Ava (aka Simone Johnson, the real-life daughter of The Rock) landed herself a brand-new role on WWE NXT last night and made WWE history in the process! During last night’s episode of the black and gold brand, she was seen emerging from Shawn Michaels’ office alongside a familiar face: The returning William Regal! This marks Regal’s first televised NXT appearance since the debut episode of NXT 2.0 back in September 2021, though his first overall WWE appearance since his return actually took place last month.
Ava revealed that they had been in a meeting and thanked Regal for his presence. Regal reflected on the meeting’s productivity and then congratulated Ava on becoming the new General Manager of NXT. He then requested that she take care of the brand for him, stating that it meant the world to him despite the role being “a thankless job” full of tough decisions, and that he was always available if she needed help.
In becoming the NXT General Manager at just 22 years old, Ava is officially the youngest individual ever appointed to the role in WWE history. That record was previously held by Tiffany, better known for her time as Taryn Terrell in TNA, who was appointed ECW General Manager back in 2009 at the age of 23. She also becomes the first-ever woman to hold the General Manager position on NXT as well as the first female WWE General Manager in over five years.
Ava becomes the third General Manager in NXT history and directly succeeds Regal in the role. Regal himself held the position for over seven years, taking over from JBL in July 2014, until his sudden WWE release back in January 2022. Dusty Rhodes, Michael Cole, and Cody Rhodes have also held the General Manager position on the black and gold brand, albeit in short-term or one-night-only roles as Interim or Guest General Manager respectively.