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Dwayne Johnson Gets the Rights to the Name ‘The Rock’, Joins Board of WWE Owner TKO Group 

Dwayne Johnson. (AP)
Dwayne Johnson. (AP)
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Dwayne Johnson Gets the Rights to the Name ‘The Rock’, Joins Board of WWE Owner TKO Group 

Dwayne Johnson. (AP)
Dwayne Johnson. (AP)

It is a name that has become almost synonymous with professional wrestling but its bearer, Dwayne Johnson, has never legally owned "The Rock."

That will change under a new agreement with the WWE under which Johnson will also join the board of TKO Group, the sports and entertainment company that houses WWE and UFC.

"The Rock" is a name derived from Johnson's father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas), according to the WWE.

Johnson, a movie and wrestling star, has a business portfolio that includes production company Seven Bucks Productions, energy drink company ZOA Energy, Project Rock apparel brand and the United Football League.

"I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board," TKO CEO Ariel Emanuel said in a prepared statement. "Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO."

TKO Group Holdings Inc. says Johnson's board appointment, effective Tuesday, reflects its "commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE."

Johnson began his wrestling career with WWE in 1996. He has recently appeared on World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.'s "Smackdown" and "Raw" television programs, with rumors swirling that he may compete at this year's WrestleMania.

"I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences," Johnson said in a prepared statement. "I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them."

TKO also announced Tuesday that Brad Keywell will become a board member. Keywell has co-founded and led multiple companies, including Groupon, Echo Global Logistics, MediaOcean, and Uptake Technologies, where he is currently founder and executive chairman.

The additions of Johnson and Keywell will increase TKO's board from 11 to 13 members.

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Tim Cook and Rebecca Ferguson Announce New 'Silo' Seasons from the Show's Set

CEO of Apple Tim Cook gives a presentation as Apple holds an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 9, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo/ File Photo
CEO of Apple Tim Cook gives a presentation as Apple holds an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 9, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo/ File Photo
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Tim Cook and Rebecca Ferguson Announce New 'Silo' Seasons from the Show's Set

CEO of Apple Tim Cook gives a presentation as Apple holds an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 9, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo/ File Photo
CEO of Apple Tim Cook gives a presentation as Apple holds an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 9, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo/ File Photo

Sci-fi series "Silo" will return for two more seasons, with the third chapter already shooting in the UK.

Apple CEO Tim Cook joined the series' star and executive producer Rebecca Ferguson on the sprawling "Silo" set at Hoddesdon Studios outside London to make the announcement.

"We feel great about it. We could not be more pleased. We're already filming season three," Cook told Reuters in an interview in the show's Silo 18 cafeteria, Reuters reported

"We get to walk around these environments again under new circumstances, new threats," added Ferguson. "We're back on the show and it's tense, it's wonderful and it's mysterious."

The dystopian drama is based on American author Hugh Howey's "Silo" book trilogy and is set deep underground, where the last remaining people have been sheltering for hundreds of years from what they are told is a toxic environment on the surface of the Earth.

Ferguson plays engineer Juliette, whose suspicions are aroused when she seeks answers to a loved one's death, and she becomes determined to expose the secrets of the silo. Season one ended with Juliette stepping outside of Silo 18 and the second season, currently streaming on Apple TV+, sees her world upended.

The fourth season will conclude the series, the makers said.

Five years on from the launch of Apple TV+ in November 2019, Cook said he considered the service to be "successful by any measure".

"Like the rest of Apple, we're about being the best, not producing the most," said Cook.

"We're focusing on the best quality, with the best storytellers, all original. We think 'Silo' is a fantastic example of that and of course the UK is a great place for storytellers and it's a place where people want to work, and so we're doing a lot in the UK," he said.

New episodes of the 10-part "Silo" season two are released weekly, with the show's finale premiering Jan. 17.