Booker T on Ava as NXT GM: ‘She did a hell of a job’
Booker T addressed former NXT General Manager Ava’s departure from WWE on his Hall of Fame podcast.
Ava, the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, announced on January 30 that she had finished up with WWE. On last week’s episode of NXT, Shawn Michaels appointed Mr. Stone as an interim General Manager. Ava was not mentioned on the broadcast.
Booker told co-host Brad Gilmore that he believes Ava did a tremendous job in the role and feels it is important for a young person to be put in charge of the brand.
Booker said:
“We don’t have a GM at NXT anymore. Ava, daughter of The Rock, of course, she stepped down from being general manager of NXT, and I tell you, I thought she did a hell of a job. I really did. I thought she fit that role very, very well as a young person being a part of such a young group of guys doing big things and being able to have her finger on the pulse of what knowing what young people may want.“
As far as a full-time replacement for the NXT General Manager role, Booker and Gilmore spoke about Mr. Stone and Chelsea Green as possibilities, but Booker stressed that he believes a young person should ultimately be cast in the role.
Booker continued:
“When young people see young people doing things, it inspires them. So I would love to see a young person step into that role and take it to the next level.”
Dave Meltzer addressed Ava’s WWE departure in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that it was her decision to do so.
“Those within the company said basically that she had decided to do other things with her life, noting that her parents (Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia) own a production company among other things (including 16 percent ownership each in the UFL football league. They noted it was her decision. Obviously it came suddenly since there was no storyline building it up,” Meltzer wrote.
Booker’s comments are available in the video below:
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.