Simone Garcia Johnson (born August 14, 2001) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. She is currently signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

, where she performs on the

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Ava (shortened from the previous ring name Ava Raine). She is a part of the

faction Faction or factionalism may refer to: Politics * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * Free and Independent Faction, a Romanian political party * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planes ...

Schism. Johnson is a fourth-generation wrestler who is the daughter of

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...

. She is a member of the

Anoa'i family The Anoaʻi family ( ) is a family of professional wrestlers originating from American Samoa. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions. Famous members of the family include Rosey, WWE Hall of Fam ...

of Samoan wrestlers.

Early life

Johnson was born in

Davie, Florida Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately north of Miami. The town's population was 110,320 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Davie is a principal town of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to ...

on August 14, 2001. She is the first daughter of former professional wrestler and entertainer

(through whom she has two younger sisters from his second marriage), and his ex-wife

Dany Garcia Dany Garcia (born November 29, 1968) is an American businesswoman, film producer, and International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness, IFBB professional bodybuilding, bodybuilder. Garcia is the founder of GSTQ, and the CEO and chair of The ...

, a businesswoman, IFBB professional bodybuilder, and producer. In addition to her parents, Johnson is also the granddaughter of Ata (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Maivia) and

Rocky Johnson Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Televisio ...

, a Samoan and

Black Nova Scotian Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians and Afro-Nova Scotians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial United States as slaves or freemen, later arriving in Nova Scotia, Canada, during the 18th ...

respectively. Through her grandmother, she is a non-blood relative of the Anoa'i wrestling family. She attended the

private high school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

NSU University School The NSU University School, commonly known as University School or simply U-School, is a fully accredited, independent, college preparatory school in Davie, Florida, that serves grades pre-K through grade 12. The school is located on the Nova Sout ...

, where she graduated and earned her

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

in May 2019 at 17-years-old. After graduating, Simone had initially planned to take up her

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

studies at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in August 2019, but when she suffered a knee injury a month prior in July, she decided to stay in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

to pursue her professional wrestling career.

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2020–present)

In November 2017, Johnson expressed her interest in becoming a professional wrestler. In February 2020, WWE announced that Johnson had reported to the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wre ...

and had begun her training, making her the first fourth-generation wrestler, and one of the youngest talents to sign a contract with the company. On the October 25, 2022, episode of ''

'', Johnson made her first televised appearance, revealing herself to be a member of

Joe Gacy Joseph Ruby (born August 8, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Joe Gacy. He is the leader of The Schism. Gacy is best known for his work in Combat Zon ...

's villainous faction, Schism. She debuted under the

"Ava Raine", but this was later shortened to "Ava" on the February 14, 2023, episode. Ava made her in-ring debut on Sunday, April 1, 2023, at the third annual Stand & Deliver premium live event with Schism, losing to

Chase University Chase University (often known as Andre Chase University and Chase U) is an American professional wrestling stable consisting of Andre Chase, Duke Hudson and Thea Hail. They are currently signed to WWE, where they perform on NXT. The group's cha ...

. On the June 6 episode of ''NXT'', Ava made her NXT in-ring debut defeated by

Ivy Nile Diamond Mine is an American professional wrestling stable formed in the professional wrestling promotion WWE on the NXT brand. Formed in June 2021, the group is led by Roderick Strong and includes Brutus Creed, Julius Creed, Ivy Nile & Tatum Pax ...

Personal life

Johnson's parents announced their separation on June 1, 2007. In January 2018, Simone was the inaugural Golden Globes Ambassador for the ceremony's 75th Anniversary. She has cited her grandmother as the person who got her in to wrestling.

References

External links

* {{Anoa'i family 2001 births 21st-century female professional wrestlers American female professional wrestlers American people of Samoan descent American people of Black Nova Scotian descent American people of Cuban descent Female models from Florida Living people NSU University School alumni Professional wrestlers from Florida