Dwayne Johnson Reacts to WWE's Potential Sale
Dwayne Johnson, better known in the pro wrestling world as The Rock, appeared on CNBC on Tuesday and was asked to give his thoughts on the developing situation with WWE. Since the start of the year, Vince McMahon has officially returned to the company and is spearheading a potential sale of the promotion. Companies like Comcast, Amazon, Disney, Endeavor and Netflix have all been named as potential bidders, along with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
"Well, I can tell you this, it's an exciting brand, it's a brand that I've been fortunate enough to have tremendous success in over the decades and also, for your viewers here in the business world who may not know, the lineage goes way back, multi-generational with the WWE," Johnson said (h/t POST Wrestling). "My grandfather wrestled for Vince McMahon Sr. in the 70s, my dad wrestled for Vince McMahon in the 80s and then I came along with my bad haircut and fanny pack and I continued to wrestle for Vince too so we've seen tremendous success over the years. I think it's a very attractive company, I'm excited and I wish Vince and that company all the best."
Johnson was then asked if the sale would only happen if McMahon were allowed to remain in charge — "I would (agree) and that's a great point. I think with the world of professional wrestling and the world of WWE, it's so unique. The fan base is very large and very passionate and there's nothing like the WWE so I think with the new owners, if there are new owners, and acquirers that are gonna come in, I think they have to share that same passion for the company and for the world of pro wrestling which isn't always easy to do. As you guys know, with a company like this, it's been so incredibly successful over the years, a sale and acquisition could be very complicated but there's that unique added anchor I believe to this that Vince feels where you gotta find the right buyer who still has that passion and love for this very unique world."
There was previously a theory that Johnson might eventually take an executive role within WWE. He was asked about that last year by BNN Bloomberg.
"[WWE co-CEO] Nick [Khan] and I have talked about that, and we always enjoy that over a bottle of Teremana," Johnson said. "I love the wrestling business. I grew up in it. My grandfather [and] my dad started here in Canada, where [his father] was born. So, I'm not quite too sure if a board seat is in my future, but possibly other things are in my future, for sure."