Cody Rhodes Claims TKO CEO Ari Emanuel Didn’t Know Who He Was Until WWE WrestleMania 40

Ari Emanuel was unaware of Rhodes until WrestleMania.

Among the cast members of the Street Fighter movie are WWE’s Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. They’ve been touring with fellow cast members for a media run, and one of the outlets they spoke to was the New York Times.

Rhodes told the outlet that TKO CEO Ari Emanuel was unaware of who he was until WrestleMania 40 in 2024, where Rhodes headlined nights one and two. A month after WrestleMania 40, Rhodes signed with W.M.E. (Williams Morris Endeavor), which is the talent and media agency that Emanuel is the Executive Chairman of.

Below is the article excerpt from the New York Times:

In 2023, a deal made W.W.E. part of a new company, TKO Group Holdings, led by the Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel. After a high-profile match in Philadelphia in 2024, Rhodes signed with WME, the talent agency Emanuel helped found, which also represents Johnson and Cena.

Rhodes said Emanuel did not know who the wrestler was before that night, but WME set up the meeting at Legendary and Rhodes was cast in “Street Fighter.” Rhodes said he wanted to “do right” by Emanuel and Khan, a former television agent at Creative Artists Agency, a rival of WME.

“They’ve told the town, ‘You’re a serious person,’ and that’s really helpful,” Rhodes said.

A TKO spokeswoman declined to make Emanuel available for comment.

Rhodes is a three-time Undisputed WWE Champion. His latest reign came to an end in June 2026 when he dropped the belt to Sami Zayn.