Aurora Starchild
Dwayne Johnson’s daughter Simone has officially made her WWE TV debut! Simone Alexandra Johnson, who goes by the WWE name Ava Raine, shocked the world on Tuesday’s NXT.
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Ava Raine Removes Mask, Joins Schism
The moment came after an announcement was made the previous Saturday at the Halloween Havoc event. Joe Gacy promised to reveal the newest member of The Schism, who was wearing a hoodie and an intimidating yellow smiley face mask.
In the Tuesday follow-up, the mystery Schism member is standing in the ring, in front of the other members of the group. They begin by pulling down their red hoodie, revealing long black hair that was partially dyed red. Taking their sweet time, eventually, the mask comes off, revealing Simone “Ava Raine” Johnson’s smiling face.
“The love and acceptance The Schism has given me, defies any preconceived notions of who I’m supposed to be,” she says. “This family completes me. I am Ava Raine.”
Whoosh. The crowd went wild. And then The Schism members all hugged like a big family.
This is a long-awaited moment and we’ve been hyped for The Rock’s daughter for some time now. Simone Johnson signed on with the WWE in early 2020. She started training but then was sidelined due to an ongoing knee injury. The knee injury is what ultimately prolonged her debut on the world stage.
From Simone Johnson to Ava Raine
Simone then chose the name “Ava Raine,” going by @AvaRaineWWE on social media. The name choice itself was a point of contention among many fans of Simone’s family. Her father, The Rock, is a 10-time WWE champion and his father (Rocky Johnson) and his father’s father (Peter “High Chief” Maivia) were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Many wanted Simone to choose a name that referenced her dad, but she stuck to her guns.
“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,” Ava Raine wrote on Twitter. “A name doesn’t discredit any prior accomplishments from any family.”
The Rock likes his daughter’s name, too. While speaking to Kerry Washington on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, he said this:
She has a cool wrestling name, Ava Raine…It comes from all different areas. It’s probably a mix of what she wanted to do, what she wanted to be called. Ultimately, what the powers that be want her to be called as well. She’s the first fourth generation of pro wrestler in WWE. I always like to say that Ava Raine could mean a lot of things, but in my mind, it means she’s going to lay the smackdown on candy a**es.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Daughter’s WWE Name
Ava Raine Calls Out Cora Jade
Ava Raine made her NXT live debut in July in Orlando. Importantly, she talked smack about the other NXT division ladies and specifically called out Cora Jade. Raine referred to herself there as “The Final Girl.”
It will be interesting to see what happens with the whole Cora Jade thing. Jade (born Brianna Coda) is about the same age as Raine (8 months older) but made her wrestling debut back in 2018. She was signed on to WWE’s NXT in 2021 — after Raine, but also in the midst of Raine’s knee problems.
Yeah Ok, We Wouldn’t Mind Watching Raine vs. Jade
Jade’s persona is definitely “mean girl.” In one Instagram post, she talks about other women in her division.
“Back to the more important things now here, Me,” she says. A video then cuts to footage of her beating the crap out of other women in the ring—often using props like sticks or bats.
“I don’t need anyone’s approval, especially these fans,” Jade continues. “Have you heard these morons? They have the education level of a 2nd grader.
“And as for the locker room, you seriously think I care what somebody like Zoey Stark thinks? My shoe has more personality than her. Nikkita Lyons, way too cocky. Girl, you ain’t that good. Lash, annoying. Indi’s lost. Alba’s just weird. And Toxic Attraction, I still don’t like them, but now, I understand them. And Wendy Choo. Wendy makes me laugh. She’s like a human stuffed animal. Kinda pathetic. Kinda feel bad for her. She doesn’t belong in a ring. She belongs in the corner of a baby’s playroom.”
“By this time next year, I will be the #1 woman in this entire industry,” Jade concludes.
Alright. Well, now we see why Ava Raine called out Cora Jade. Let the games begin, we’re ready.
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