"People would still bash me" - Simone Johnson reacts to criticism from the WWE Universe

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Johnson isn't staying quiet when it comes to the latest criticism from the WWE Universe

Simone Johnson doesn't understand why her new WWE name in NXT is such a heated topic.

Johnson, the daughter of WWE legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, revealed her new ring name on social media as Ava Raine.

This was met with a polarizing response, to which Johnson replied by stating that she doesn't believe her new name discredits any of the accomplishments her family has done.

While many members of the WWE Universe think that Johnson should embrace the legacy of her father, The Rock, she doesn't think that would change a thing in terms of perception of the WWE Universe. Judging from what Charlotte Flair has gone through over the last several years, she could be right.

Johnson took to Twitter to sound off against those who think she should base her career around her dad.

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"I could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway *shrugging emoji*," Simone Johnson tweeted.

ava 🃏

@AvaRaineWWE

i could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway 🤷🏽‍♀️ twitter.com/AvaRaineWWE/st…

ava 🃏

@AvaRaineWWE

i probably sound like a broken record & hopefully this is the last i’ll mention this but i don’t understand why people being portrayed as separate individuals from their family name is such a heated topic.

a name doesn’t discredit any prior accomplishments from any family 🤷🏽‍♀️ twitter.com/thelouisdangoo…

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i probably sound like a broken record & hopefully this is the last i’ll mention this but i don’t understand why people being portrayed as separate individuals from their family name is such a heated topic.

a name doesn’t discredit any prior accomplishments from any family 🤷🏽‍♀️ twitter.com/thelouisdangoo…

i could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway 🤷🏽‍♀️ twitter.com/AvaRaineWWE/st…

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Simone Johnson didn't appreciate the criticism on social media this weekend

One of the biggest tweets over the weekend that started all of this discussion came from Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport, who said Simone Johnson being given a new name is nonsensical and ridiculous.

This clearly struck a nerve with the newly christened Ava Raine, who tweeted:

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"Thanks louis, very encouraging. *expressionless face emoji* thumbs up emoji*."

Dangoor responded with an apology, but that doesn't seem to have changed the perception online.

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"Genuinely wasn't intended to be a knock on Simone, by the way, and I apologise if it was taken in a different way from the way it was intended. It was more about WWE changing the names of second-generation wrestlers, but as someone who isn't a wrestler, perhaps I don't get it," Louis Dangoor tweeted.

ava 🃏

@AvaRaineWWE

thanks louis, very encouraging. 🏽 twitter.com/thelouisdangoo…

Louis Dangoor

@TheLouisDangoor

Not portraying Arianna Grace as Santino Marella’s daughter is one thing.

Giving Simeone Johnson, the daughter of THE ROCK, a new name is completely nonsensical.

Will hold judgement until she debuts, but if WWE doesn’t acknowledge her dad is The Rock that’s ridiculous. twitter.com/avarainewwe/st…

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Not portraying Arianna Grace as Santino Marella’s daughter is one thing.

Giving Simeone Johnson, the daughter of THE ROCK, a new name is completely nonsensical.

Will hold judgement until she debuts, but if WWE doesn’t acknowledge her dad is The Rock that’s ridiculous. twitter.com/avarainewwe/st…

thanks louis, very encouraging. 😑👍🏽 twitter.com/thelouisdangoo…

While it's pretty clear this is the direction WWE is going, we can only hope that this hasn't done anything to shake Johnson's confidence before she even gets a chance to appear on NXT 2.0. What will Ava Raine's WWE career turn into? Only time will tell.

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