wrestling / News

Simone Johnson Says She’s Already Trained With Her Father at the WWE Performance Center, Reveals When She Knew She Wanted to Become a WWE Superstar

February 12, 2020 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
Simone Johnson, The Rock Image Credit: WWE

– WWE recently released an interview with Cathy Kelley and Simone Johnson, the daughter of former WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. WWE announced Johnson’s signing with the company earlier this week. Also, she revealed during the interview that her father did come to the Performance Center to train with her for a day. Below are some highlights and a video of the interview.

Johnson of the feeling of signing with WWE: “I keep just going back to the idea of I’m like, ‘Oh, I feel like a kid again and I feel like 10 year old me,’ because I have loved wrestling for as long as I can remember, and now that I have the opportunity to to finally pursue that, like, I don’t know, I can’t put it into words.”

On when she wanted to become a WWE Superstar: “When I was 9 or 10, I was over at my grandma’s house and she was like, ‘Hey, I want to show you something.’ My grandma used to have like all the old WWE DVDs. She had like stacks and stacks of them, and we would just sit and watch those, and I remember watching everything from wrestling in the ’80s, to the Attitude Era, and then to present day, and then just seeing the change in wrestling and how it’s progressed, especially to see what it is now. She’s actually the one who got me into wrestling, and then the minute I stated watching it I fell in love, and I knew that it was what I wanted to do.”

Simone Johnson why she wanted to start now: “I think that the opportunity just presented itself to me now, and it’s something that I know that I’ve always wanted and thankfully my parents have always been really supportive of it.”

Johnson on her earliest memory of seeing her dad in the ring: “My earliest memory of watching my dad was when he came back for WrestleMania 28, and that was the first time that I actually saw him wrestle live, and I was so happy because I had always seen him act, but to see him do something so different and then to see him do something that I know that we both really connected with, it was amazing.”

On how her dad reacted to her wanting to be a WWE Superstar: “He was so supportive. My whole family has always been so supportive, and I’m really thankful for that, and he’s been with me every step of the way.

Simone Johnson on continuing the family legacy: “It means the world to me and it was definitely a big reason for me wanting to go into wrestling because obviously wrestling was all I admired and I love it, but to know that my family has such a personal connection in it, it’s really special to me, and I feel really grateful to just be able to have this opportunity to not only wrestle, but to also carry on that legacy.”

On the pressure of being the first fourth generation Superstar of WWE: “I do feel pressure, but I know that at the end of the day, it’s something that’s always going to be there. So, I know it’s up to me to take that pressure and use it to just motivate myself.”

On if she’s trained with her dad yet at the WWE Performance Center: “I have. He came down to the Performance Center for a day. It was great because he got to see everyone here, and he got to see, kind of, how our culture is here. Obviously, I love spending time with him, but to be able to train with him and do something I know we both love was great.”

On advice her father gave her: “He’s told me, always just to be authentic to myself and remember the importance of connecting with the audience.”

Simone Johnson on the first time she went into a ring: “So, the first time I actually stepped foot in a ring was when I was 11, and at that time my dad was preparing to come back for WrestleMania 29, and he was training one day and he brought me with him, and to be able to just finally be able to be in a ring, it was kind of surreal to me, and it just further cemented the idea that this was what I wanted to do.”

Johnson on how Triple H is supportive of her: “Triple H has always been so supportive and encouraging, and that’s really something that means the world to me and every time I see him he’s always wishing me the best, and to have his support means everything.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit WWE, with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.