The Rock has responded to a report that people within WWE were surprised by his praise for AEW in his tribute to PAC.
As previously reported, Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that the tribute itself was not the problem. In Meltzer’s view, the issue was how The Rock treated WWE’s main competitor, especially as a member of TKO’s board of directors.
The Rock has now weighed in himself. He left a comment on a post in which Jonathan Cruz of Clutch Wrestling questioned the entire controversy over The Rock’s remarks.
“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.”
The Rock responds to Dave Meltzer’s report that people in WWE were surprised by his praise for AEW during his PAC tribute video:
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) October 4, 2026
“…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.… pic.twitter.com/cq5DKB71KO
In his original tribute, The Rock said AEW is “growing into this phenomenal wrestling company” and sent condolences to his friend Tony Khan. He also mentioned QT Marshall, along with the AEW locker room and his old WWE colleagues who knew PAC.
The comment makes clear that The Rock has no intention of walking back his praise. As he sees it, a wrestler’s death matters more than any rivalry between WWE and AEW.