Simone Johnson is officially beginning a career in professional wrestling.
WWE announced today that Johnson, the 18-year-old daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia, has begun training at the company’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. WWE wrote that Johnson is on the path to becoming the first fourth-generation wrestler in their history, joining The Rock, her grandfather Rocky Johnson, and her great-grandfather Peter Maivia.
“It means the world to me,” Johnson told WWE.com. “To know that my family has such a personal connection to wrestling is really special to me and I feel grateful to have the opportunity, not only to wrestle, but to carry on that legacy.”
“Simone Johnson’s unbridled passion and incredible drive has earned her a coveted spot training with the elite athletes from around the world at the WWE Performance Center,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque said. “Not only does Simone now have an opportunity to cultivate and display her passion for WWE within the Performance Center, but she’ll carry on the tradition of her incredible family lineage while creating her own impact as WWE’s first fourth-generation Superstar.”
In an interview with Good Morning America in 2018, The Rock spoke about Simone wanting to become a wrestler. “I said, ‘Honey, whatever your passion is I support that,’ And wrestling was good to me. I started my career in Madison Square Garden, so bring it on. She’s going to be a champ.”
Johnson had already done some training at the Performance Center prior to officially joining WWE.
“Simone knows she has a lot to learn,” NXT head coach Matt Bloom said. “She’s hungry to learn and picks the coaches’ minds, and the veteran Superstars’, as well. She’s not going to rest on her laurels. It’s been a short time, but she’s been crushing it.”
“Simone is a wonderful girl,” NXT assistant head coach Sara Amato said. “She’s like a sponge, it’s pretty amazing. She knows what it takes to succeed and all the hard work and sacrifice that goes into it. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”
Cathy Kelley will interview Simone at 3 p.m. Eastern time this Wednesday. It will stream on WWE’s digital platforms.