WWE Adds Legacy Simone Johnson
Simone Johnson, the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has officially begun training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, the organization announced Monday.
The 18-year-old will try to follow in the footsteps of her father, who was a 10-time world champion, as well as her grandfather, Rocky Johnson, and great-grandfather, Peter Maivia. The latter two are WWE Hall of Famers, while The Rock was one of the biggest superstars in the last few decades before he began a successful film career.
“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.”
Dwayne Johnson was the first-ever third-generation superstar in WWE history, and Simone will be the first fourth-generation superstar.
Fans are already picturing a future main event featuring another legacy:
Johnson first must learn how to compete under head coach Matt Bloom and assistant coach Sara Amato.
WWE Extreme Rules Headed to San Jose
The WWE calendar continues to fill up, as the organization announced WWE Extreme Rules is set for July 19 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, via Joshua Gagnon of Wrestling Inc.
The venue hosted SmackDown on Friday, giving it the perfect spot to make the announcement for the summer pay-per-view.
This event is known for its hardcore matches, which created some notable highlights a year ago in Philadelphia. Brock Lesnar won the WWE Universal Title against Seth Rollins after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, while Rollins teamed up with Becky Lynch to defeat Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans in a mixed tag match right beforehand.
It’s too early to know what storylines will develop this time around with several more major events coming up, including WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, Florida, but the local fans should be in for a treat.
WWE also announced WrestleMania 37 will take place at the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Matt Riddle Continues One-Sided Feud with Brock Lesnar
Though Matt Riddle is only beginning his professional wrestling career, he has lofty goals that include ending Brock Lesnar’s time in the WWE.
After winning a tag team match at an NXT Live Event in Las Vegas on Saturday, Riddle took the microphone to discuss his long-term goal.
“I guarantee you this, Las Vegas: The Bro retires Brock Lesnar!” Riddle said, per Dustin Holland of Wrestling Inc.
He has been claiming this will happen since at least 2017, when he said he wanted to take down The Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania.
This continued into WWE Royal Rumble in January, where the two reportedly had a verbal altercation backstage, per Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet. Still, he hasn’t been discouraged as he tries to break through in the sport.
“I have never stopped. I kept training. I knew the goal, the dream, was right in front of me and I’m not gonna stop,” Riddle told the crowd Saturday. “This is just the beginning. Twelve years ago it started, and 12 years from now I’ll still be going.”
Dwayne Johnson’s Daughter Simone, 18, Officially Signs with the WWE — and Starts Training
She joins a legacy of legends in the WWE, including her dad and grandfather, the late Rocky Johnson.
Another Johnson is ready to build their legacy in the WWE.
On Monday, the company announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s 18-year-old daughter Simone has officially signed with the WWE and kicked off her training at its Performance Center in Florida — making her the first fourth-generation Superstar in WWE history.
“It means the world to me,” Simone said in a statement released by the WWE. “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 was born into a family of WWE legends. Not only was her father a 10-time world champion, but her grandfather, Rocky Johnson, and her great-grandfather, “High Chief” Peter Maivia, were both inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“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 WWE executive vice president Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
“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,” he added.
Though her father has yet to publicly react to the news, he has been supportive in the past about his daughter potentially pursuing a career in wrestling.
“Simone is working so hard – and her work has already started — she wants to be a WWE Wrestler,” the father of three said during an appearance on Good Morning America in 2018.
“I love the idea. We had this big conversation, she came with me to Hong Kong [and] Beijing. I said, ‘Honey, whatever your passion is, I support that,’” he added. “And wrestling was good to me, I started my career in Madison Square Garden. So, yeah, bring it on, she’s going to be a champ.”
Dwayne shares his oldest daughter with ex Dany Garcia.
Simone’s announcement comes just weeks after her grandfather, Rocky, died from a heart attack in January. Over the weekend her father, Dwayne, gave an emotional eulogy at the funeral service, which took place on Friday.
