Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has responded to a report that people within WWE were surprised by his decision to openly praise AEW while paying tribute to the late PAC.
Johnson addressed the report in the comments section of an Instagram post from Clutch Wrestling, explaining that when someone in the wrestling business passes away, he does not view people through the lens of competition between companies.
“You’re right, brother, and humanity matters to me. I was born into this business and I’ve seen it all, but when one of our own passes away, I don’t care nor do I see “our competition”, I care about the wrestlers and how it affects them. I’ve been there. To me, humanity matters most.”
The response follows comments from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, who reported that some people within WWE were “very surprised” by the wording Johnson used in his tribute, particularly because The Rock serves on the Board of Directors of WWE parent company TKO Group Holdings.
Meltzer said the issue was not Johnson choosing to pay tribute to PAC, but the praise he offered AEW while doing so.
“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,’” Meltzer said. “That’s not the message I think the company wants out.”
Johnson originally posted his tribute on September 29, two days after AEW announced that PAC, real name Benjamin Satterley, had passed away at the age of 40.
During the video, Johnson offered his condolences to Satterley’s family as well as Tony Khan, QT Marshall, the AEW locker room and those within WWE who knew and worked with PAC. He also spoke positively about AEW’s growth and emphasized the bond shared by people throughout professional wrestling.
“As global as professional wrestling is, as global as WWE is, as much as AEW is growing into this phenomenal wrestling company, and wherever you’re wrestling at around the world, we’re still a very tight knit unit and a tight knit group because we all share the same DNA,” Johnson said in the video.
WWE’s own statement following Satterley’s death did not mention AEW.
This is also not the first time Johnson has publicly spoken positively about WWE’s rival. During an Instagram Live Q&A in April 2020, The Rock confirmed that he watched AEW and said he was happy about the company’s success because competition creates hunger within the wrestling industry.
Johnson joined the TKO Board of Directors in January 2024. His most recent WWE television appearance came at Elimination Chamber in March 2025.
