WWE Allegedly 'Surprised' By Dwayne Johnson Praising AEW During PAC Tribute Video
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson faced internal scrutiny within WWE after praising rival promotion AEW in a tribute video for the late wrestler PAC. Industry observers noted that his position on the TKO board makes such public endorsements of a competitor unusual.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the complex corporate dynamics and professional rivalries within the professional wrestling industry.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's tribute to the late PAC was meant to honor a wrestler who worked across WWE and AEW, but his comments apparently drew attention within WWE. According to Dave Meltzer, some people in WWE were particularly surprised by how strongly "The Great One" spoke about AEW while serving on TKO's board of directors.
PAC, whose real name was Benjamin Satterley, died at 40 on September 27, with AEW announcing his passing after he had wrestled at All Out the previous night. Satterley had spent six years in WWE as Adrian Neville and Neville before leaving the company in 2018, later joining AEW in 2019. He became the inaugural AEW International Champion and also won the World Trios Championship.
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