Shawn Michaels hails WWE ‘natural’ Ava Raine in update on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s daughter and her wrestling development-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Ava Raine is already impressing her bosses (Picture: WWE)

Shawn Michaels has given an in depth update on how Ava Raine is progressing in her WWE development.

The 21-year-old wrestler, whose real name is Simone Johnson, is the daughter of Hollywood icon Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and she’s already proving herself to be a ‘natural’ after becoming a fourth generation superstar as part of the Schism group on NXT television.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk before this weekend’s NXT Deadline event, the Heartbreak Kid said: ‘I think from a character standpoint, she’s been a real kick in the shorts for the Schism, and I think she’s doing fantatic.

‘We were just talking about it the other day. Her facials, she looks fantastic, she’s really getting comfortable – I think that’s the most important thing. She’s really beginning to, as we say, get into this character and enjoy the process.’

Although Ava is yet to make her in ring debut, she has appeared alongside the Schism members Rip Fowler, Jagger Reid and Joe Gacy, leaving fans impressed with her charisma as she clearly takes after her famous dad.

‘For us, it’s just very exciting to have her plugged into the Schism, and for her to be just enjoying that role, getting comfortable with it, looking natural,’ NXT boss Michaels said.

Ava is following in the footsteps of her dad Dwayne Johnson (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

NXT boss Shawn Michaels has given an update on her progress (Picture: WWE)

‘It’s not looking difficult for her to do, she doesn’t seem to be struggling. I think she’s really gaining confidence as well, and that’s so important to this.’

Of course, fans are eagerly awaiting the first glimpse of her in the ring and while there’s no immediate update on when that moment will be, HBK was overwhelmingly positive about her development behind the scenes.

‘From an in-ring standpoint, I guess I would have to ask one of the coaches on that. I think, with everybody, she’s developing and working at an absoluteley great pace,’ he added.

‘I always throw back to “No news is good news”, and from every report that I read, it’s fantastic and successful.’

Despite the understandable focus on the rising star due to her family’s history in the business, Michaels was keen to stress that the ‘biggest’ goal he has for the talent working their way up is hat they ‘have fun’ as they rise through the ranks.

‘The biggest thing for us – she’s having some fun. We always let her do her job and do it well, but at the same time, this is a very young group that we have here, and I’d really love for them to have fun and enjoy it while they’re doing it,’ he said.

‘This is a tough gig, and it’s a lot easier to do if you’re enjoying the entire process. She’s definitely doing that!’

NXT Deadline airs Saturday night at 1am on the WWE Network.

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