The Rock joins board of directors of WWE parent company TKO Group Holdings
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is taking on a new role within WWE.
It was announced on Tuesday morning that Johnson has been appointed to the board of directors for TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE. TKO was formed last September when Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE was made official. It’s a merged company consisting of both WWE and the UFC, though the two promotions operate independently from each other.
A press release stated that Johnson “has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities,” and his appointment to the board of directors “reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.”
In addition to his appointment to the board, WWE and Johnson have entered into an agreement that gives Johnson full ownership of “The Rock” name.
WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, ‘The Rock.’ The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
Johnson returned to WWE programming with a surprise appearance on the Day 1 edition of Raw earlier this month. During the appearance, he teased a future match against Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. WWE hasn’t confirmed when or if that match will be taking place.
Johnson made a social media post after that appearance stating that he was going to make history, raise the bar, and do things that have never been done before in WWE.
Tuesday morning’s press release included quotes from Johnson, Vince McMahon, and Endeavor/TKO CEO Ari Emanuel.
Johnson said:
My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock,’ is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. 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.
McMahon said:
Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.
Emanuel said:
I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.
It was also announced that Brad Keywell, the founder of Uptake Technologies, has joined TKO’s board of directors. The board now consists of 13 members: McMahon, Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, Nick Khan, Peter Bynoe, Egon Durban, Steven Koonin, Jonathan Kraft, Sonya Medina, Nancy Tellem, Carrie Wheeler, Johnson, and Keywell.
