Dwayne Johnson has joined the board of administrators of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., the corporate shaped by Endeavor that merged WWE and the UFC.
Johnson, one of the in style actors and media personalities on the planet, broke out as a star for WWE (then WWF) within the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. He held a number of world championships in his time with the professional wrestling juggernaut and is extensively considered one of many biggest skilled wrestlers of all time.
“I’m thrilled to companion with Dwayne and welcome his immense expertise to TKO’s Board,” mentioned Ariel Emanuel, CEO of TKO. “Dwayne brings an unimaginable observe file of making content material and constructing globally acknowledged client manufacturers, and he’ll play a key position in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”
Precise phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed, however WWE added that it has additionally entered right into a providers and merchandising settlement with Johnson. Beneath that settlement, Johnson will present promotional, licensing, and different providers to the corporate. Johnson additionally beneficial properties possession of the trademarked identify “The Rock” as a part of an mental project settlement.
Information of the board appointment and different agreements comes as it’s extensively speculated that Johnson will return to WWE for match towards his cousin and present WWE Common Champion Roman Reigns. That might be his first match in WWE since 2016.
“My grandfather, Excessive Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve by no means thought today would come,” Johnson mentioned in an announcement. “Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat on the desk that has many years of historical past and household legacy for me. A desk that my household helped to construct. Being on the TKO Board of Administrators, and taking full possession of my identify, ‘The Rock’, just isn’t solely unprecedented, however extremely inspiring as my loopy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the folks, and Ari is constructing one thing really recreation altering. I’m very motivated to assist proceed to globally broaden our TKO, WWE, and UFC companies because the worldwide leaders in sports activities and leisure — whereas proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who present up day-after-day placing within the exhausting work with their very own two fingers to make their desires come true and ship for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m nonetheless there and that is for them.”
Onscreen, Johnson is understood for starring in blockbusters like “San Andreas,” the 2 new “Jumanji” movies, a number of entries within the “Quick & Livid” franchise and the spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw,” and the Disney animated movie “Moana.” His different enterprise ventures embrace the United Soccer League (shaped with a merger of the Vince McMahon-founded XFL and the USFL), Teremana Tequila, Undertaking Rock, Zoa Power, and Seven Bucks Productions.
Vince McMahon, government chairman of the TKO board, mentioned, “Only a few folks on the planet perceive the convergence of sports activities, leisure, media, and enterprise like Rock. We’re proud to have him be part of the TKO board to assist take our firm to new heights.”
Johnson has longstanding ties to a variety of high-ranking folks within the TKO group. Along with his prolonged relationship with McMahon and WWE usually, Johnson has identified present WWE president Nick Khan because the two had been kids, together with Khan’s sister, TV author and producer Nahnatchka Khan, who co-developed Johnson’s NBC sequence “Younger Rock.” Emanuel, in the meantime, serves as a frontrunner of Johnson’s workforce at WME, the place Johnson has been a consumer for 13 years.
Johnson just isn’t the one new TKO board member to be named, although probably the one one to be featured in a match at WrestleMania. Brad Keywell has been introduced on because the thirteenth member of TKO’s board. Keywell is the founder and government chairman of Uptake Applied sciences, and has beforehand co-founded and led corporations resembling Groupon, Echo World Logistics, and MediaOcean. He was the recipient of the Ernst & Younger Entrepreneur of the Yr Award in 2019 and at the moment function an adjunct professor on the College of Chicago Sales space Faculty of Enterprise.
