Dwayne Johnson's Daughter Simone Johnson Is All Grown Up

The late '90s saw the rise of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Thanks to his electrifying allure in the WWE, Dwayne's stint in professional wrestling was only a precursor to his ascension in Hollywood. Long before fellow wrestlers like Dave Bautista and John Cena came to fame, Dwayne set the foundation for a highly successful transition from sports entertainment to acting. Surprisingly enough, Dwayne did all this while raising a daughter who's more or less shaping up to follow the path that Dwayne has created.

In 1997, Dwayne married his college sweetheart, Dany Garcia, and by 2001, they welcomed their first child, Simone Alexandra Johnson. With her father rising in popularity each year, Simone would have glimpses of what it was like to be in the public eye. Fast forward to 2024, Simone has since developed the wrestling moniker, Ava Raine, earned historical feats in multiple organizations, and built a credible resume. As she continued to break down barriers, it became clear that she'd grown up right before our eyes, and her trajectory into adulthood has been fascinating to watch. 

On August 14, 2001, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia introduced their daughter, Simone Johnson, to the world. With Dwayne at the peak of his success within the WWE, it was hard for him to be a present father for Simone. During his 2023 appearance on "The Pivot Podcast," he discussed this dilemma. "When I had Simone, I was flying by the seat of my pants," he explained. "I was wrestling full time. I started transitioning into movies full time. I had so much s*** going on so I like to say me and Simone grew up together. So we had a relationship where I was always gone, but we tried to keep it together." 

Luckily, they did and their relationship flourished as a result. Once his daughters Jasmine and Tiana entered the picture, Dwayne would reference his experience with Simone as a reason why he's strict about quality time with his children. When asked about the legitimacy of his rumored presidential run during his interview with Tracy Smith from "CBS Sunday Morning," Dwayne debunked the rumor, stating that it would take away from raising his daughters. "I know what it was like to be on the road and be so busy that I was absent for a lot of years when my first daughter was growing up in this critical age at this critical time in her life," he said. "That's what the presidency will do. So, my number one priority is my daughters."

With Dwayne Johnson being gone for months on end, Simone Johnson spent most of her childhood with her mother, Dany Garcia, in Davie, Florida. As the daughter of a well-revered public figure within the entertainment industry as well as a notable businesswoman, having a normal childhood could've potentially been difficult for Simone. While this is a challenge that most children of famous celebrities face, both of her parents made sure that wasn't the case.

According to a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Garcia's method for ensuring a normal childhood for her daughter was to protect her from the world of entertainment. As someone who's seen the harsh realities of garnering public attention, Garcia and Dwayne didn't want their daughter exposed to this side of Hollywood too early. This foundation made it all the more special for Garcia to watch her daughter's growth.

Thanks to her protected childhood, Garcia told the publication, she felt confident in Simone and her ability to find herself within the industry she was once shielded from. "She needed to be sheltered from an environment where there's paparazzi, where people are interested in what she was wearing at a very young age," she explained. "But now she's so well-baked into who she is that I feel confident letting her navigate the world."

As an online figure who's worn multiple hats over the years, Simone Johnson has regularly shown her passion for horseback riding through her social media platforms. During a 2020 interview with Alicia Atout, Simone suggested that this passion started very early for her. "I started horseback riding when I was, I think, 6 or 7," she said. "And I did it on and off all the way up until I was 14."

Once she became a teenager, Simone took a step away from it to focus on other aspects of her life. The self-proclaimed dressage rider, however, eventually came back to it during the pandemic, thanks to a close friend. Outside of her other apparent passions (more on that later), Simone expressed how her break away from horseback riding made her grow fond of it later on. "I really love it and I didn't realize how much I loved it and how much I missed it until I started doing it again," she explained. "So, that's kind of another good thing that this whole coronavirus mess has brought me in a way because it's given me time to explore that other passion."

Most would assume that, with a father like Dwayne Johnson, Simone Johnson sees him as the coolest person on the planet. As with all parents, however, embarrassment comes with the full-time gig. For Dwayne, that seems to be an aspect of parenthood he excelled in at one point. Of course, this likely changed as Simone grew up, but during her younger years, that surely wasn't the case.

