Simone Johnson, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is kickin’ ass and takin’ names before ever stepping foot in a WWE ring … hitting back at “fans” criticizing her wrestling name.
On Sunday, the 20-year-old, who signed with WWE in 2020, announced her pro wrestling name would be “Ava Raine” … which disappointed some fans.
The trolls came out in full force saying “The Pebble” (sigh) would be a more fitting name — an obvious play on The Rock’s on-camera name.
Well, Simone is already following in her father’s footsteps, and was quick with the comebacks, saying, “I beg of you guys to find a new joke. Anything.”
i beg of you guys to find a new joke. anything. https://t.co/40ZEJ1HFSL
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
@AvaRaineWWE
She went on … “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.”
It’s not easy being the child of a WWE legend such as The Rock — one of the greatest sports entertainers in the world — and Simone recognizes she’ll be judged harshly no matter what she does.
“I could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway,” Simone tweeted.
i could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway 🤷🏽♀️ https://t.co/LjkQdoOpws
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
@AvaRaineWWE
Simone is a fourth-generation wrestler. Her grandpa (Rock’s dad) was Rocky Johnson, and her great-grandfather, Peter “High Chief” Maivia … both paved the way for Dwayne.
A knee injury initially delayed Simone’s WWE debut, but she’s expected to make her first appearance sometime later this year.