WWE has signed The Rock's daughter Simone Johnson to begin training and she is set to begin training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
The company announced today that the 18 year old Simone has reported to the center. There's no word yet on when she will make her WWE NXT debut. The Rock's daughter publicly idolized her father on several occasions and will be looking to make her presence felt.
"It means the world to me," Simone said in a press release. "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."
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WWE CEO Triple H added, "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. 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."
Below is the full announcement on her signing:
Simone Johnson, daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia, begins training at WWE Performance Center. Simone Johnson, the daughter of 10-time world champion Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia, has begun training to become a WWE Superstar at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.The 18-year-old is on a path to become the first fourth-generation Superstar in WWE history, coming from a line of legends that includes her great-grandfather and grandfather, WWE Hall of Famers "High Chief" Peter Maivia and Rocky Johnson, and her father.
"It means the world to me," Johnson said. "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," said Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. "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."
Johnson will join the perse group of Superstars in training at the Performance Center, learning from a coaching staff that includes legends of the squared circle, led by Head Coach Matt Bloom and Assistant Head Coach Sara Amato.
"Simone knows she has a lot to learn," said Bloom. "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," Amato added. "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."
Johnson will be sitting down with Cathy Kelley for an exclusive interview this Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET to talk more about her decision to pursue a career in sports-entertainment. The interview will be available across WWE's digital platforms, including WWE.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.