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They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and that's certainly true for Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and his daughter.
The actor and former wrestling champ's daughter Simone has revealed her new WWE wrestling name as she gets ready to reign in the ring.
Now known as Ava Raine, she's set to make history by becoming the first fourth-generation WWE star, following in the footsteps of her famous father, her grandfather, Rocky Johnson, and great-grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.
Though she joined WWE two years ago, Simone's debut has been pushed back multiple times due to injuries.
But her new name is a sign she could be stepping into the ring soon.
Her father, who found fame as a 10-time world champion, was elated when she signed the deal two years ago.
“What an honour that my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps. Follow in my footsteps sounds cliché; she actually wants to create and blaze her own path, which is so important,” Dwayne said.
Simone (20) describes it as a kind of homecoming.
“To the little girl who fell in love with wrestling and said ‘this will be my life one day’, this is for you. I'm humbled, grateful & ready to work. Let's do this,” she said on social media.
Simone, the eldest of Dwayne's three children, comes from a lineage of muscle-building sport enthusiasts.
Her paternal family ruled the wrestling ring, and her mother, Dwayne’s ex-wife Dany Garcia (53), is a professional bodybuilder.
Though the young athlete is thrilled with her new name, some people have criticised it for being a departure from her father's legacy.
“Giving Simone Johnson, the daughter of The Rock, a new name is completely nonsensical. Will hold judgement until she debuts, but if WWE doesn’t acknowledge her dad is The Rock, that’s ridiculous,” someone commented on social media.
“I'm slightly disappointed she won't be known as The Pebble,” another commented.
Simone wasn’t amused.
“I probably sound like a broken record and hopefully this is the last I’ll mention this, but I don’t understand why people being portrayed as separate individuals from their family name is such a heated topic. A name doesn’t discredit any prior accomplishments from any family,” she responded.
“Could build my entire career around my father and people would still bash me anyway,” she added.
SOURCES: DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, WWW.WRESTLINGINC.COM, ITRWRESTLING.COM, COMICBOOK.COM
