The Rock’s Daughter Makes WWE NXT TV Debut as Ava Raine and Joins The Schism

By
PWMania.com Staff
-
(Photo Credit: WWE)

The WWE NXT TV debut of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s daughter has finally occurred.

Simone Johnson made her NXT debut as Ava Raine, the fourth member of The Schism, on tonight’s post-Halloween Havoc episode. Raine was revealed to be the mystery person wearing a red hoodie and a yellow mask who has been following The Schism around and earning their trust for several weeks.

Promos from Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid discussed The Schism’s mission statement and how they are multiple roots to one single tree. Gacy then challenged the mystery person to reveal their true self in order to achieve everlasting unity, as Fowler and Reid did. Gacy stated that the time has come for the new member to take the next step, to sit beneath The Schism’s tree and reveal their true self, but they must keep in mind that there is no turning back.

When Raine removed her mask to a “take it off!” chant from the WWE Performance Center crowd, she was met with a loud pop. Raine stated that The Schism’s love and acceptance of her has defied any preconceived notions about who she is. She introduced herself as Ava Raine and stated that this finally completes her. Gacy concluded the segment with a group hug and big smiles, declaring that this collective of hearts beats together for the roots of one tree.

Earlier this year, The Rock commented on his daughter getting into wrestling, “Very proud of her. So Simone Johnson, my oldest daughter, daughter I have with Dany, she made her debut in WWE, their smaller federation, NXT. So she did so good. She went out there on the microphone. You gotta be poised when you go out there, and she has a cool wrestling name. It’s Ava Raine. 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 name, Ava Raine, can mean a lot of things. But to me, in my mind, it means she’s gonna lay the SmackDown on candy asses.”

Raine began training at the Performance Center in February 2020. In May 2020, it was revealed that she had signed a WWE contract. Raine made her debut with an in-ring promo at an NXT live event in Orlando in July of this year, and then publicly reacted to fan criticism. It was first reported in May 2021 that The Rock’s daughter was progressing at the WWE Performance Center as the most-improved developmental talent in squats from January to May of that year. She had a third knee surgery in September 2020 and appears to have yet to make her ring debut.

You can read our in-depth NXT recap by clicking here. Here are photos and video clips from The Schism segment:

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR