Simone Johnson, daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and better known as Ava on NXT, first began her pro wrestling career back in 2020 by officially reporting to the WWE Performance Center. Her status as the first fourth-generation wrestler has made her a can’t-miss prospect in WWE’s developmental system and fans are keeping an eye on how she’ll deal with the legacy of her iconic father and legendary family tree (which also includes current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns). Johnson was recently a guest on The Pivot and discussed how her joining the pro wrestling business helped grow their relationship as father and daughter.
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“I have the privilege and honor of watching my daughter Simone and… I had her when I was young in my 20s and you know, as dudes, we’re still trying to find ourselves in our 20s, in our 30s. If we’re lucky, we reach our fourth level and we find ourselves a little bit [laughs]. We get a little bit more wiser,” Johnson explained (h/t CagesideSeats).
“So when I had Simone, I was flying by the seat of my pants. I was wrestling full-time, I started transitioning into movies full-time. I had so much shit going on so I like to say me and Simone grew up together. So we had a relationship where I was always gone but we tried to keep it together,” he added. “Now, years later, as she becomes a pro wrestler, it’s actually brought us closer together. So in a way, it’s helped save that relationship too so, in many ways, pro wrestling has been my family’s savior.”
Ava had her in-ring debut last month at the NXT Stand & Deliver 2023 event, teaming with the rest of Schism to take on Chase U. While heavily rumored, Johnson did not take part in WrestleMania 39 weekend due to his busy schedule.
Do you think Johnson and Ava will ever share a WWE ring? Will Ava benefit from her father’s legacy, or will she struggle to break free of his shadow once she’s on the main roster? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments.
WWE returns to pay-per-view on May 27 with the Night of Champions event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The only match confirmed for the show so far is the finals of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament. Stay tuned for full coverage of the show!
