The Rock is giving Ari Emanuel some serious credit for helping shape the business side of his career, and he made sure WWE was part of the conversation. Dwayne Johnson took to Instagram on September 17, 2026 to praise his longtime agent, partner and friend ahead of Emanuel’s new memoir release, while pointing directly to TKO’s acquisition of WWE and his own move onto TKO’s Board of Directors as major milestones they navigated together.
Rock posted a photo of Emanuel’s new memoir, “Roll the Calls,” along with a handwritten note that came with the book. This wasn’t some quick celebrity shoutout either, because Johnson went deep on just how much business the two men have done together over the years. Rock gave Emanuel his flowers in one long message.
“Congrats to my long time partner, agent and friend @arielemanuel on this achievement.
Front to back, this is an excellent read!
I’ve had the privilege of building great business with Ari and @wme over the years – from our Hollywood studio deals, to @tkogrp acquisition of @wwe (becoming a director of TKO’s board was a personal highlight for me, given my deep family history in pro wrestling) – Ari’s strategy was always fueled by grit, loyalty, backbone and extremely sharp monster negotiating.
But behind the world famous ‘raging veneer’ is a man who loves what he does and loves the people he chooses to do it with.
A little rage goes a long way. But loyalty and love go further.
Congrats brother, onward ~ triangle offense 🥃
#RollTheCalls
#AriEmanuel
#MemoirAvailable Sept. 22nd
pre-order now link in bio 🔗”
The WWE mention carries some real weight because Emanuel wasn’t just watching Rock’s TKO move happen from the outside. When Nick Khan previously explained why WWE wanted The Rock on TKO’s Board of Directors, he revealed that Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, Andrew Schleimer and others were already discussing Johnson as a potential board member shortly after TKO officially launched.
That plan eventually became real in January 2024 when The Rock officially joined TKO’s Board of Directors. The move put Johnson inside the company controlling both WWE and UFC, giving him a corporate role that went far beyond simply showing up on WWE television as The Final Boss.
There was also a monster financial package attached to that deal. As Ringside News covered when TKO’s SEC filing revealed the details of Rock’s agreement, Johnson received a $30 million restricted stock unit award while WWE transferred ownership of “The Rock” trademark and related intellectual property to him.
That makes Rock’s praise of Emanuel hit a little harder than the usual Hollywood book plug. Johnson is basically pointing back at some of the biggest moves of his post-wrestling business life and saying Emanuel was one of the guys in the room helping make them happen.
Rock also made it clear that all the screaming, hardball negotiating and “raging veneer” people associate with Emanuel only tells half the story. For Johnson, this is clearly a friendship built on years of business, loyalty and some very expensive wins along the way.
Emanuel’s “Roll the Calls” memoir drops September 22, and Rock just gave his longtime agent one hell of an endorsement. When The Final Boss starts publicly thanking someone for helping with Hollywood deals, WWE’s move into TKO and his own board seat, that’s a pretty good sign the relationship has gone way beyond simply booking movie roles.
What do you think about The Rock publicly giving Ari Emanuel this much credit for his WWE and TKO business moves? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
