SIMONE JOHNSON’S WWE NAME REVEALED AHEAD OF DEBUT

Simone Johnson has revealed what her professional ring name will be: Ava Raine. Johnson, who is the daughter of Dwayne Johnson, has been training at WWE’s Performance Center for the past two years. Simone share her moniker on Instagram and officially changed her Twitter name today. Despite criticism from wrestling fans for not choosing a name that aligned with her family, Johnson defended her new ring name on Twitter:

“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.”

Johnson signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2020. Her debut was delayed however, due to a knee injury that ended up needing surgery. For fans who don’t know the history, Simone Johnson is a fourth-generation wrestler. Long before her dad laced up his wrestling boots, Simone’s grandfather ‘Soulman’ Rocky Johnson and great-grandfather ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia were also pro wrestlers.