TKO appoints Dwayne Johnson to Board of
Directors@TheRock
@WWE
@ufc
pic.twitter.com/bhTgADAEb7— TKO (@TKOGrp)
January 23, 2024
TKO Group Holdings — the parent company of both the
UFC and WWE — has added a prominent name to its board of
directors.
On Tuesday, the company announced that Dwayne Johnson, more
commonly known as “The Rock,” will serve on the TKO Group Holdings
board of directors. According to a release, “the appointment of
Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and
strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth
initiatives across both UFC and WWE.” Johnson is current a major
motion picture star and also one of the most popular figures in
professional wrestling history.
“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,” Johnson said in a
release. “A table that my family helped to build. 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, and Ari 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.”
While Johnson’s appointment might primarily affect the professional
wrestling side of the company, “The Rock” has also been present at
a number of UFC events, notably appearing in the Octagon to put the
“BMF” title on the waist of Jorge
Masvidal at UFC 244.
“I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense
talent to TKO’s Board,” TKO CEO Ari Emanuel said. “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.”
The UFC and WWE
merged under the TKO umbrella last year to form a combat sports
organization reportedly valued at more than $20 billion.