American professional wrestler (born 2001)
Simone Garcia Johnson [ 7] (born August 14, 2001)[ 8] is an American professional wrestler . She is signed to WWE under the ring name Ava (shortened from her previous ring name Ava Raine ) and appears as the on-screen general manager of the NXT brand , making her the youngest on-screen general manager in the company’s history. Johnson is a fourth-generation wrestler, being the daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson , connecting her to the Anoaʻi family of Samoan wrestlers.
Early and personal life
Johnson was born in Davie, Florida [ 9] on August 14, 2001.[ 10] She is the first daughter of professional wrestler and entertainer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (through whom she has two younger sisters from his second marriage)[ 11] and Dany Garcia , a Cuban-American businesswoman, IFBB professional bodybuilder and producer.[ 12] [ 13] [ 14] Johnson's parents announced their separation on June 1, 2007[ 15] [ 16] and divorced in May 2008.[ 17] From her father's side, Johnson is the granddaughter of Ata (née Maivia) and Rocky Johnson , a Samoan and Black Nova Scotian respectively. Through her paternal grandmother, she is a non-blood relative of the Anoaʻi wrestling family .
In January 2018, Johnson was at the inaugural Golden Globes Ambassador for the ceremony's 75th Anniversary .[ 18] [ 19] [ 20] [ 21] She attended the private high school of NSU University School , where she graduated and earned her diploma in May 2019.[ 22] [ 23] After graduating, Johnson had initially planned to take up her college studies at New York University in August 2019, but when she suffered a knee injury a month prior in July, she decided to stay in Orlando, Florida to pursue her professional wrestling career.[ 24] [ 25] She has cited her grandmother as the person who got her in to wrestling.[ 26]
Professional wrestling career
WWE (2020–present)
In November 2017, Johnson expressed her interest in becoming a professional wrestler.[ 27] [ 28] In February 2020, WWE announced that Johnson had reported to the WWE Performance Center and had begun her training, making her the first fourth-generation wrestler to sign a contract with the company.[ 29] [ 30] [ 31] [ 32]
On the October 25, 2022, episode of NXT , Johnson made her first televised appearance, revealing herself to be a member of Joe Gacy 's villainous faction, Schism .[ 33] [ 34] [ 35] She debuted under the ring name Ava Raine , but this was later shortened to Ava on February 14, 2023.[ 36] [ 37] Ava made her in-ring debut on April 1 at Stand & Deliver with Schism, losing to Chase University .[ 38] [ 39] [ 40] Schism would slowly begin to disband in September 2023, starting with the expiration of The Dyad 's contracts on September 14,[ 41] and culminating in a backstage segment in October where Gacy declared that Schism is dead. After Schism, she became the on-screen assistant of Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels .[ 42] On January 23, 2024, she was promoted to become the new General Manager of NXT, becoming the youngest general manager in WWE.[ 43] Ava made her main roster debut appearance three days later on SmackDown where she assisted General Manager Nick Aldis with the Royal Rumble entry draw.[ 44] At NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, she announced the creation of the NXT Women's North American Championship . The title was introduced as the equivalent to its male counterpart , making the title the first women's secondary championship in WWE.[ 45]
References
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^ "Ava" . WWE.com . February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023 .
^ McGuinness, Devan (May 31, 2022). "The Rock's Daughter Just Picked Her Wrestler Name And It's Perfect" . Fatherly . Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023 .
^ Campbell, Tina (May 30, 2022). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's daughter Simone reveals professional wrestling name as she prepares for WWE debut" . Evening Standard . Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023 .
^ Nedd, Alexis (January 9, 2018). "9 Simone Garcia Johnson Facts You Probably Didn't Know" . Cosmopolitan . Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
^ Currier, Joseph (October 26, 2022). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Daughter, Simone, Makes On-Screen WWE Debut" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023 .
^ Singh, Olivia (July 10, 2018). "Dwayne Johnson's 16-year-old daughter wants to be a WWE wrestler — and he fully supports her" . Business Insider . Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023 .
^ Gariano, Francesca (October 7, 2022). "Dwayne Johnson's 3 Kids: Everything to Know" . People . Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023 .
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^ Gariano, Francesca (April 17, 2023). "Dwayne Johnson's 3 Kids: Everything to Know" . People .
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^ Hargrave, Hannah (October 15, 2022). "Dwayne Johnson's daughter Simone is so grown up - see the WWE star Ava Raine" . Hello! . Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023 .
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^ Miller, Mike (November 15, 2017). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Daughter Simone Named 2018 Golden Globe Ambassador" . People . Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
^ Bahiana, Ana Maria (November 15, 2017). "Our 75th Anniversary's Golden Globe Ambassador: Simone Garcia Johnson" . Golden Globe Awards . Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
^ Chuba, Kirsten (January 4, 2018). "Golden Globes Ambassador Simone Garcia Johnson on the Black Dress Movement, #MeToo" . Variety . Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
^ Alexander, Bryan (November 15, 2017). "The Rock's daughter Simone Garcia Johnson is 2018 Golden Globe ambassador" . USA Today . Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
^ Newcomb, Alyssa (May 26, 2019). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is the very picture of proud dad at daughter's graduation" . TODAY . Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
^ DeSantis, Rachel (May 25, 2019). "Dwayne Johnson Celebrates 17-Year-Old Daughter Simone's High School Graduation: 'Very Proud' " . People . Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
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^ Lambert, Jeremy (September 13, 2020). "Simone Johnson Undergoing Third Knee Surgery On 9/14" . Fightful . Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
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^ Slater, Georgia (May 16, 2020). "Dwayne Johnson Is 'Very Proud' of Daughter Simone for Signing with WWE: It 'Blows My Mind' " . People . Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2023 .
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