More honors for Vince McMahon and The Rock.
Today, Variety named the WWE Chairman to their Variety500 list celebrating Entertainmen Leaders and Icons.
A lifetime devotee of the sport, McMahon led the venerable wrestling organization to record revenues this year ($281.6 million in Q2 alone, up 31 percent year over year) thanks largely to increases in subscriber growth for its streaming outlet WWE Network and licensing fees for content and merchandise. The spoils stay largely in the McMahon family, which owns approximately 70 percent of WWE and holds 96 percent of the voting power. In June, the 73-year-old third-generation promoter positioned the WWE for future success when he closed new multi-year media-right deals with USA Network and Fox Sports. Effective October 2019, those have
3.6 times the annual average value of its current U.S. distribution deal with NBCU.
Along with McMahon, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson also made the list.
The former wrestler who started out with $7 to his name (hence Seven Bucks Productions, which he co-heads with his ex and longtime manager Dany Garcia) has worked tirelessly to become a multi-platform powerhouse. In 2018, Johnson juggled his HBO series “Ballers” and films including the remake of “Jumanji,” which reeled in nearly a billion dollars, plus “Rampage” and “Skyscraper,” both overseas smashes that cemented his global appeal. On deck for 2019 is Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” his own “Fast & Furious” spinoff and the “Jumanji” sequel, while 2020 will bring his superhero flick “Black Adam.” Offscreen, Johnson opened his own advertising agency this year, Seven Bucks Creative. And of course, he told Variety he would “100 percent consider” running for president.