In 2015, Dwayne sat down with Extra TV ahead of the release of his film, "San Andreas." In it, Dwayne portrayed Raymond Gaines, a single father in search of his teenage daughter after a natural disaster. Given the movie's plot, Dwayne explained the parallels between his fictional character and himself. After hearing about his connection with his daughter, interviewer Charissa Thompson asked him if Simone thought he was cool. "She quietly thinks I'm cool but I just have this tendency to embarrass the s*** out of her," he responded. "At any time ... because I'm that dad who would just all of a sudden break out into song. I'm that dad who when I drop her off at school, she's trying to be quiet I'm like ... 'Bye baby! I'll see you!' ... I got this big pickup truck. ... Very subtle."

As a teenager, Simone Johnson explored various avenues where she could make a name for herself. Outside of horseback riding, Simone had a brief modeling gig. The feat proved successful as she was signed to the IMG Models agency, which has previously signed notable models like Bella Hadid and Chanel Iman. However, this would only lead to an even bigger feat in 2017. 

In November of that year, it was announced that Simone would be the Golden Globe Ambassador for the 75th anniversary of the Golden Globe Awards. This would be the first year they'd repackage their Miss/Mr. Golden Globe Award — a title previously held by Jamie Foxx's daughter, Corinne Foxx — marking her the first Golden Globe Ambassador to accept the designation. As the recipient, Simone would play a major role in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's philanthropic work throughout 2018. To do this, Simone selected Global Girl Media — a company focused on giving opportunities to women looking to break into journalism — to be the main organization they'd support.

During a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Simone expressed gratitude for making history as the Golden Globes' first ambassador. "I feel so blessed and so excited to be part of this, especially being the first Golden Globe Ambassador and knowing that this tradition is going to be carried on — it's going to be amazing," she stated. 

In addition to her charity efforts as a Golden Globe Ambassador, Simone Johnson genuinely has a passion for making a difference in the world. Before garnering public attention, Simone would find ways to spread awareness of causes she cares about through social media. From posts about police brutality and terrorism to abortion rights and gun violence, Simone never held back from voicing her opinions online when it comes to societal issues.

Through a plethora of posts regarding these causes, Simone has also prompted her followers to extend their philanthropic efforts offline. This, however, doesn't mean she views social media as a disservice to the betterment of society. Following the announcement of her year-long Golden Globe Ambassador term in 2018, Simone spoke with Women magazine about various topics ranging from her personal life to her opinions on societal issues. During this time, Simone spoke candidly about the importance of social media platforms like Instagram and gave us insight into how she thinks it could be used to spread awareness of several causes, stating, "I think that social media is a great way to speak up about issues that people are passionate about and things that they feel need to be changed."

Given the several feats Simone Johnson had accomplished ranging from Golden Globe ambassador to professional model, it made it all the more impressive knowing that she did them while she was still in high school. Once 2019 rolled around, Simone was en route to completing this chapter in her life. 

In May of that year, Simone graduated from high school. Paired with a Captain America-designed cap and gown, the ambitious teenager graduated with her father in attendance to commemorate her accomplishment. Of course, the special day wouldn't be complete without a sentimental Instagram post from Dwayne Johnson congratulating her on yet another successful feat. In addition to expressing his admiration for his eldest child, he also announced that she'd be attending NYU. "And then your babies graduate," he wrote. "Very proud of my first daughter graduating high school, kickin' a**, and is now NYU bound. I love you and one day you'll stop pulling away from my beastly arms and kisses."

As a child, Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson prided themselves on protecting their growing daughter. Presumably, this would've likely been the case in Simone Johnson's dating life as well, which is a classic case between a father and daughter. Dwayne expressed how seemingly protective he is toward Simone during a Q&A video uploaded to his YouTube channel in 2017. When asked about his reaction to Simone dating, Dwayne jokingly suggested that he would ask her to bring the boyfriend over so he could meet him, only to then choke him out. 

