The Rock's Daughter Makes WWE Debut, 'I Am Ava Raine!'
The Rock's Daughter Makes WWE Debut ... 'I Am Ava Raine!!!'
Do you smell what The Rock's daughter is cookin'?!?
WWE fans finally do ... 'cause Dwayne Johnson's offspring just made her in-ring debut with the org. on Tuesday night -- and the crowd was feeling it!!
21-year-old Simone Johnson unveiled herself as "Ava Raine" during the WWE's NXT program ... crushing a promo where she was revealed to be the fourth member of wrestler Joe Gacy's stable, Schism.
🤯🤯🤯
— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2022 @WWE
It's been @AvaRaineWWE all along!!!#WWENXT #Schism @JoeGacy @RipFowlerWWE @Jagger_WWE pic.twitter.com/SipbhXwI6W
Simone had made some appearances on the shows before -- but only as a hooded figure. When she finally lifted her mask, though, fans went nuts.
Simone -- who initially signed with WWE in Feb. 2020 -- told the crowd during her segment that she sees the Schism group as a family ... adding that they complete her.
She didn't compete in her debut, which is what most wrestling fans are waiting for ... but, seeing her in a WWE ring was still an awesome moment.
Of course, the road to the ring Tuesday didn't come without adversity -- in May, Simone faced backlash for revealing she'd wrestle under a moniker not related to Dwayne's "The Rock" character.
Simone took on her critics headfirst -- acknowledging that even if she caved to the pressure to build her career around her father and their family, she would still be criticized harshly.
i could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway 🤷🏽♀️ https://t.co/LjkQdoOpws
— A V A (@AvaRaineWWE) May 29, 2022 @AvaRaineWWE
It's unclear what plans WWE has for her going forward ... but with her Hall of Fame dad by her side, and one of the greatest to ever touch a microphone, she's in good hands.