The post-Halloween Havoc episode of NXT, aired on October 25, saw what is for all instances, a big debut that has seemingly gone quite under the radar as far as hype goes. For weeks, we’ve seen a masked person following The Schism, the group composed of Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler. Gacy would tout the revelation of who was under the mask and that was followed through last night. The revelation was Ava Raine, better known as Simone Johnson and the daughter of The Rock.
It seems that the overall concept is meant to keep the rather massive family tie out of the spotlight; no direct mention was brought up regarding her lineage, at least not as of yet. After all, not only is she The Rock’s daughter, but that would also mean she is a part of Anoa’i/Maivia wrestling family lineage. Said lineage includes Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Unified Tag Team Champions The Usos, and Solo Sikoa, The Bloodline.
Ava Raine Arrives on the Scene
What to Know About First Fourth-Generation WWE Superstar
Simone Johnson signed with the WWE on February of 2020 and has been training in the WWE Performance Center for the past 2 years and 9 months. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NXT house shows have been extremely scarce, only returning this past June. Her debut was teased with a house show storyline that would see her coming out and scouting potential competition, but it seems it didn’t come to be. Ava Raine has been pushing her new ties to The Schism as of her debut on NXT TV on social media. As she said on her debut promo on NXT, she claims she has been accepted as family by the trio.
Of only 21 years of age, her debut has been delayed not just because of inexperience, but because WWE has also opted not to debut wrestlers under the age of 21 in the last few years. Simone Johnson is the first notable fourth-generation wrestler in the WWE whose full parentage has been pro wrestlers specifically and not a branching between wrestlers and promoters. The only other notable wrestler with that distinction is New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s David Finlay.
Time will tell how things will go for the young prospect, as Ava Raine is the latest to carry the Anoa’i/Maivia wrestling lineage in the WWE. Moreover, she is the daughter of the most successful pro wrestlers who happens to also be one of the biggest movie stars of this decade.
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