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Twenty-year-old Simone Johnson will not be known by a moniker that is any variation of her famous father’s. The daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was signed to the WWE in 2020, but her debut was delayed due to a knee injury. When she does take to the ring, she announced on Sunday that she will be known as Ava Raine.
Not surprisingly, fans offered their own name suggestions on Twitter.
One fan wrote, “I’m slightly disappointed she won’t be known as The Pebble,” to which she responded “i beg of you guys to find a new joke. anything.”
A fourth-generation wrestler, Simone’s grandfather Rocky Johnson and great-grandfather Peter “High Chief” Maivia are WWE Hall of Famers.
Her father was a 10-time WWE world champion before becoming focusing on acting turning into a box office legend.
Focused on setting herself apart, Simone also said, “i could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway.”
She also wrote, “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.”
When Simone announced that she had signed with WWE in 2020, her father saluted his first born with a post on Instagram writing, “Dreams ain’t just for dreamers. Congrats to my #1 born, Simone Johnson on officially signing her wrestling contract with @wwe @wwenxt and on her way to becoming the first ever 4th generation WWE athlete. Carry our family name proudly, but your road will always be yours to create, earn & own. So proud. Live your dream. Let’s work.”
In a statement, Simone wrote that the opportunity to train with the WWE “means the world to me.” She added, “To know that my family has such a personal connection to wrestling is really special to me and I feel grateful to have the opportunity, not only to wrestle, but to carry on that legacy.”
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