Ava Raine is ready to step in the ring! Dwayne Johnson‘s eldest daughter (who’s real name is Simone Johnson) announced that she’s now a part of the WWE on Sunday, July 10. Just like her dad, Ava, 20, is kicking off her career as a pro wrestler, and The Rock, 50, must be incredibly proud. While she’s yet to fight her first match, she’s sure to be an exciting presence in the ring! Find out everything you need to know about Ava here!
1. Ava cut her first promo for the WWE
While Ava hasn’t fought a match yet, she did make her official debut by cutting her first promo at an event for NXT on Sunday, July 10. In her promo, she took shots at some other wrestling stars, like Cora Jade. Ava’s promo was filmed by fans at an Orlando event, per Pro Wrestling Unlimited. “Ava Raine is the embodiment of NXT 2.0. I am something fresh. I am something new, and I am something that all of you have been craving. I don’t need to come out here and say that I’m daddy’s little rich girl or come out here and wrestle with a pillow or come out here and ride around the ring on a skateboard. And, to all of you, I’m completely a mystery,” she said. “They will all fall down. All of them except for me.”
2. Her nickname is ‘The Final Girl’
While Simone is already performing with a stage name with Ava Raine, she also revealed that her nickname during the promo, before walking off. “I am Ava Raine, and I am the Final Girl,” she said. It’s been theorized that the title is a reference to the 2015 film The Final Girls, which stars Malin Akerman and Adam Devine. The movie features the daughter of a scream queen “pulled into the world of her mom’s most famous movie,” per IMDb.
3. She’s clapped back at haters, who have criticized her because of her dad
While Ava’s dad is an international superstar, The Rock did rise to fame as a pro wrestler. She comes from a line of wrestlers, as Dwayne’s dad was also a popular wrestler Rocky Johnson. While so many fans are excited to see her follow in her family’s footsteps, Ava has called out a few of the haters. When someone tweeted suggesting that she go by the name “The Pebble,” she wrote back, “find a new joke.”
When another commentator criticized her for not going by her dad’s name, she responded by saying that she didn’t understand why it was the focus. “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,” she wrote. “A name doesn’t discredit any prior accomplishments from any family.” Despite calling out the haters, she noted that it was inevitable. “I could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway,” she tweeted.
4. She’s protested for social justice
Aside from wrestling, Ava has shown that she’s a huge supporter of social justice. She’s taken to her social media to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the right to safe abortions. She posted photos from protests in June 2020, which took place after the murder of George Floyd. She’s made many posts on Instagram, encouraging her followers to speak up. “Stick up for people of color when there are none in the room. Educate yourself on the ongoing oppression of Black & Brown communities. Sign petitions & please donate if you can. Speak up when you see injustice, even if it makes others uncomfortable,” she wrote in part in one of her captions.
5. She’s a big horror movie fan
Given that her nickname seems to be taken from a horror movie, it should come as no surprise that Ava is a big fan of the genre. She’s posted photos to her Instagram, where she’s rocked merch for the Scream movies, as well as posted shots from The Haunted Mansion. She’s also not shy about her opinions of horror movies. “A horror movie full of jump scares isn’t actually scary,” she tweeted, while shading The Conjuring.