Simone Johnson is set for her first-ever professional wrestling match.
The 21-year-old daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will make her WWE in-ring debut at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 1. She will be teaming with her Schism faction (Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid) against Thea Hail, Andre Chase, Duke Hudson, and Tyler Bate in an eight-person tag team match.
Johnson goes by the name Ava Raine in NXT. She was introduced as an on-screen character last October but hasn’t wrestled until now.
Following in the footsteps of her legendary father, grandfather (Rocky Johnson), and great-grandfather (Peter Maivia), Johnson will make history by becoming WWE’s first fourth-generation wrestler. Her great-grandmother Lia Maivia was also a trailblazer in pro wrestling, serving as one of the first female promoters in history.
Johnson signed with WWE in February 2020 and began training at the company’s Performance Center. She suffered a setback in September 2020 when she was forced to undergo knee surgery for the third time.
Dwayne Johnson told Entertainment Tonight in 2022 that he’s “very, very proud” of Simone for starting her wrestling career.
NXT is WWE’s developmental brand where wrestlers get experience before being called up to the main roster. In the main event of Stand & Deliver, Bron Breakker will defend the NXT championship against Carmelo Hayes. The show will air live on Peacock starting at 1 p.m. ET on April 1 in Los Angeles as part of WWE’s WrestleMania weekend festivities.
