The second class of college athletes is ready to rumble with WWE. Under the professional wrestling company’s “Next In Line,” name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements have been signed by 15 recruits including KeShaun Moore — its first-ever HBCU athlete — according to ESPN.

Dwayne Johnson now holds a greater stake in WWE, the place where his journey began. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the wrestler-turned- actor -turned- businessman has taken on a new role with TKO Group Holdings Inc., the parent company of WWE and UFC. Johnson joined its board of directors in January 2024 and, as a result, also secured full ownership of “The Rock” trademark. “My grandfather, ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come,” Johnson said at the time, according to Variety. “Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. …Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle.” He continued, “I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the...

Dwayne Johnson decided to fire his agents because he saw the bigger picture. Johnson first put his name on the map as a professional wrestler, inspired by his father, Rocky Johnson, who had a legendary resume within the sport and was honored as a WWE Hall of Famer. “I think I’m going to like professional wrestling,” Johnson remembered, according to a conversation with GQ. “So we fought. [My dad] didn’t want me to get into it. And then I wound up having the career that I had. And he was proud. But he also wrestled with a lot of my success, and I know that as his son.” Johnson would later find a commonality between wrestling and acting. He revealed to GQ that he pivoted attention towards Hollywood, understanding that he could still reach the masses as an actor. “When I got into the business of Hollywood and moviemaking, it’s like, ‘Okay, well, what kind of movies do I want to make? I want to make movies that hopefully are good, that don’t suck. But also reach as many people as...

Thanks to her mother’s advice, track-and-field athlete and Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell felt comfortable taking on NIL opportunities. In 2021, college athletes were permitted to profit from their name, image, and likeness for the first time due to an NCAA rule change, the New York Times reports. Russell, a University of Kentucky student-athlete at the time, was in disbelief. She recently expressed that it had been the status quo for athletes not to receive compensation. “When I was able to see that NIL was an opportunity that I could take advantage of, I didn’t know that it was real at first,” she mentioned during an interview on “The It Girls” podcast. “I didn’t know this was something that was in the making for so long because everyone, it was always like an ongoing, ‘Oh, no. Athletes shouldn’t get paid. Athletes should get paid.’ It was always a back-and-forth battle. So when the law actually got passed, I really didn’t believe it.” After further research, Russell was...

For those of a particular age, certain cultural moments immediately evoke nostalgia. Undoubtedly, one of those moments is best wrapped up in Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson’s coined phrase: “If you smell what The Rock is cooking.” For years, the WWE wrestler would taunt his opponents and captivate the audience through what was once described as the most electrifying move in sports entertainment: the people’s elbow. However, Johnson’s story doesn’t start or end with his popularity in wrestling. Football Was The Original Dream For The Rock Johnson — a California native — spent the early years of his life engaged in sports while watching his father, Rocky Johnson, have a career in the wrestling industry. Although this example would eventually foretell The Rock’s career, he would spend some time pursuing a football career. After graduating from high school, Johnson attended the University of Miami as a member of its football program. According to Bleacher Report, the athlete played on the...

If you ask Older Millennials and Gen Xers if their younger selves ever thought Snoop Dogg would go from being the face of West Coast “gangsta rap” to swapping recipes and planting tips with Martha Stewart, the answer is probably no. But this longtime hip-hop fixture and style icon mastered the art of the professional pivot to the point that many in the Gen Z and Alpha segments might not even realize his hardcore roots. Snoop Dogg’s street credibility is undeniable and he has proven that staying true to yourself will always take you further than pandering. So, with decades spent in and around the music industry — to the point that he is a fixture — you might wonder just how much the West Coast rapper, actor and entrepreneur is worth. A California Story Snoop Dogg (formerly Snoop Doggy Dogg in his earlier rap days) was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. in 1971. From Long Beach, California, Snoop Dogg has a musical path that will sound familiar. As a child he first played piano and...

Kevin Durant has made a new investment to advance another area of sports. Bloomberg reports Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures was a part of an investment round led by The Chernin Group for the Premier Lacrosse League with participation from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Inc. Premier Lacrosse League founders, Paul and Mike Rabil have not disclosed exact valuations. However, the number has doubled since the company’s previous funding round in 2021.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson continues to get paid. Footwear News is reporting that The Rock has created a new line with Under Armour called “Outlaw Mana,” which features a full line of clothing and shoes for the discerning athlete. The PR4 training shoe is the “crown jewel” of this new collection, and it retails for $150. There’s also a women’s line that’s in line with the men’s offerings, as well, under the imprint. This is just the latest in a long line of business deals for Dwayne Johnson, who also recently purchased the pro football league, XFL, for $15 million. He also purchased the Teremana Tequila brand, which made history in December 2020 for its record-breaking sales. “Our entire Teremana team and I are quite pleased and humbled that the brand is experiencing this incredible, off-the-charts success,” he said, according to AfroTech’s recent report. “But we also recognize there’s so much more work to be done. We’re building a mana fueled legacy brand and I’m in it for the long...