WWE Legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has described pro wrestling as a “savior” for his family and his relationship with his oldest daughter Simone Johnson, also known as Ava of The Schism to WWE NXT fans.
Rock recently appeared on The Pivot and discussed how, when he first had Ava in August 2001 with ex-wife and longtime business partner Dany Garcia, he was working full-time in pro wrestling and transitioning to Hollywood while “flying by the seat” of his pants.
Rock spoke about his relationship with Ava at the time, and how wrestling has brought them closer together now that she works for WWE.
“I had so much shit going on. So, I like to say me and Simone grew up together,” Rock said. “We had a relationship where I was always gone, but we tried to keep it together. Now years later as she becomes a pro wrestler, it’s actually brought us closer together. So, in a way, it’s helped save that relationship too. In many ways, pro wrestling has been my family’s savior.”
Ava, then 18, reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando in February 2020 and began training to become a professional wrestler. She made her TV debut as a member of The Schism on October 26, 2022, and has only wrestled twice since then – she teamed with her Schism stablemates for an eight-person loss to Chase University at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 1 of this year, then The Schism lost another eight-person tag team bout to The Diamond Mine and Boa at the NXT live event in Largo, FL on April 14.