Dark humor aside, this quickly became a reality that Dwayne had to accept for his eldest daughter. After graduating high school in 2019, Simone was preparing to attend NYU where she'd be away from her parents. During his 2019 appearance on "Live! with Kelly and Ryan," Dwayne stated that he was excited to watch his daughter take on this venture. Guest co-host Maria Menounos then asked if he'd feel uncomfortable about her dating. Despite his prior joke about being protective of his daughter, Dwayne shared that he wasn't worried about Simone's dating life. "You'd like to think that ... what girls do, they measure the men they meet in their life by their father," he responded. "So, I'd like to think that whoever she brings home is just going to be a good quality person. He continued, saying, "And if they're not ... bam [feigning wrestling move]!"

As the daughter of a decorated WWE superstar like Dwayne Johnson, it was perhaps only a matter of time before Simone Johnson got involved in the world of professional wrestling. In an interview with Cathy Kelly in 2020, Simone explained that her interest in professional wrestling started when she was young — and it actually wasn't her father who first got her interested in the activity.

"When I was about 9 or 10, I was over at my grandma's house and she was like, 'Hey, I want to show you something,'" she recalled. "My grandma used to have all the old WWE DVDs ... and we would just sit and watch those." 

Her early introduction to the industry not only made her a devoted fan but also led her to consider becoming a WWE superstar like her father. By 2020, Simone began the training process at WWE's performance center in Orlando, Florida. Though she had intentions of juggling her time at NYU with wrestling, Simone explained on the "Swerve City Podcast" that she decided not to go to college to pursue wrestling instead. "I was supposed to go to NYU in August, in New York, and then at the very end of July, I blew my knee out completely and it sucked, but in a way it made me rethink everything," she said. "After I hurt my knee I was like, 'All right, I think I don't want to go to New York anymore,' and I wanted to stay in Orlando."

After signing with WWE at just 18 years old — making her "the youngest signee in the history of the company," according to her father — Simone Johnson began to turn heads. This was not only due to her relationship with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and the legendary Anoa'i family but also for her abilities in the ring. By 2021, known professional wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer suggested that Simone was recognized as the "most improved trainee." Simone would ultimately see the fruits of her labor pay off just a year later when she finally debuted on WWE NXT as Ava Raine alongside Jagger Reid, Joe Gacy, and Rip Fowler within their cult-like faction, Schism. 

To say her debut was a success would be an understatement. Paired with impressive promos and ring work, Simone found herself making history time after time following her introduction. Given her family's strong lineage within WWE, Simone's debut made her the first-ever fourth-generation superstar to work in the company.  By August 2023, Simone found herself making history yet again following the premature breakup of Schism. Though she'd seemingly taken a step back from performing in the ring, Simone slowly transitioned into more of an onscreen personality. In January 2024, Simone took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce that she became the general manager of NXT. "It's official now," she wrote. "Welcome to a new era of NXT from the youngest GM in WWE history." 

The pressure of being in the spotlight was an aspect of stardom Simone Johnson was not only well aware of but prepared for. However, nothing could've prepared her for dealing with an outpouring of death threats spawning from a situation she wasn't even a part of.

Following WWE's "Royal Rumble," in 2024, Dwayne Johnson was looking to return to WWE to start a feud with the WWE champion at the time, his "cousin," Roman Reigns. This would've culminated in them squaring off at the main event for Wrestlemania 40, a spectacle most wanted to see given their popularity. However, his inclusion meant that wrestler Cody Rhodes would be excluded from that position. Once fans learned that this was the direction they were going, Dwayne generated nuclear heat for taking the spot from someone who fans felt deserved it more than he did.

As Dwayne began to receive a ton of hate for this decision, so did his daughter Simone. It got so bad that on February 5, Simone took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to defend herself with back-to-back tweets, stating, "Can y'all just leave me out of this ffs I'm busy running a show" and "Death threats over a situation I have nothing to do with ... bffr." This wouldn't fly under Dwayne's radar. He would later mention on "The Pat McAfee Show" how ridiculous it was that his daughter was receiving such threats.