Booker T Defends Controversial Ex-WWE Star Against Critics – “Freaking Ridiculous”
Booker T is coming to the defense of a former WWE superstar.
Ava is the former WWE NXT GM who announced in late January that she was departing the company at 24.
Originally signed as a wrestler in 2020 at 18 years old, Ava was known to WWE because she’s the oldest daughter of the WWE legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. However, her in-ring career was cut short due to injuries and not just working out, so she became NXT GM in January 2024 and was in the role for two years.
After her WWE departure, Ava put out a controversial tweet against the US government that she couldn’t say while under WWE contract, since the company is known to support President Donald Trump. Following her social media post, Ava deactivated her X/Twitter account.
Now that i can say this with my full chest, 🖕🏽 ice and that entire administration.
As an NXT announcer for the past three-plus years, Booker T saw Ava every week for years, and the 2-time WWE Hall of Famer admitted he didn’t see Ava’s departure coming.
While speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T spoke up in defense of Ava, who has been criticized for allegedly getting her WWE job only because of The Rock.
“Ava — maybe she did get her job because of her dad, all right? 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.
And the thing is, people want to just 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. It’s about growing.”
I can only imagine if one of these guys who was speaking on Ava, Dutch Mantell and the rest of them. I can only imagine if your kid was in the business and they was getting the same gripe that someone like Ava was getting when she was only doing a job, and hopefully having fun doing that job. But to hear grown-ass men get these young people down like that, it’s beyond me. It really truly is.”
Booker T Thinks It’s “Freaking Ridiculous” That Ava Was Criticized By “Old Heads”
The master of the Spinarooni went on to express his disappointment in how Ava was criticized so much after leaving WWE.
“They truly need to check themselves, because like I said, I can only imagine if you had a kid that was striving to perhaps get in this business. Think about your own careers more importantly, and how hard it was to make it to the freaking next level. Do that for me for a second, all right? [As] opposed to trying to sit here and critique and knock someone who’s just trying to — you know, have some fun and do a job and perhaps leave a legacy.
If not, I always say the journey is the most important thing. And it makes me hot when I hear these old heads — old heads that know better, know how hard it is in this freaking business. And then, like I say, to knock her just because her dad is who he is. It’s freaking ridiculous.”
Making his final point on the matter, Booker T said that a big reason why he spoke in support of Ava is that she’s a young person.
“And I’m not defending her because of any other reason other than she’s a young person. I see so many young people in this business and these old guys trying to knock them and tear them down. I’m not going to be the one to knock and tear.
You’re not going to hear Booker T knock and tear down any young talent trying to get in this business, no matter where they are on the skill level. I’m going to say, ‘Hey, come to Reality of Wrestling and let’s try to make you better.’ That’s what I’m going to say.”