Unknown Author
January 23, 2026
Sidley Represents Dwayne Johnson in Securing a TKO Group Board Seat and Gaining Full Ownership of “The Rock” Trademark

1 min
AI-made summary
- Sidley represented Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in his appointment to the TKO Group board, a publicly traded company formed by the WWE and UFC
- As part of an overall agreement, Johnson obtained full ownership of the “The Rock” trademark, which was previously owned by WWE
- The legal team was led by Matt Thompson, with partners Emily Zipperstein, Vijay Sekhon, Felipe Ruiz Ricagni, and Tracy Smith also involved.
Sidley represented Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in joining the TKO Group board — the publicly traded company comprised of the WWE and the UFC — and entering into an overall agreement under which, among other things, Johnson gained full ownership of “The Rock” trademark, which had previously been owned by WWE. The name “The Rock” is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history. The Sidley team was led by Entertainment, Sports and Media (ESM) co-chair Matt Thompson, and included partners Emily Zipperstein (ESM/M&A) and Vijay Sekhon (Private Equity), along with senior managing associate Felipe Ruiz Ricagni (ESM/M&A) and managing associate Tracy Smith (ESM/M&A).~~Sidley represented Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in joining the TKO Group board — the publicly traded company comprised of the WWE and the UFC — and entering into an overall agreement under which, among other things, Johnson gained full ownership of “The Rock” trademark, which had previously been owned by WWE. The name “The Rock” is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history. The Sidley team was led by Entertainment, Sports and Media (ESM) co-chair Matt Thompson, and included partners Emily Zipperstein (ESM/M&A) and Vijay Sekhon (Private Equity), along with senior managing associate Felipe Ruiz Ricagni (ESM/M&A) and managing associate Tracy Smith (ESM/M&A).
Article Author
Unknown Author
The Sponsor
