed he's done this same thing before.

In fact, this is the THIRD time Dwayne's mentioned going to In-N-Out for the first time.

Funnily enough, Dwayne posted a video on Instagram in August 2022 documenting a cheat meal of In-N-Out Double-Doubles, fries and his own brand of tequila.

Of course, Dwayne mixed reposado and blanco tequilas in the same glass to wash down his In-N-Out last year ... so maybe he forgot about the whole thing.

But then there's the fact The Rock also posted about his "first" In-N-Out experience back in 2017 ... that time it was just a selfie with a couple In-N-Out employees at the drive-thru window.

In his February 2017 post, Dwayne added a long caption explaining his wife and daughter wanted In-N-Out. He also promised to "destroy multiple burgers" should his "Moana" movie win an Oscar a few days later ... well, the movie came up empty.

So, Dwayne's at least been to In-N-Out and tried the food before claiming this week he was having his "first ever" experience at the popular chain.

Anthony Bourdain once said he would get more likes on IG posts about In-N-Out than pics with huge celebs ... and it seems Dwayne's wanting some of that engagement too.

Move over, Santa Claus ... Travis Kelce was the real MVP of Christmas in Kanas City this year -- 'cause the tight end gifted a grip of custom-made velour jumpsuits to his Chiefs teammates for the December holiday!!

The K.C. star revealed his act of generosity on the latest episode of his "New Heights" podcast this week ... explaining he teamed up with Los Angeles-based designer Daniel Patrick to get some of his guys some one-of-a-kind drip.

"Everyone this winter can just enjoy a nice velour top and bottom," Kelce said of the presents, "just a hoodie and sweatpants. So good."

Patrick tells TMZ Sports getting all the gifts together was a bit stressful -- as Kelce hit him up for the job only just a couple weeks before Xmas.

"We literally had to move heaven and earth to get it done in time," Patrick said.

But, DP -- who launched his luxury sports brand in 2012 -- somehow got them all ready and delivered before the 25th ... and as you can see from Chiefs offensive lineman Donovan Smith's Instagram ... the guys were clearly diggin' how they came out.

We're told Kelce got 38 custom pieces in total from Patrick -- who has worked with other A-list celebrities including Usher, Beyoncé, and Justin Bieber -- and the Chiefs players either received a black or grey oversized hoodie with parachute sweatpants.

Of course, Kelce wasn't the only Chief who hooked up his team for Xmas ... Patrick Mahomes also gifted some of the guys custom golf carts featuring their names and jersey numbers.

NBA star Mikal Bridges' body has apparently been sculpted by Chipotle -- 'cause the Brooklyn Nets forward just revealed he's been eating at the fast food joint every day for the past 10 years!!

The 27-year-old -- who's currently averaging 21.1 points per game -- made the shocking revelation during an interview with GQ Sports earlier this month ... explaining he's been plowing through burrito bowls daily since he was a teenager.

Bridges said the meals are simply "too fire to not have it every single time" ... adding, "It don't disappoint."

The former first-round pick, however, said his meals are on the healthier side -- telling GQ he gets his bowls with white rice, double chicken, salsa, corn, lettuce ... and nothing more.

Bridges, who's 6-foot-6, 209 pounds, did say he used to get it spicy -- though his taste buds just can't stand it anymore.

"Rest in peace to the hot sauce," he said with a smile.

Former NBA star Charlie Villanueva is counting his blessings today ... revealing he's ultra thankful to be alive after he was involved in a bad car crash earlier this week.

The former Milwaukee Bucks forward said on his Instagram page Wednesday night that he and his wife, Lala, were riding in a Mercedes G Wagon when someone hit them from behind.

Thankfully, the 39-year-old ex-hooper revealed no one was seriously injured in the wreck -- though in pictures he shared from the crash scene, you can see his car was almost completely destroyed.

"If you wondering what happened, my wife and I got hit bad by another car, and the crazy part is that whomever hit me, decided to run," Villanueva said.

"Sore neck, sore back, messed up car, we are thankful to see another day. Our lives can’t be replaced, but the vehicle can."

Villanueva -- who played 11 seasons in the NBA -- praised God for keeping them safe.

He then went on to leave a message for those who've dealt with similar scary situations this year.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's back on the outside ... she's just been released from behind bars and is out on parole.

Gypsy had been serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of second-degree murder in connection with the death of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.

As we reported ... Gypsy was granted parole in September and the Missouri Department of Corrections scheduled her release for Dec. 28, three years before her release date.

Remember ... Gypsy was sentenced to a decade behind bars back in 2016 after pleading guilty to her mother's murder, a case that spawned an HBO documentary and a Hulu scripted series.

You'll recall ... Dee Dee was accused of forcing Gypsy to pretend to be disabled for years, holding her hostage and even tying her up in a bed after Gypsy tried to escape her clutches.

Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen by proxy ... a mental disorder where someone fabricates illnesses or actually causes injury to someone for sympathy or attention.

Gypsy's then-boyfriend, Nick Godejohn, admitted to murdering Dee Dee in 2015 to help Gypsy escape her mother.

While Gypsy is now enjoying some newfound freedom, Godejohn was convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence.

