Former wrestling star 2 Cold Scorpio -- who won a WCW Tag Team Championship with Buff Bagwell in the early 1990s -- was arrested on June 15 for violently stabbing a man during a gas station fight ... but he claims he was acting in self-defense.
According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the bloody incident happened at around 3:40 AM at a Love's Travel Stop in Kansas City, Mo.
Authorities say 2 Cold Scorpio -- aka Charles Scaggs -- told them he was working as a security guard at the store .