Simone Johnson, better known as "WWE NXT" General Manager Ava Raine, is the first fourth-generation star signed to the company and she comes from one of the most historic families to set foot in the ring. Raine is the daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, granddaughter of Rocky Johnson, and the great-granddaughter of "High Chief" PeterMaivia.Her road to the ring wasn't as complicated as other generational stars within the company, and she hasn't relied heavily on the fame of her father to rise within the ranks. In fact, Rainedoesn't even credit her father for getting her interested in wrestling, but rather, her grandmother,Ata Maivia Johnson.
Ava is just 23 years old, making her the youngest General Manager in WWE history, and her road into wrestling is an interesting one. She was born in Davie, Florida, on August 14, 2001 to The Rock and Dany Garcia, a Cuban-American business woman and professional bodybuilder who still works in various business ventures alongside her ex-husband. Raine graduated from a private high school in Florida in May 2019 and initially planned to go to college at New York University that August. Unfortunately, she suffered a knee injury a month prior to leaving for school, and decided to stay in Florida, going to Orlando to pursue her professional wrestling career at the WWE Performance Center.
Raine had previously expressed her interest in becoming a WWE star back in 2017, but made the decision official in 2020 despite her knee injury something that would continue to plague her for years. With that in mind, let's explore her journey to the world's largest sports entertainment promotion.
As the first fourth-generation star signed to WWE, Ava Raine's family history runs deep in the company. She is related through her grandmother, by marriage, to the storied Anoa'i family, which includes The Rock, Roman Reigns, Rikishi, the Usos, and other big names.Her father is arguably the most famous family member of The Bloodline, and despite leaving the company for long periods to purse his Hollywood career, Dwayne Johnson is currently part of theTKO Group Holdings boardfollowing WWE's merger with UFC back in 2023.
The Rock has had an historic career, starting with his debut in the then-WWF asRocky Maivia. He would go on to become a member of the Nation of Domination back in 1997 before winning titles and headlining WWE WrestleMania on several occasions. Most recently, The Rock returned at WWE WrestleMania 40 to work alongside Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodesin an attempt to help the former retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. He was unsuccessful.
As previously mentioned, Raine credits The Rock's mother for getting her into wrestling when she was young. She explained that when she was just nine or 10 years old, her grandmother showed her a collection of old WWE DVDs, ranging from 1980s wrestling, to the Attitude Era, to everything going on in the present day, and that's when she knew she wanted to join WWE. The rest is, as they say, history.
Ava Raine started training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida in February 2020, when she was just 18 years old.The fourth-generation star began her training with Head Coach Matt Bloom and Assistant Head Coach Sara Amato. Bloom said that Ava knew she had a lot to learn, but was hungry and picked the minds of her coaches, as well as veteran superstars.
In May 2021, Raine was named as the most-improved developmental talent in squatsfor the period of January to May. Elsewhere, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, who was running "NXT" at the time, compared The Rock's daughter to Charlotte Flair. He said that she had the same strong resolve that Ric Flair's daughter has,also noting that Raine was doing everything from helping to put up the ring to picking up towels, making her one of the hardest workers in the Performance Center.
Meanwhile, The Rock commended the training facility at "NXT"and said his daughter loves the business, and that he was very proud of her. It seems that Raine has supporters among the industry's biggest names, which is impressive considering her age.
Simeone Johnson was rechristened Ava Raine ahead of her debut on "WWE NXT."She's revealed that the change wasn't meant to disrespect her family, as the young superstar felt she could continue that namesake and still be bashed by people. After recovering from a third knee surgery, Raine appeared at an "NXT" live event in Orlando and cut her first in-ring promoin July 2022, where she called herself "The Final Girl," portraying herself as a heel character and running down Cora Jade.
Ava Raine officially debuted on "NXT" television on October 25, 2022. She was revealed to be the fourth member of Joe Gacy's Schism stable, a cult-like faction, alongside The Dyad's Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid.After revealing herself from behind a mask worn by Schism's other followers, Raine said that she had found love and acceptance in the stable, and the three men completed her.
Her first match came on "NXT's" premium live event Stand & Deliver 2023. She teamed with the faction against Chase U's Andre Chase, Thea Hail, and Duke Hudson, alongside Tyler Bate, in an eight-person tag match. Unfortunately, Schism didn't make it out of Stand & Deliver with the win. Raine scored her first victory on the June 6, 2023, episode of "NXT" when she pinned in a match between Schism and Diamond Mine.
In total, Raine wrestled six matches from April 2023 to August that year, with only three being televised. Her final match was a loss to Nile on "NXT: Heatwave" special.
Ava Raine's in-ring career was seemingly short-lived in "NXT," but she remains a big part of the television product right now as its General Manager.The transition from wrestler to authority figure slowly started to happen as Schism disbanded in September 2023 when The Dyad's WWE contracts expired. Joe Gacy declared the faction dead in a backstage segment shortly after.
Following the crumbling of Schism, Raine became the on-screen assistant to Shawn Michaels, who was now running "NXT" after Triple H took over creative on the main roster. She became the youngest-ever WWE General Manger in history at the beginning of 2024, when former "NXT" GM William Regal returned to television to offer her the promotion.The on-screen rise in power for Raine also coincided with her father being added to the TKO board of directors.
Raine has been involved in multiple angles with many stars in her time as General Manager, and has made important, historical announcements for the developmental brand, including the addition of the NXT Women's North American Championship, which was unveiledbefore the main roster's women's divisions received mid-card titles of their own.
Ava Raine's transition from wrestler to "NXT" General Manager, and the fact she hasn't been in the ring on television since August 2023, has many fans questioning whether or not The Rock's daughter is still training as a wrestler. During the Deadline media call at the end of 2023, Shawn Michaels said she was still on the active roster. However,in April of 2024, Michaels provided a further update on Raine's status, raising questions about her in-ring future.
"It was something that I thought about a long time ago. It was one of those things where, 'Okay, we'll wait to see if that looks like it presents itself,'" Michaels told reporters about her role change ahead of Stand & Deliver. "After some time in the ring, and doing everything with Schism, it felt like it was time to go there. Her development has been fantastic. I'm very proud of her" (h/t Sportskeeda).
In July 2024, veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer said that he believes Ava Raine is no longer training as a wrestler, noting that she will be the"NXT" GM for the foreseeable future. He said The Rock's daughter is being groomed for an authority figure position on the main roster at some point, and her run on "NXT" will allow her to gain the experience needed to succeed in the role. It remains to be seen if she'll return to a WWE ring, but fans of the star can see her every Tuesday managing talent on screen on "NXT."
