The Rock, on his daughter Ava: 'She has never asked me to use my influence in WWE'

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson doesn't hide the pride he feels seeing his daughter Ava following in his footsteps in the world of wrestling. In an interview with MTV UK, to promote his new movie "The Smashing Machine," the former world champion was visibly emotional talking about how Ava has managed to make her way in WWE without relying on the influence of her last name.

"I'm so proud of her. Because it's what I did, you know? I love what I did, I love wrestling, I grew up in it. And she was born into this business too. When she told me she wanted to do the same as me, what excited me was hearing her say she wanted to pave her own way. That's the difference," Johnson confessed.

I've never received that call of, 'Hey, can you talk to someone?' Never. And that gave me a deep sense of pride. Because it showed me that with her mother, we've raised her to be a great person.

Ava, whose real name is Simone Johnson, joined the WWE Performance Center in 2020 with the initial intention of competing in the ring. Over time, her role evolved to become the general manager of NXT, a position that has allowed her to stand out on screen without the need for family favors, according to Dwayne Johnson himself.

Currently, Ava is in Europe accompanying her father during the promotion of The Smashing Machine, a biopic about MMA fighter Mark Kerr that will hit theaters on October 3. Her absence on the last episode of NXT did not go unnoticed, but it confirms that her career continues to grow alongside her father's projects.