Ava Raine (Simone Johnson) Delivers First WWE Promo at NXT Live Event

By Matthew Aguilar

WWE NXT held a live event tonight in Orlando, and in addition to a battle royal and several Title matches, fans in attendance had the chance to hear the first live promo from Ava Raine, aka Simone Johnson (via Jay Reddick). Raine is the daughter of WWE legend The Rock, and fans have been eager to see her in the ring in NXT. Tonight was reportedly her first promo in front of fans, and during the promo she tore into Cora Jade and this next wave of stars in the NXT Women's Division (via Rich Schellhase). Raine called herself 'The Final Girl' during the promo, which is also in her social media bio, so this will probably be a running thing whenever she hits NXT TV.

With Raine specifically calling out Jade, perhaps we are planting the seeds for a first feud, though right now Jade is one-half of the NXT Women's Tag Team Champions alongside Roxanne Perez. Next week Perez will face Mandy Rose for the NXT Championship, so she could emerge from that battle with two Titles after all is said and done. We'll have to wait and see if Raine is brought into Jade's orbit soon or if that is something in the works for later, but either way, it's awesome to see her in the ring.

Raine was signed by WWE in 2020 and has been training at the Performance Center, but a few injuries kept her from debuting and being introduced on NXT TV. With her name in place and an introduction at live events, it would seem her full debut is closer than ever, and we can't wait to see her in the mix.

During a previous interview with Triple H, he was asked about Raine and catching the bug of the business from her father, and he thinks that same love of WWE is in her blood.

"I know she has 'the bug' of the business. She caught the love of it from her father," Triple H said. "If you were to ask The Rock, there's nothing like that electricity, that connection he has with people. It all stems from his time in WWE His love of that is evident. I think she sees that as well. It's in her blood. If it's something that she wants to pursue -- I know that he is big, like I am, on continuing education and doing everything the right way. I know he believes it's a wonderful business. I know he would be proud to have her be a part of (the business). Will you see more of her in the future? It would be hard not to see her in the future."

Are you excited for Ava Raine's WWE NXT debut? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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