Comments made by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson about Tony Khan are reportedly still being discussed internally within WWE, according to a new report. The remarks came as part of a tribute video addressing the death of Benjamin Satterly, better known to wrestling fans as PAC, who died in his car on September 27, 2026. PAC had wrestled at AEW All Out just a day before his passing, a detail that added to the shock surrounding his death across the wrestling world.
During that tribute, The Rock offered praise for Tony Khan, the president of AEW, a rival promotion to WWE. Given The Rock’s long and prominent association with WWE, both as a performer and as a minority owner through TKO Group Holdings, his public comments about Khan and AEW drew immediate attention from fans and media covering the industry.
According to a report from Wrestling Inc, some people within WWE are said to still be feeling the “sting” of those comments, suggesting the remarks were not universally well received behind the scenes. A separate report from 411Mania similarly indicated that The Rock’s praise for Tony Khan in the PAC tribute video is something that remains a topic of internal conversation within WWE. Neither report detailed specific individuals within the company who were said to be reacting, nor did they outline any formal response from WWE leadership.
The situation underscores the unusual position The Rock occupies in professional wrestling at this point in his career. As a WWE Hall of Famer, former multi-time champion, and a figure with financial ties to WWE’s parent company, his public words about a competing promotion carry weight that an ordinary outside commentator’s would not. AEW, founded and led by Tony Khan, has positioned itself as the primary alternative to WWE in the United States wrestling landscape since its launch, making any cross-promotional commentary from a WWE-aligned figure notable.
No further details have been confirmed regarding how, or whether, WWE plans to address the internal discussion stemming from The Rock’s comments. The reports reviewed do not specify any statement from The Rock, Tony Khan, or WWE officials beyond the original tribute video and the subsequent coverage of reaction to it.
