Simone Johnson talked about wanting to be a wrestler as far back as 2017 and in 2022, the daughter of The Rock began training at the WWE Performance Center.
Last October, Johnson made her NXT debut, performing under the name Ava Raine as part of the Schism group.
While speaking to Kevin Hart on Hart to Hart, The Rock discussed his daughter wanting to be in the business. He said,
“That was a special moment when my daughter Simone said, ‘I want to get in the business.’ Much like I said that years before her. ‘What business?’ ‘The wrestling business.’ I said, ‘I love it.’ Immediately, I loved it, it was a great sense of pride as a father, but then, of course, as a parent you start to think about all the pitfalls, all the hardships, all that she’s going to go through because I’ve lived that business. There is the pomp and circumstance of pro wrestling; the pageantry, WrestleMania, the bright lights, big contracts, global company, but then there is that underbelly in the world of pro wrestling. All that shit you have to deal with, the backstage politics, all of that. I start thinking about all of that for her. At the same time, as her father, I have enough confidence to know that I have instilled in her, from what I knew, values, philosophy, and work ethic. I am so proud. She made that decision when she was 16. She was ready to go. For someone to say, ‘here’s what I believe my life path is and my journey, it’s in the world of pro wrestling, that my great grandfather was in, my grandfather was in, my dad was in.’ She’s the first fourth-generation wrestler. Not only is that business difficult because you’re on the road 24/7, 365 days a year, but the pressure of who you are. She’s stepping up and working hard.”
