9 months ago
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It's been a big week for WWE, including the announcement of its rights deal for "WWE Raw" with Netflix beginning in 2025, as well as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's appointment to the board of directors of WWE's parent company, TKO Group Holdings. Former WCW SVP Eric Bischoff discussed Rock's placement on the board on his "Strictly Business" podcast.
Bischoff said he doesn't know Johnson personally, and they only worked together for a brief period in WWE. Despite that, he is excited to see what happens going forward. He said his "hardcore" prediction is the product is going to be fun to watch.
"He's such a powerful dynamic, charismatic, and smart individual. Look what he's doing with professional football and that initiative. Obviously a success in the movie and television industry [after] quitting wrestling," Bischoff said. "I can't wait to see what's next ... The story is fascinating. The story about what we're seeing now happening is fascinating to a guy like me that's been in the business all of his ... professional life, and now gets to sit back on the sidelines and watch it grow and prosper. It's so interesting and fascinating for me. I think Rock being involved makes it even more so, it opens up even more doors because of the power of his celebrity and who he is and what he can bring to the table."
Ring Name Ownership
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Alongside Johnson's appointment to the board, WWE also announced he was given full ownership of his ring name, The Rock. Previously, Johnson could not go just by The Rock in Hollywood.
Bischoff said he didn't know if that was a more personal thing for Johnson or a "strategic business goal." He said he's probably not going to get better movies or better scripts just by now being able to be known as only The Rock, but those who know Johnson may be the ones to know if it was more of a personal satisfaction.
"I can't imagine that Dwyane 'The Rock' Johnson now having rights to The Rock will have any positive or negative effect on his movie career," Bischoff said. "I think he's pretty well established ... You could probably call him 'Elmer Fudd' and he'd still be doing pretty well."
