# The Rock Earned ₹7.5 Crore in WWE Royalties — But TKO’s CEO Took Home ₹562 Crore in 2025

URL: https://technosports.co.in/the-rock-wwe-royalties-tko-ceo-crore-2025/  
Published: 2026-04-24  
Updated: 2026-04-24  
Author: Rahul Roy

*When WWE and UFC merged, the money got very, very serious.*

There’s sports money. Then there’s **TKO Group money**. The two are barely in the same galaxy.

A proxy statement filed with the [SEC](https://www.sec.gov/) by **TKO Group Holdings** has revealed the staggering 2025 pay packages of its top executives — and a fascinating look at what Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson earned from his WWE deal. The numbers will make your jaw drop.

## TKO Executive Pay — 2025 Breakdown

TKO Group Holdings was formed in September 2023 through the merger of **WWE and UFC**, operating under the Endeavor Group Holdings umbrella. And business, clearly, has been very good.

| Executive | Role | 2025 Total Pay | 2024 Pay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ari Emanuel | CEO & Executive Chair | **$67.4 million** | $18.1 million |
| Mark Shapiro | President & COO | **$42.64 million** | $32 million |

### Ari Emanuel — $67.4 Million

Emanuel’s package included a **$3 million base salary**, roughly **$11.88 million in cash bonuses**, stock awards worth **$43.9 million**, and **$8.1 million** in non-equity incentive compensation. An additional ~$365,000 was tied to personal use of a company-provided aircraft. That’s not a salary. That’s a masterclass in executive compensation.

### Mark Shapiro — $42.64 Million

Shapiro’s package comprised a **$4 million base salary**, ~**$12.5 million in cash bonuses**, and stock awards worth **$25.8 million**. His pay has more than doubled since 2023 — a sign of just how fast TKO has scaled.

## What Did The Rock Actually Make from WWE in 2025?

Here’s where it gets interesting. The most electrifying man in sports entertainment earned significantly less in cash — but his long-term stock play tells a different story.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson received a **$30 million stock award** and earned **$900,000 in royalties** under a decade-long merchandising and independent contractor deal tied to his joining TKO’s Board in January 2024. He was also paid **$600,000 in travel expense reimbursements**.

| The Rock’s 2025 Earnings | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Stock Award | $30 million |
| WWE Royalties | $900,000 |
| Travel Reimbursements | $600,000 |

However, the filing also noted that Johnson was the **only TKO board member** who failed to attend at least 75% of board meetings in 2025, missing several “due to prior business commitments.” Being The Rock is, apparently, a very busy job.

## The Bigger Picture

The TKO pay story is really a story about what happens when you merge the world’s two most powerful combat sports brands under one roof. [WWE](https://www.technosports.co.in/wwe) and [UFC](https://www.technosports.co.in/) were already juggernauts individually — together, they’ve created a financial machine that rewards its leaders at levels that rival Hollywood studios and tech companies.

For fans of [WWE in India](https://www.technosports.co.in/wwe), these numbers reflect the growing global appetite for professional wrestling as premium entertainment — and that’s only going to push production values, storylines, and events like [WrestleMania](https://www.technosports.co.in/wwe) to bigger heights.

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