The Rock has made it clear that supporting the wrestling community comes first when someone in the business passes away, regardless of which company they work for.

Dwayne Johnson responded after Dave Meltzer reported that people within WWE were surprised by his praise for AEW during his tribute to PAC.

Writing beneath a Clutch Wrestling Instagram post discussing the report, Johnson explained why company rivalries had no bearing on his message.

“You’re right, brother, and humanity matters to me. I was born into this business and I’ve seen it all, but when one of our own passes away, I don’t care nor do I see “our competition”, I care about the wrestlers and how it affects them. I’ve been there. To me, humanity matters most.”

According to Meltzer, the surprise concerned Johnson’s choice of words, particularly given his position on the board of directors of WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said people in WWE were “very surprised” by the praise.

“Not that he did the video, but the wording in the video, where he praised them and essentially gave the stamp of, ‘Yeah, you guys are good for business and work hard, and you’re helping make wrestling,'” Meltzer said. “That’s not the message I think the company wants out.”

Johnson shared his tribute on September 29, two days after AEW announced that PAC, whose real name was Benjamin Satterley, had died aged 40.

He offered condolences to Satterley’s family, Tony Khan, QT Marshall and the AEW locker room, as well as those in WWE who had known and worked with him.

During the video, Johnson spoke about the connection shared by wrestlers around the world.

“As global as professional wrestling is, as global as WWE is, as much as AEW is growing into this phenomenal wrestling company, and wherever you’re wrestling at around the world, we’re still a very tight knit unit and a tight knit group because we all share the same DNA,” Johnson said in the video.

WWE also paid tribute to Satterley in a statement on X, although its message did not mention AEW.

Johnson has previously spoken warmly about AEW. During an Instagram Live question-and-answer session in April 2020, he confirmed that he watched the promotion and welcomed its success, saying competition helped create hunger within the industry.

The Rock joined TKO’s board in January 2024. His most recent WWE television appearance was at Elimination Chamber in March 2025.