Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s tribute to the late PAC reportedly raised some eyebrows within WWE due to the way he praised AEW during the video.
Following PAC’s passing at the age of 40 on September 27, The Rock published a video on Instagram paying tribute to the former WWE and AEW star.
During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com discussed the reaction within WWE to Johnson’s comments. According to Meltzer, some people in the company were particularly surprised by The Rock openly praising AEW, especially given his position on the TKO Board of Directors.
“Rock and Nick Khan are close. I do not believe that has changed. Were there people in WWE who were very surprised at his wording and what he said, especially with him being on the TKO board of directors? Yes, okay. They were very surprised. Nick may not have been. He may have told Nick ahead of time. Maybe he didn’t. He can do whatever he wants.
Not that he did the video, but the wording in the video, where he praised them and essentially gave the stamp of, ‘Yeah, you guys are good for business and work hard, and you’re helping make wrestling.’
That’s not the message I think the company wants out. No one’s going to be mad at him doing the video, but the wording, people brought it up to me.”
Meltzer stressed that the reported surprise was not over Johnson choosing to honor PAC, but rather the language he used when discussing AEW and its contribution to the wrestling industry.
Johnson has served on the TKO Board of Directors since January 2024, making his public comments about WWE’s primary competitor particularly notable to those within the company who reportedly discussed them with Meltzer.
