The Rock is back on Smackdown thanks to the actor’s strike. Photo: WWE
The Rock lays claim to over 25 catchphrases
Dwayne Johnson, better known as the Rock, has put in a filing with the SEC for several of his popular wrestling catchphrases.
The Rock is back on Smackdown thanks to the actor’s strike. Photo: WWE
Dwayne Johnson, better known as the Rock, has put in a filing with the SEC for several of his popular wrestling catchphrases.
This transfer of intellectual property rights to the names and phrases to Rock is part of his agreement to join the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the entity established by Endeavour by merging WWE and the UFC.
The Rock takes ownership of IPs
The actor and entertainment magnate, who rose to prominence as a WWE star two decades ago, has acquired rights to a variety of nicknames, insults, and catchphrases from his time in the ring in the 1990s and early 2000s, including “Candy Ass,” “Jabroni,” and “If you smell what The Rock is cooking.”
Johnson, as previously disclosed, owns the rights to his iconic ring name, “The Rock.”
A landmark deal
Under the TKO deal, Johnson also owns associated trademarks and service marks, as well as “all other nicknames, caricatures, voice, signature, gestures, routines, costumes or parts of costumes, accessories [and] crowns” during his tenure as a WWE performer.
The agreement continues: “For the avoidance of doubt, the ‘Rock IP’ does not include any photographic, audio and/or audiovisual footage of Dwayne Johnson embodied in the copyrighted works of WWE, nor does the ‘Rock IP’ include any photographs, audio and/or audiovisual footage of Dwayne Johnson created by WWE in connection Dwayne Johnson’s services under the terms of the Services Agreement.”
According to the SEC filing for Johnson’s nomination to the TKO board, the Rock earned $30 million in TKO shares, which vests in installments until the end of 2025, for a promotional services contract.
In addition, Rock received $491,000 in royalty payments from WWE in 2023, and he “will continue to receive such annual royalties from WWE and will be entitled to receive royalties in connection with the sale of licenced products that utilise the Assigned IP and his name, likeness and other intellectual property rights in accordance with the Services Agreement,” according to the filing.
