WWE and AEW clash over who owns The Rock’s ‘Final Boss‘ catchphrase

WWE fans claim Samoa Joe has stolen The Rock’s “final boss” catchphrase, but AEW supporters quickly debunked that theory.

Since returning to theWWEearlier this year, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has adopted the moniker of “The Final Boss.”

In hisbackstage beatdownof Cody Rhodes on Monday Night Raw, The Rock invoked this phrase several times during the assault.

AEW posted about someSamoa Joe merchandiseonly a few days later. And on the design, “The Final Boss” is inscribed.

THE FINAL BOSS. Check out this@samoajoeshirt that’s available for purchase athttps://t.co/9hHlXpcSbp!https://t.co/qRrDSBDpG5#shopaew#aew#aewdynamite#aewrampage#aewcollisionpic.twitter.com/PM2JjFBfxu

Immediately upon posting the link on social media, WWE fans flooded the replies,accusing AEW of stealingThe Rock’s mantra.

However, many pointed out that this particular Samoa Joe shirt wasreleased in January, long before The Rock made “The Final Boss” a staple in his WWE promos.

AEW supporters also fired back by saying The Rock nor the WWE were the first to use the phrase, anyway.

“The Final Boss” is a term typically used for video games. It often refers to the most difficult challenge a character will face — usually at the end of the game. It is a phrase that has been popular for many years in the gaming community. But it appears that not everyone in the wrestling fandom knows that.

AEW fans have correctly said that The Rock has zero ownership over the saying, as the WWE doesn’t hold any copyright claims for the phrase.

However, given the timing of this social media post, WWE fans believe that AEW is taking advantage of The Rock’s popularity and using it to sell its products.