4 months ago
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Simone Johnson, daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, made her WWE debut as Ava Raine in 2022, serving as a member of Joe Gacy's Schism faction. Raine wrestled just a handful of matches in 2023 before being named the General Manager of "WWE NXT." Responding to a listener question on "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer shared his belief that Raine is no longer training as a wrestler.
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"I think this is her role," Meltzer said, referring to Raine's status as the "NXT" GM. "She's being groomed for an authority figure on the main roster at some point, or she's going to do this for a while. I don't know."
Ava was named "NXT" GM at the beginning of this year, with William Regal himself passing the torch to the 22-year-old. In the months since, she's made appearances presenting the NXT Women's North American Championship along with other managerial duties for the brand, such as announcing replacements for matches. Last week's "NXT" saw Ava moderating a confrontation between Ethan Page, Shawn Spears, Je'Von Evans, and NXT Champion Trick Williams.
Since Raine took over as GM, various figures from around the world of wrestling have shared their thoughts on her performance, including former WWE and ECW stars Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray. Dreamer said Raine's performances have been "phenomenal," while his "Busted Open Radio" co-host was a little more critical. Bully felt that Raine had acted too "seasoned" during her time as GM, though his comments came just over a month into her tenure.
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If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
