‘It Was Great’: The Rock on His Relationship With WWE Ex-Chairman Vincent McMahon
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (Credit: WWE Media)
The Rock has revealed that he had a good business relationship with Vince McMahon behind the scenes.
Legendary wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has opened up about his relationship with former WWE Chairman Vincent McMahon. The Rock was one of the biggest stars in the company throughout the Attitude Era. In that period, the superstar seemed to have a rocky relationship with his former boss onscreen. But The Rock has revealed that he had a good business relationship with McMahon behind the scenes. Speaking on the PBD Podcast on YouTube, he said, “The relationship with Vince…it was a great relationship because it was based on I’m willing to work for every dollar.”
The Rock also discussed how both Vincent McMahon and he were quite passionate about their roles in the WWE at the time. He went into detail about his bond with the ex-chairman and talked about their connection. “It was about the work, I’m willing to put in the work and I have a tremendous, boundless respect for the business of pro wrestling. That is so deeply important to him. That’s his life. It’s his world, it’s his blood and I grew up in the business of pro wrestling,” The Rock said.
Speaking further The Rock also talked about how the duo planned things together once the superstar found a breakthrough in the wrestling promotion. “I became The Rock and things started to take off for me. He said, ‘What’s next?’ I said I feel what’s next is to take this brass ring and take it to places it’s never been. He said, ‘Where’s that?’ I said I don’t know let’s figure it out together,” The Rock added on the podcast.
The Rock also shared his experience about a contract negotiation with Vincent McMahon during his time in the WWE. He initially asked for $2 million after learning that Stone Cold was the highest-paid star at $1 million. The Brahma Bull eventually settled for $1.5 million after taking time to learn about the financial and economic side of the business. It was something McMahon had requested from the star before the finalisation of a new deal.
The Rock was an active member of the WWE from 1996 to 2004. Since leaving for Hollywood, he has signed several part-time roles with the company. He made a scintillating return to the company for the first time in seven years in February 2024. He last featured at WrestleMania 40 where he teamed up with Roman Reigns to take on the duo of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
