Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Appointed to WWE and UFC’s Board of Directors

WWE continues to evolve into its new ownership era. Immediately following WWE WrestleMania 39 in April 2023, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon announced that he had sold his sports-entertainment giant to Endeavor, meaning that WWE would be under non-McMahon ownership for the first time in its multi-decade history. WWE joined UFC within Endeavor’s catalog of combat content and would eventually merge with the mixed martial arts company in September 2023 as one publicly-traded conglomerate known as TKO. This merger meant significant corporate layoffs, as hundreds of positions within both WWE and UFC were now duplicated. That downsizing went all the way to the top of the corporate ladder as well, as WWE and UFC now operated as one TKO board of directors.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Joins TKO Board of Directors

The Great One has a seat at the table.

As announced in a press release, TKO Group Holdings has appointed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to its board of directors. TKO cited Johnson’s experience in brand building as reason for his inclusion, making note of his portfolio that includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the United Football League. In exchange for his presence within the board, Johnson has been granted full ownership of the trademarked “The Rock” nickname.

“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,” Johnson said. “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. 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.”

“Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock,” Executive Chairman Vince McMahon said. “We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.” 

“I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s board,” CEO Ari Emanuel 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.”

This release comes alongside the news that WWE is moving starting in January 2025.