The Rock’s daughter destined for ‘greatness’
THE daughter of professional wrestling legend The Rock is following in her famous father's footsteps by joining WWE.
Simone Johnson has "reported to the WWE Performance Center to begin training," the sports entertainment organisation announced.
The 18-year-old would be the first fourth-generation fighter in the sport's history.
Before her father, real name Dwayne Johnson, wowed the world with his "People's Elbow" and "Rock Bottom", his father Rocky Johnson was a crowd favourite too.
He sadly died at the age of 75 last month.
Grandfather "High Chief" Peter Maivia also strutted his stuff in the wrestling ring in the 1970s.
BREAKING: @SimoneGJohnson, daughter of @TheRock and @DanyGarciaCo, has reported to the WWE Performance Center to begin training. #WWENow @WWEPC pic.twitter.com/XCziD2K07a
— WWE (@WWE) February 10, 2020
For the little girl who fell in love with wrestling & was determined to make this dream a reality - this is for you. I’m beyond thankful for this opportunity & ready to get after it.
— 𝖘𝖎𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖊 (@SimoneGJohnson) February 10, 2020
Let’s do this. @WWE @WWENXT pic.twitter.com/5lSKbWnHf7
The teenager released a statement where she said: "it means the world to me".
"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."
The Rock, 47, will go down as one of the legends of WWE after joining the then-WWF back in 1996.
He enjoyed famous feuds with owner Vince McMahon, Stone Cold Steve Austin and "Triple H" Levesque and is now a multi-millionaire actor.
Her mother, Dany Garcia, was also ecstatic at the news.
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"Simone is a wonderful girl," WWE assistant head coach Sara Amato said in a statement.
"She's like a sponge, it's pretty amazing. She knows what it takes to succeed and all the hard work and sacrifice that goes into it. I wouldn't have expected anything less."
WWE legend "Triple H", now executive vice-president of WWE Talent, Live Events, also paid tribute to the company's newest recruit.
"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," he said.
"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."
I remember seeing Simone Johnson at numerous events including the Mae Young Classic. It’s in her DNA to achieve greatness in #WWE. Talk about insurmountable pressure. But if Charlotte Flair and others have shown, you can be successful creating your own identity and path.
— Scott Fishman (@smFISHMAN) February 10, 2020
This article was originally published by The Sun and reproduced with permission
