By now, almost the entire world knows Dwayne Johnson by The Rock. However, the wrestler cum actor never entirely owned the name until now. The Black Adam actor has made headlines by joining the TKO Board of Directors, the media conglomerate that houses WWE and UFC. It was also announced that Johnson had obtained full ownership of his ring name.
2024 started with a bang when Dwayne Johnson made an electrifying comeback on Monday Night RAW and hinted at a potential clash with Roman Reigns. Soon after, The Rock joined the TKO Board of Directors and now owns his name. According to the actor, this moment is very special to him as the name is linked to his family legacy and inspiring journey in the WWE.
What does it mean for Dwayne Johnson to own his WWE name?
Following his entry into the world of WWE (then WWF) 28 years ago, Dwayne Johnson has made a massive name as The Rock. The nickname has been linked to his father, as Rocky Johnson was the first Black WWE Champion with his partner Tony Atlas.
While speaking on CNBC’s Squawk On The Street, the San Andreas actor stated many benefits of owning the name. He explained that had it not been for his ring name, there would not have been any wrestling or Hollywood career. Even though there is a business side to owning the name, there is much more than that.
“There’s the business side of that, as we we know. There’s the economic side of that. But also, it goes much deeper than that. This idea, the name of The Rock, for me, I owe that name everything. Without that name, there would be no wrestling career, there would be no Hollywood career.”
Dwayne Johnson added that the moment is very personal to him as the name was derived from his dad and the first black WWE tag team champion. He also thanked the TKO co-founder, Ariel Emanuel, for the special moment.
“But also, that name was a derivative name of my dad, Rocky Johnson. He was the first Black tag team champions in WWE, a trailblazer, paved the way, man of color, for a kid like me to be embraced in a bigger way when I came along. So this is one of the reasons why this deal is so unprecedented, the one that I was able to do, along with Ari here.”
The 51-year-old actor and entrepreneur added that his grandfather and father would have never thought this moment to come to fruition. He was humbled to get a seat at the High Table. He claimed that the table was built with the help of his family, and getting a seat on it with full ownership of his name was unprecedented to him (via Variety).
What does Dwayne Johnson promise after joining the TKO Board of Directors?
Dwayne Johnson has praised Ari Emanuel for creating something monumental. Emanuel has also come forward to appreciate the inclusion of The Rock into the Board of Directors. He hopes Rock will bring a praiseworthy track record and immense experience to make fundamental changes to TKO.
As per Variety, the Seven Bucks Productions founder said that he looks forward to expanding TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses.
“I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”
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TKO will award Dwayne Johnson with a stock award valued at $30 million as per the agreement. As per The Hollywood Reporter, he will also receive royalties from the sales of The Rock merchandise. He can also use the brand name as he wants. Along with Johnson, the TKO Board of Directors has also welcomed the founder of Uptake Technologies, Brad Keywell.
