NXT General Manager Ava, whose father is wrestling icon and Hollywood superstar The Rock, has been the subject of disgraceful online abuse in the days after his SmackDown comeback.
5
Fast and Furious actor Johnson has found himself embroiled in an ugly storm after returning to the company where he made his name.
The 51-year-old appeared in WWE on Friday to tease a showdown with Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania XL.
However, the reveal caused a huge backlash from fans who had wanted men’s Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes to be in the main-event at ‘Mania against Reigns instead.
A video of the segment became WWE’s most disliked YouTube video ever, while the Rock was even booed during a live event in Tennessee.
The online vitriol has since been directed at his eldest daughter, who revealed she had been receiving death threats from fans.
Ava (born Simone Garcia Johnson) wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Can ya’ll just leave me out of this ffs i’m busy running a SHOW.”
She added in another post: “Death threats over a situation i have nothing to do with … bffr (sic)”
Ava has since deleted her account on X, as well as another profile on Instagram following the abuse.
The 22-year-old is the only child of Johnson and his ex-wife and current business partner Dany Garcia.
Having trained under her father, she followed in his footsteps by officially signing with WWE in May 2020.
WWE’s first-ever fourth-generation star made her debut in NXT in 2022 under the name Ava Raine, which has since been shortened.
Ava then became the youngest GM in WWE history after taking over as NXT’s new general manager last month.
5
Her father meanwhile is yet to address the controversy surrounding his return – instead praising fans for the reaction he received.
“There’s a word for this explosive, insane reaction – undeniable,” he posted on X.
“No matter the era, the decade, or the city, the energy and connection between the People’s Champ and the People can never be broken and is truly an electrifying experience that creates chills every single time.
“Thank you Birmingham, Alabama, we made magical history in the “magic city”.
“Thank you WWE and thank you Cody for the love and the house (dream & soulman). Roman, there’s only one head of the table. I’ll see you in Vegas…Uso.”
