The man who was viciously stabbed in an altercation with ex-wrestling star 2 Cold Scorpio is lucky to be alive ... with TMZ Sports obtaining horrific images of the aftermath of the June 15 incident.
As we previously reported, the former WCW Tag Team Champion told cops he was working a security shift at a Love's Travel Stop in Kanas City, Mo. ... when an argument with a patron over a cigarette turned physical.
58-year-old 2 Cold Scorpio -- real name Charles Scaggs -- told authorities he used a knife out of self-defense .