GRB, now 32 years old, has said in prison interviews she felt more free behind bars than she was when she was living with Dee Dee ... and she says she regrets her mother's murder.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is only a few hours away from her early prison release ... but she's not being let out to a bunch of pomp and circumstance ... in fact, quite the opposite.

The felon, who was serving a 10-year sentence for second-degree murder, is set to be released Thursday from the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Chillicothe, MO ... and we've learned it's going to be a secretive process.

Karen Pojmann, Communications Director for the Missouri Department of Corrections, tells TMZ ... no one will be allowed on the premises for Gypsy's upcoming release, which means no media, fans or spectators.

The parking lot is off limits too ... and we're told it's all about protecting prison staff, ensuring safety at the prison, and protecting Gypsy's privacy.

Gypsy's exact time of release is also being kept under wraps and she's not interested in talking to media during her exit ... even though she's been giving interviews from prison ahead of her high-profile release.

We're told Gypsy wanted her release to be super low-key... and the prison is keeping things close to the vest here because of her fame.

Gypsy was granted parole in September and is being released 3 years early. In 2016 she was sentenced to a decade behind bars after being convicted in her mother's murder. The prison says her release process is a year in the making ... with officials taking time to make sure all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed.

Once Gypsy leaves custody, we're told corrections officials are hoping she can go on to be successful and lead a normal life.

During Gypsy's 7 years in prison, we're told she took photography and videography classes, got involved with the media team and explored higher education opportunities.

Now that Gypsy's being released on parole, we're told she has a plan for where she's going to live and how she's going to keep up with her parole officer.

The most popular person at the Maple Leafs game Wednesday night wasn't Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner ... no, the guy who appeared to get the most love from hockey fans was none other than Justin Bieber!!

The "Ghost" crooner pulled up to Scotiabank Arena in Toronto with his wife, Hailey, to see his beloved Leafs take on the Ottawa Senators -- and when the crowd realized he was in attendance, it went crazy.

Bieber and his wife were shown on the jumbotron while they were in their suite seats -- and a loud roar ensued. Both the pop star and Hailey then smiled big and gave a wave.

Will Arnett was there, too -- and the reception he got wasn't shabby either!!

During one of the intermissions, the Leafs paid tribute to Bieber -- as their mascot and a dance team full of talented kids performed choreography to his biggest hits.

Sadly for JB, the night ended with a bit of whimper -- as the Leafs fell to the Senators, 4-2.

Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen still appear to be a thing ... 'cause the actress was spotted jetting from L.A. to Buffalo on Saturday just minutes after the QB beat the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

It's unclear if the "Starving" singer -- who wore a black hoodie and a mask during her airport travels -- was in attendance for Allen's win over the Bolts while in the City of Angels, but given the time, date and place of her flight to New York ... it seems likely.

Of course, that would appear to mean she and Allen are still very much dating -- this after they were first seen together in the spring.

You'll recall, the two had a bit of a romantic dinner date in May that was captured on camera -- and a few weeks later, they were seen packing on the PDA while vacationing in Mexico.

The couple has somehow avoided much of the public eye since -- though her flight over the weekend sure appears to indicate they're still going strong.

Allen was previously in a long-term relationship with Brittany Williams ... but they broke up following his 2022 season. Steinfeld, meanwhile, had dated Niall Horan in the past, though they split in 2018.

John Salley says the Ja Morant critics need to pipe down ... telling TMZ Sports he truly believes the NBA superstar didn't have bad intentions when he appeared to do a gun celebration on Tuesday night.

Salley told us the firearm-themed gestures -- which Morant seemed to hit following a thunderous alley-oop dunk in the Grizzlies' overtime win over the Pelicans -- were merely "a part of hip hop culture" ... and nothing more than that.

"He's not saying, 'Forget ya'll -- I got my gun!'" the four-time NBA champion said on Wednesday. "He probably didn't even realize it."

"It's nothing meaning anything," he added.

Of course, basketball fans all over social media have disagreed with that stance -- with many on X calling it a "tone-deaf" situation ... considering the 24-year-old had just served a 25-game suspension for a string of incidents involving gun-related social media videos.

Salley, however, was just sure there was no ill will involved in the post-dunk celly.

"I don't think he's trying to mock anybody," Salley said. "I don't think he's trying to be mean about it."

"Leave Ja Morant alone ... Leave him alone."

Salley also shared with us his opinion on his former Detroit Pistons squad -- which just lost its 27th game in a row on Tuesday night.

2:48 PM PT -- Aaron Gordon reportedly needed 21 stitches to fix the wounds he suffered in the dog attack on Monday.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, meanwhile, said on Wednesday there's currently no timetable for a return for his star -- saying he wants Gordon to "heal inside and out" first.

Aaron Gordon will be away from the Denver Nuggets for the foreseeable future ... after he was attacked by a dog on Christmas.

The NBA org. revealed on Wednesday the 28-year-old was bitten by a pooch following the team's victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday.

The Nuggets said in a statement the power forward suffered cuts to his face and hand during the incident, but, thankfully, he's "in good condition."

"[He] will remain away from the team while he recovers," the team added.

Gordon looked just fine while playing 31 minutes in the victory over the Dubs just prior to the incident ... scoring 16 points while adding 10 rebounds and three assists.

He's been a key player for Denver since he was traded to the team in 2021 -- helping the Nuggets win their first-ever NBA championship last season.