How Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's daughter made history with wrestling debut

Dwayne Johnson shot to fame as The Rock – WWE's "most electrifying man". Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, it seems...

We are talking about Simone Johnson aka Ava Raine in the WWE universe. Born on August 14, 2001 in Davie (Florida), Simone is Dwayne's daughter from his marriage to Dany García.

In addition to being Ava Raine, she also goes by 'The Final Girl' – a name inspired by the movie of the same name.

Ava Raine's debut occurred on October 25, 2022 on NXT, the wrestling development program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). She kept her identity hidden until this point, performing under a yellow face mask.

That debut as a professional wrestler also has a lot of symbolism, since it represents the fourth generation in WWE of the Maivia-Johnson family – making her the first every fourth generation wrestler at the WWE. The grandfather and father of 'The Rock' were also fighters, and it seems Simone is dedicated to keeping the family name alive in wrestling.

In the weeks leading up to that October 25 episode of NXT, they began featuring a mysterious figure who would appear during breaks, onstage, and in the crowd. She wore a red hoodie and did not reveal her face.

Ava Raine became known to the world of wrestling as the fourth member of 'The Schism', a group of WWE wrestlers that emerged from the union of Joe Gacy and the team 'The Dyad', made up of Rip Fowler (formerly known as Zack Gibson) and Jagger Reid (formerly James Drake).

The legendary wrestler Shawn Michaels, who has been one of her mentors, spoke about her in a preview of the NXT program last December, praising her: "I think she's doing fantastic."

Michaels further added that "she looks fantastic, there's, she's really getting comfortable, I think, and that's the most important thing. She's really beginning to, as we say, get into this character, and enjoy the process."

“For us, it's very exciting that she's joined 'The Schism' and that she's just enjoying the role, that it feels comfortable, it feels natural and it's not hard for her to get into it,” Michaels said.

He concluded his analysis by saying: “I think she is also gaining confidence and that is very important. We are very excited, obviously for her and her development in WWE. I guess the most important thing for us is that she's having fun."

Her appearance as Ava Raine – and the fact that she is the daughter of 'The Rock' – made her an immediate trend and many are touting her as a big name in the WWE.

In her in-ring debut, the young wrestler won over an enthusiastic audience with emotional words: “The love and acceptance that 'The Schism' has given me defies any preconceived notion of who I am supposed to be. This family completes me. I'm Ava Raine."

Dwayne Johnson himself has also spoken about her, showing himself as a proud father: "Simone has made history, becoming the first fourth-generation WWE wrestler."

"I am very proud. For her, it is very important to make her own way. She doesn't come to me looking for anything, which I respect," the legendary WWE wrestler said about his daughter.

In an interview in Spain on the program 'El Hormiguero', 'The Rock' also said: “I know how self-sacrificing professional wrestling is. When I was a fighter, I fought 300 nights a year… but she likes it and is happy. That's why she has my full support."

Ava Raine joined WWE in February 2020 after signing a contract that took her to Orlando to train at the Performance Center in the hopes of becoming a professional wrestler. During this period, she suffered an injury that delayed her recent debut.

Before her television premiere, Ava Raine made an appearance on a non-broadcast live show last July, although she did not do any ring work at this event.

Now, we can see her work in the ring and follow her development as a professional wrestler. She's already proving popular with her social media networks, such as Instagram (@avarainewwe), where she has more than 460,000 followers, or Twitter (@AvaRaineWWE), where she has almost 100,000 followers.

A new era begins with Ava Raine. While the young wrestler wants to succeed on her own terms – without the attachment of  'The Rock' – she's keen to continue a historical wrestling family legacy. Watch this space!