Simone Johnson, the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia, has revealed her new WWE ring name.
Simone Johnson’s new WWE ring name
Johnson officially confirmed over the weekend that her WWE Superstar name will now be Ava Raine. Johnson debuted her new moniker on her Twitter account by changing her handle to AvaRaineWWE.
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
While getting a new name or moniker is pretty common for WWE Superstars, some fans are not happy with Johnson’s new ring name, calling out WWE for not giving her a moniker that would indicate that she is the daughter of The Rock or a member of the legendary Anoa’i family tree.
For instance, WWE journalist Louise Dangoor tweeted that “giving Simone Johnson, the daughter of THE ROCK, a new name is completely nonsensical.” Dangoor also added that it would be “ridiculous” if WWE doesn’t acknowledge her dad when she finally makes her debut.
Johnson responded to Dangoor’s tweet twice. The first one appeared to be a sarcastic reply, while the second one pointed out her belief that “a name doesn’t discredit any prior accomplishments from any family.”
thanks louis, very encouraging. 😑👍🏽 https://t.co/vsr44PeUqc
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
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 🤷🏽♀️ https://t.co/vsr44PeUqc
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
Apparently, Johnson is also tired of all the rock-related jokes, as she was unamused by a tweet implying that it would have been better if she picked “The Pebble” as her new ring name.
i beg of you guys to find a new joke. anything. https://t.co/40ZEJ1HFSL
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, Johnson noted that she could build her entire career around her father and still get bashed by people.
i could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway 🤷🏽♀️ https://t.co/LjkQdoOpws
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
And despite defending her new ring name from critics, Johnson made it clear that she’s not trying to ignore or undermine all the sweet comments and support that she has received since the name change.
& im not trying to ignore or undermine all the sweet comments & support i get 🌹 thank you guys
— ava 🃏 (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022
Simone Johnson’s WWE journey
Johnson started training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on a part-time basis in late 2018. Two years later, she signed with WWE.
Johnson is on her way to becoming 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.
“It means the world to me,” Johnson said in a statement when she signed with WWE in 2020. “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.”