Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson‘s daughter has received death threats over her dad’s WWE comeback.
The wrestling legend-turned-Hollywood-actor made his return on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in an episode of “SmackDown,” where he also appeared to be replacing fan favorite Cody Rhodes in a planned match with undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at “WrestleMania 40,” which has been met with fierce backlash from viewers.
“Can ya’ll just leave me out of this ffs i’m busy running a SHOW. Death threats over a situation i have nothing to do with … bffr (sic)” Simone Johnson, who has an on-screen role as ‘WWE NXT’ boss under the stage name Ava, wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Fans have been critical of The Rock’s apparent plans to replace Cody at ‘WrestleMania’, having become invested in the so-called American Nightmare’s journey.
For much of the weekend, #WeWantCody was the top trend on X in the United States, while the Feb. 5 episode of “Monday Night Raw” showed the crowd loudly chanting “Rocky sucks” during the show.
WWE commentator Michael Cole stressed that The Rock and Roman’s match is not yet official, while Dwayne, Cody and Roman will all be in attendance at a WrestleMania media and fan event in Las Vegas on Thursday, Feb. 8.
Last month, Dwayne officially returned to WWE in a major new role as he joined the board of directors for TKO, which was formed by parent company Endeavor as part of the UFC and WWE merger in September 2023, in a deal which also saw him take “full ownership” of The Rock name.
“Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle,” he said in a statement.
“I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences,” he added.
