The Rock will become the first billionaire wrestler? Yes, but not just for his WWE career
Dwayne The Rock Johnson has just been crowned the sexiest bald man of 2025. The highest-paid actor in the world in 2024 with $88 million, he is also considered a potential Oscar contender for his role in The Smashing Machine. Presented At the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the film features Johnson as Mark Kerr, a pioneer of mixed martial arts, in arguably his most dramatic and heartfelt performance yet. For once, he is not just a clumsy giant, a bodybuilder, or a brute-force cop.
How much does The Rock earn?
While his impressive physique still commands the screen as he plays a fighter, this film marks a turning point, separating Johnson the actor from all his professional alter egos outside Hollywood: CEO of tequila brand Teremana AÑEJO, founder of skincare line PAPATUI, head of production company Seven Bucks Productions, Global Ambassador for Under Armour with his own custom line, and board member of TKO Group Holdings, the sports entertainment company formed by the merger of UFC and WWE.
His wrestling persona has largely taken a back seat. The last appearance of Dwayne Johnson as The Rock was in one of the most controversial 2025 episodes, the heel turn of John Cena, which he and Travis Scott orchestrated according to the storyline by Paul Levesque. This chapter is on pause and will soon need closure, as John Cena, having returned to his hero role in the ring, is set to retire at the end of 2025.
The Rock’s Intellectual Properties
Johnson’s connection to WWE hasn’t ended—and probably never will. Beyond personal or managerial reasons, it’s also a financial matter. As part of his agreement joining the TKO board, he secured intellectual property rights over some of the most famous elements of his career. According to Exhibit 10.30 of January 22, 2024, Johnson owns rights to:
- The Rock
- Rocky Maivia
- Team Corporate
- Rock Nation
- The Nation
- Roody Poo
- Candy Ass
- Jabroni
- If you smell what The Rock is cooking
- The Samoan Sensation
- The Blue Chipper
- The Brahma Bull
- The People’s Champion
- The Great One
- Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth
- Team Bring It
- The Rock Just Bring It
- The People’s Elbow
- Rock Bottom
- Finally, The Rock has come back to …
- It doesn’t matter what…
- Blue Hell
- The millions… (and millions)
- Rockpocalypse
- Project Rock
- The most electrifying man in sports and entertainment
This list covers not only his stage names but also the wrestling stables he was part of, his most iconic catchphrases, and even his most famous insults. Under the agreement, WWE retains an exclusive 10-year license to use some of these terms, preventing Johnson from licensing them to any competitor of WWE or TKO during that period.
The Rock’s Earnings
The deal highlights Johnson’s entrepreneurial spirit, cementing his status as one of the world’s richest men. Celebrity Net Worth estimates that at the start of 2025, his net worth was $800 million. This figure is expected to rise significantly by the end of the year, bringing the former wrestler and Hollywood star closer to an unprecedented milestone.
Johnson is projected to surpass the billion-dollar net worth mark, making him the first billionaire wrestler in history. This achievement underscores the success of his transition from WWE to Hollywood and business ventures, surpassing historical rivals like Hulk Hogan and John Cena, who, despite their legendary careers, never reached Johnson’s level of wealth.
