Former "WWE NXT" manager Ava, whose real name is Simone Johnson, surprised fans last month when she announced her departure from "NXT." Ava had been with WWE since 2020, and the term "nepo baby" had followed her throughout her career, as the daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. In the weeks following her departure from the company, "NXT" commentator Booker T defended her against the criticism she received from the likes of Stevie Richards and Dutch Mantell, who Booker T called "old heads" on his "Hall of Fame" podcast."The thing is, Ava, maybe she did get her job because of her dad," he said. "But I watched Ava when she first started that job, and she wasn't that good. I can attest to that. But I watched Ava grow in that job and I saw her get so much better at what she was doing. The thing is, people just want to knock on how bad she was, but not give her credit for how much better she had gotten. I think that's what this business is about, growing."The WWE Hall of Famer said he couldn't imagine the other men talking like that about Ava if they had children trying to make it in the business. He said hearing "grown a** men" tear down younger talent is beyond him, and he thinks they need to think about their own careers and how hard it was to make it to that next level in the business."It makes me hot when I hear these old heads, old heads that know better, know how hard it is in this fricking business, to knock her just because her dad is who he is," Booker T said. "It's frickin' ridiculous."If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Hall of Fame" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
