Dwayne Johnson recently signed on to a WWE agreement, allowing him to own his popular nickname: The Rock.
Johnson — having never owned the name synonymous to professional wrestling — agreed to a contract to join TKO Group, the sports and entertainment company that houses both UFC and WWE, per CBS News.
Exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a statement by TKO claims The Rock and WWE joined in a “services and merchandising agreement” as part of the deal.
This news, according to NewsRadio WFLA, comes days after Johnson teased a potential “WrestleMania” appearance against his cousin Roman Reigns, who is currently the undisputed WWE champion.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, TKO is also adding executive chairman Brad Keywell of Uptake Technologies to its board. Keywell is a tech veteran who previously co-founded both Groupon and MediaOcean.
Johnson and Keywell are to increase TKO’s board from 11 members to 13, as said in TKO’s statement.
What has been said by parties
Both parties, TKO and The Rock, are excited to work together.
“I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board,” said TKO’s CEO Ariel Emanuel, per TKO’s statement.
He added, “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.”
Johnson mentioned to TKO, “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.”
Additionally, executive chairman Vince McMahon stated, “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,” from TKO’s statement.
How The Rock became famous
After stepping away from professional football in the early ’90s, Johnson, according to Business Insider, made his WWE debut in 1996 as “Rocky Maivia” — a combination of his father’s nickname and his grandfather’s name, both of whom were former wrestlers.
Johnson reportedly hated the predetermined nickname and requested his name be something distinct from his lineage; therefore, The Rock was created, per Wired.
The third-generation wrestler, as reported by ABC News, gradually became one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history, winning eight championships during his wrestling career.
In the span of a couple decades, Johnson has also become a prominent movie star with a notable business portfolio, owning production company Seven Bucks Productions and co-founding energy drink company ZOA Energy, per The Hollywood Reporter.