Simone Johnson’s future in professional wrestling remains a lot more open than her WWE exit might suggest.
During an appearance on Cody Rhodes’ What Do You Want To Talk About?, Johnson AKA Ava was directly asked if she considered herself finished with wrestling. Her response made it clear that she still hopes to return once she gets through her current injuries.
I hope not. I have a couple of injuries that I need to sort out. When that is done I think. I do genuinely miss actually wrestling.
Johnson has not wrestled publicly since August 2023, with WWE eventually transitioning her into the NXT General Manager position. However, she revealed that stepping into a non-wrestling role did not mean she stopped training.
For my last two months there, even when I was general manager, I was still training and wrestling. But for my last two months, I was in so much pain that I wasn’t actually wrestling. I do miss that.
The physical issues ultimately became a major factor in why her in-ring career faded while her television presence continued to grow.
Johnson later made another significant decision by leaving WWE after choosing not to renew her contract. Her journey with the company had begun when she entered the Performance Center in 2020, carrying enormous expectations as The Rock’s daughter.
However, Johnson made it clear that her departure was not the result of one major backstage dispute. Instead, after spending years within WWE, she felt ready to move forward.
Now, Johnson is outside WWE, openly acknowledging how much she misses wrestling while leaving the door open for another run once her injuries are addressed.
Do you think Simone Johnson could make a successful return to the ring if she gets healthy, and would you like to see her pursue another wrestling run? Let us know in the comments.
