What The Rock’s TKO Appointment Could Mean For WrestleMania 40
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the biggest actors in Hollywood and a business mogul, and the 51-year-old Tuesday extended his reach in the entertainment industry.
Johnson was appointed to the board of directors of TKO Group, the publicly traded company consisting of the UFC and WWE, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. Along with his appointment, he also was granted full ownership of “The Rock” trademark, which had been owned by WWE. Johnson signed a new services and merchandising agreement with WWE “that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services,” per a release via ESPN.
“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,” Johnson said in a statement, per Raimondi. “At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and (TKO CEO) Ari (Emanuel) 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.”
TKO executive chairman Vince McMahon added the board was “proud” to have Johnson aboard. Johnson’s appointment came on the same day Netflix was announced as the new home for “RAW” starting January 2025.
The big question on WWE fans’ minds: What does this mean for WrestleMania 40?
The Rock this month made a surprise appearance on “RAW” and hinted at a challenge to Roman Reigns, the undisputed universal champion and his real-life cousin. It wasn’t made clear, but fans guessed the match would happen on Day 2 of this year’s WrestleMania at Lincon Financial Field on April 7.
His appointment to the board of directors seemingly strengthens the possibility of that happening. Johnson has a busy schedule this spring as the owner of the UFL, the combined XFL-USFL entity. But perhaps this deal to not only gain executive power but also gain power back for “The Rock” trademark is part of a larger deal to get a guarantee he can make time for the build to a WrestleMania main event match against Reigns.
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It seems like an obvious move for WWE. It announced new media rights deals for “RAW” and “SmackDown,” and it has premium live events this year held in different countries. What better way to highlight a massive year of hype for the company than to get The Rock back for WrestleMania?
But to play devil’s advocate, maybe this is all Johnson wanted. He’ll make a few appearances on WWE programming, and that might be enough for WWE. There’s a contingent of fans who still want to see Cody Rhodes “finish the story” and beat Reigns after falling short last year. The Rock might not have time for a build for a match, but he could make a run-in to help even the odds against The Bloodline. It might not be as big as a match, but WWE certainly is no stranger to spinning mundane things into the biggest moment in the history of the company.
It’s possible fans might get more clarity at this Saturday’s Royal Rumble at Tropicana Field. But it does feel like there’s a strong likelihood WWE fans might see more of The Rock in some capacity in the future.