Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s daughter Simone is retiring from the ring.
The 24-year-old wrestler – who used the name Ava Raine for the combat sport – carried on her family’s tradition by joining WWE in 2020, becoming the fourth generation to do so, but she has made the “very difficult” decision to bow out.
In a statement on Friday (Jan 30), she said: “This past Tuesday was my last appearance on NXT and subsequently WWE.
“Thank you to all who have cheered, watched, and supported me through my journey.”
Simone added: “While my decision to not renew my contract was very difficult, it’s also new turning point in my life.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to be Ava.”
Exactly why she called it quits isn’t clear.
Months prior to the news, her wrestler-turned-actor father gushed over how proud he was of his eldest child for making a name for herself in the ring.
Struggling to hold back his tears, he told MTV UK: “I’m so proud of her.
“I’m so proud because it’s what I did, and I loved what I did, love wrestling. I grew up in wrestling. She was born into it, too, just like I was. And she said, ‘Hey, I want to do what you do.'”
He went on: “I get emotional because she’s like, ‘I want to do what you do but I want to carve my own path.’
“And that’s a difference that was a big deal that I heard that.”
The Rock – who had Simone with ex-wife Dany Garcia – added: “It gave me a profound sense of pride. I helped, with her mom, raise an amazing human being.”
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