Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s daughter, Simone Johnson, officially confirmed over the weekend that she had picked her WWE Superstar name, Ava Raine. But the announcement didn’t come without criticism, as people online started calling out WWE for not giving her a name that indicated she was the daughter of one of the biggest stars in the world or a member of the legendary Anoa’i family tree.
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Raine took to Twitter to address the backlash, writing in a series of tweets on Saturday, “I probably sound like a broken record & hopefully this is the last I’ll mention this but I don’t understand why people being portrayed as separate individuals from their family name is such a heated topic. A name doesn’t discredit any prior accomplishments from any family. I could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway. & I’m not trying to ignore or undermine all the sweet comments & support I get 🌹 thank you guys.”
“Dreams ain’t just for dreamers,” Dwayne wrote back when Simone’s signing was announced. “Congrats to my #1 born, Simone Johnson on officially signing her wrestling contract with @wwe @wwenxt and on her way to becoming the first ever 4th generation WWE athlete. Carry our family name proudly, but your road will always be yours to create, earn & own.So proud. Live your dream. Let’s work.”
“I know she has ‘the bug’ of the business. She caught the love of it from her father,” Triple H said of Simone back in 2019. “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.”
