Simone Johnson addresses her WWE departure and future
Simone Johnson is grateful for the time she spent in WWE NXT, but she’s not sure if she wants another public-facing role like this again.
After starting out in the WWE Performance Center as a wrestler, Johnson adopted the name Ava and eventually became the on-screen general manager of NXT. She departed that role earlier this year, with WWE sending out a statement thanking Johnson for her contributions and wishing her the best in the future.
Johnson, the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has now done her first interview since departing WWE. She told The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi that there wasn’t one specific reason she chose to depart the company. It just felt like the right moment to leave.
“There wasn’t one particular thing, unfortunately. It was like a lot of things and had been something that was on my mind for a while,” she said. “And I am so grateful for my time at WWE. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I got to live out the dream that [younger] me always wanted to. But I think it was just — it was time for something new. It was time for something different. And I really — I don’t regret leaving, and I’m really happy now.”
Simone Johnson addresses her future —
Johnson said she’s now working with her mother Dany Garcia, who has management and clothing companies. On Instagram and TikTok, Johnson and her partner Tatyanna Dumas produce couples and travel content.
The Downside asked Johnson if she wants to remain in the public sphere post-WWE.
“I think to a certain degree, but I do feel like so much of my life was public for so long,” she responded. “I’m not sure if I would want to participate in entertainment in the scale that I did when I was at WWE. But I feel like I love the outlet that I have now of being able to like make cute travel vlogs and do that. Because obviously it’s still public and being here [on the podcast] is still public, but it’s just not to the same degree [as] at WWE.”
Through her brief in-ring run, Johnson became the first fourth-generation wrestler in WWE history, following in the footsteps of her father, grandfather (Rocky Johnson), and great-grandfather (Peter Maivia).
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.