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It’s official. The U.S. government has decreed that there’s only one person who can legally use “The Rock” in commerce, and that’s Dwayne Johnson.
An SEC filing by TKO, the parent of the WWE, indicates Johnson has joined its board of directors. The paperwork also shows Johnson now legally holds the rights to his stage name, “The Rock,” as well as a host of other nicknames, catchphrases, and taglines from his wrestling days.
The list is extensive and includes such oddities as “Jabroni,” “Candy Ass,” “If you smell what The Rock is cooking,” “Rocky Maivia,” “Roody Poo,” “The Samoan Sensation,” “The Great One,” “Team Corporate,” “The People’s Elbow,” “The Blue Chipper,” “Blue Hell,” “Rockpocalypse,” “Project Rock,” “Rock Nation,” “The Nation,” “The Brahma Bull,” “The People’s Champion,” “Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth,” “Team Bring It,” “The Rock Just Bring It,” “Rock Bottom,” “Finally, The Rock has come back to …,” “It doesn’t matter what…,” “The millions… (and millions),” and “The most electrifying man in sports and entertainment.”
The deal with Johnson includes a stock award and grants the WWE the right to use some of the Rock’s intellectual property for ten years. During that term, Johnson can’t license that IP to any competitors.
Johnson recently returned to the WWE, appearing on Raw for the first time since 2016 and later developing a new wrestling story arc.
