Simone Johnson: 5 Things About ‘The Rock’s Daughter, 21, Who Just Made Her WWE TV Debut
‘The Rock’s eldest daughter Simone made a shocking reveal in her WWE TV debut, which included the first official use of her professional wrestling name. Find out all about Simone here!
- Simone Johnson is the eldest of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s three daughters
- The 21-year-old athlete is the first fourth-generation WWE wrestler from the same family, following in the footsteps of her dad, grandfather Rocky and great-grandfather Peter Maivia
- She made a shocking WWE television debut in Oct. 2022, where she joined wrestler Joe Gacy’s faction Schism
Dwayne Johnson has found incredible success in Hollywood, becoming a one-name wonder known throughout the world as “The Rock.” The actor has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters, including Jumani, The Mummy Returns, and the Fast & Furious franchise. He even voiced the demigod Maui in Disney’s smash hit Moana.
Of course, all the Tinseltown accolades can be attributed to the actor starting off his career in entertainment as a wrestler with the WWE. And it looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as his eldest daughter, Simone, just embarked on her gig with the wildly popular organization.
On Oct. 25, 2022, Simone made her WWE television debut, appearing on NXT after her identity was teased during previous episodes, where she was seen hiding her face behind a red mask. When she finally unveiled herself, the wrestler, whose ring name is Ava Raine, announced she joined wrestler Joe Gacy’s faction Schism. Find out all about Simone, below!
It's been @AvaRaineWWE all along!!!#WWENXT #Schism @JoeGacy @RipFowlerWWE @Jagger_WWE pic.twitter.com/SipbhXwI6W
— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2022
Simone is a Leo.
Simone, born August 14, 2001, is the daughter Dwayne shares with his first wife, Dany Garcia, who is a producer and founder of The Gracia Companies. The former couple were married from 1997 to 2008, and Simone is their only child together. Dwayne also shares daughters Jasmine and Tiana with his second wife, Lauren Hashian.
She’s dabbled in modeling.
Simone started off following in her father’s Hollywood footsteps by becoming a model. The young beauty worked for the model powerhouse IMG. She was also named as the first ever Golden Globe Ambassador for the 2018 awards show.
Simone inked a deal with the WWE.
In 2020, Simone signed a deal with the WWE, a lifelong dream of the young beauty. Taking to her Instagram to share the incredible news to her fans, Simone posted a snap of herself wearing a WWE t-shirt with the caption, “To the little girl who fell in love with wrestling & said “this will be my life one day”, this is for you. I’m humbled, grateful & ready to work. Let’s do this. @wwe @wwenxt.”
She also debuted her wrestling name on Sunday May 29, revealing she will be tussling in the ring as “Ava Raine.” She was immediately slammed over the name, with one critic writing, “Giving Simone Johnson, the daughter of THE ROCK, a new name is completely nonsensical. Will hold judgement until she debuts, but if WWE doesn’t acknowledge her dad is The Rock that’s ridiculous.”
Simone clapped back, tweeting, “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.” She later posted, “I could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway.”
A knee injury has sidelined her in the past
Unfortunately, Simone sustained a knee injury in September 2020. “[S]o tomorrow i’m having knee surgery for the third time,” Simone tweeted at the time. “[A]s not fun as surgery is, i’m looking forward to my knees not popping out anymore[.]”
Simone comes from a long line of wrestlers
Getting in the ring to show off one’s athleticism against an opponent runs in Simone’s blood! Simone will be the first fourth-generation wrestler for the WWE when she finally gets in the ring herself, following her great-grandfather ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia, grandfather ‘Soulman’ Rocky Johnson, and her dad.