Simone Johnson is the newest recruit at the WWE Performance Center.
Simone, the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia, has signed with WWE and begun training at its performance center in Orlando, Florida.
The 18-year-old aspiring sports entertainer, who started to train at the performance center in late 2018 on a part-time basis, is on a path to become the first fourth-generation superstar in WWE history, coming from a line of legends that includes her father, her grandfather Rocky Johnson, and her great-grandfather “High Chief” Peter Maivia. The last two Johnsons are both WWE Hall of Famers.
“It means the world to me,” Simone said in a statement. “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.”
Simone also took to Instagram to share the exciting news, writing, “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.”
“Simone Johnson’s unbridled passion and incredible drive have earned her a coveted spot training with the elite athletes from around the world at the WWE Performance Center,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, executive vice president, talent, live events and creative at WWE. “Not only does Simone now have an opportunity to cultivate and display her passion for WWE within the Performance Center, but she’ll carry on the tradition of her incredible family lineage while creating her own impact as WWE’s first fourth-generation Superstar.”
Together with a diverse group of WWE aspirants in training at the performance center, Simone will learn from a coaching staff that includes head coach Matt Bloom and assistant head coach Sara Amato.
The Rock has always been supportive of Simone’s decision to pursue a career in professional wrestling. During an interview with Good Morning America back in 2018, The Rock recalled the time he and Simone had a “big conversation” about her passion in wrestling. “I said, ‘Honey, whatever your passion is, I support that,” shared the wrestler-turned-actor. “And wrestling was good to me, I started my career in Madison Square Garden. So, yeah, bring it on, she’s going to be a champ.”
Simone recently sat down with WWE reporter Cathy Kelley and talked more about her decision to pursue a career in sports-entertainment. That exclusive interview will be released across WWE’s digital platforms, including WWE.com, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter on Wednesday, February 12th at 3 p.m. ET.