Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Dwayne Johnson’s daughter Simone signs with WWE
Simone Johnson, the daughter of superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has signed with WWE and has begun training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
The WWE Network announced the move Monday.
The 18-year-old Johnson — who recently graduated from University School in Davie — is hoping to become the first fourth-generation WWE wrestler, joining her father, grandfather and greatgrandfather.
She responded to the news on Instagram, writing, “To the little girl who fell in love with wrestling & said ‘this will be my life one day’, this is for you. I’m humbled, grateful & ready to work. Let’s do this.”
“Dreams ain’t just for dreamers,” Dwayne Johnson wrote on Instagram. “Congrats to my #1 born, Simone Johnson on officially signing her wrestling contract with @wwe @wwenxt and on her way to becoming the first ever 4th generation WWE athlete. Carry our family name proudly, but your road will always be yours to create, earn & own.
“So proud. Live your dream. Let’s work.”
Dwayne Johnson is the biggest star in WWE history and followed in his father’s footsteps. Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson,
a WWE Hall of Famer who died in January at the age of 75, was an African American pro-wrestling pioneer. Simone Johnson’s great-grandfather, The Rock’s grandfather, was “High Chief ” Peter Maivia, who started the family legacy of talented wrestlers. He also is in the WWE Hall of Fame.
“It means the world to me,” Simone Johnson said in a statement. “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.”
Before becoming a wrestler and mega movie star, Dwayne Johnson played football at the University of Miami and won a national championship with the Hurricanes in 1991. His UM career was cut short by injury.
“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,” WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a statement. “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.”