Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson denies that his oldest daughter, Simone, aka Ava Raine, sought his assist to affix the WWE.
The actor {and professional} wrestler praised his 24-year-old daughter throughout his time on the Monday (October 13) episode of podcast New Heights with hosts Jason and Travis Kelce. Around the 51-minute mark of the episode, The Smashing Machine was discussing his life as a father of three daughters and introduced up Ava, who made her WWE debut in 2022. Johnson shares Raine along with his ex-wife, Dany Garcia.
“But here’s the cool thing. When she came to me and she she came to me at 16 and said, ‘I want to do what you do. I love this business just like you do and I want to do it,'” Johnson advised the hosts.
But whereas Raine revered the trail her father paved, she did not ask him for any favors to get into the WWE.
“She became the youngest WWE signee at 16. “She was going to NYU, and she or he gave me and her mother a name and stated, ‘I need to pivot. I need to go straight into WWE NXT and begin coaching down there in Orlando.'”
The request wasn’t a problem for Johnson, who said he didn’t receive a call from Raine to get in good graces with key WWE leaders. “I by no means obtained the decision like, ‘Hey dad, I need to do what you do. Can you name WWE? Can you name Vince McMahon? At that point, might you name Nick Khan? Could you name any individual?'” he continued. “Never as soon as did she ask me might you make that decision. She was identical to, ‘I need to do what you do. I need to blaze my very own path.'”
“‘I need to name myself Ava Raine,’ not, you realize ‘The Rock’ one thing or something like that. She was like, ‘I simply need to do it alone. I like you. I respect you,'” he continued.
The entertainer also explained that his daughter wouldn’t just be following in his footsteps, but also in her late grandfather’s, Rocky, and great-grandfather, Peter Maiva, both who were pro wrestlers.
“I used to be like, ‘Your great-grandfather and your grandfather had been wrestlers,'” Johnson said. “‘So I like that you just need to do it by yourself and I’m right here. I obtained your again.’ And so she’s been doing an excellent job and I maintain tabs on her.”
Elsewhere, Johnson said that Raine being in the wrestling business has brought them “nearer collectively” and shared that he considers it “the largest pleasure.”
While attending The Smashing Machine premiere with Raine last month, Johnson told MTV UK that his daughter was “born” into wrestling.