Simone Johnson, known to WWE audiences as Ava, has offered a candid explanation for her decision to leave the company earlier this year. The former NXT general manager said the choice was not made lightly, but she ultimately reached a point where she did not believe she was in the right position to continue growing within WWE.
Johnson announced her WWE departure in January, ending a run that began when she signed with the company in 2020. At the time of her exit, she had been serving as the on-screen general manager of NXT, a prominent authority role that placed her at the center of the brand’s weekly television presentation.
Speaking with Cody Rhodes on What Do You Want To Talk About?, Johnson was asked whether walking away from WWE had been difficult. Her answer made clear that the decision followed a long period of thought rather than a sudden change in direction.
“Incredibly. It had been something that I had been thinking about for about a year. I knew my contract was up in February. A couple things had been happening. There are a lot of different reasons why I chose to leave. It was incredibly hard, but I felt like it was time.”
For more background on this topic, read Ava Reflects On Backlash From The Rock-Cody Rhodes WrestleMania XL Storyline.
Johnson did not identify every factor that contributed to her departure. Instead, she emphasized the personal and professional need to keep developing, even if that meant stepping away from a company where she had spent years building a public-facing role.
“I really wanted to grow, and I didn’t feel like I was in a position at WWE to where I could grow. I’m incredibly grateful for my time there, would not change it for the world, but I knew I needed to do something else. I needed to learn and grow and see what’s on the other side.”
A Long-Term Decision Rather Than a Sudden Exit
The timing of Johnson’s comments is notable because she said she had been considering the move for roughly a year before her contract came due in February. That suggests her January announcement was the conclusion of a lengthy process, not simply a reaction to one moment or one creative development.
For performers and on-screen personalities in WWE, contract decisions can involve a range of career considerations. Johnson did not offer specifics about the “couple things” that had been happening, and she did not assign blame to any individual or department. Her explanation centered on a broader feeling: she wanted a new opportunity to learn, expand her skill set, and discover what existed outside the structure she had known since 2020.
That distinction matters. Johnson did not frame her departure as a rejection of WWE or as a dismissal of the opportunities she received there. In fact, she repeatedly conveyed appreciation for her time with the promotion. At the same time, gratitude for a past opportunity and confidence that it is time to move on can coexist, particularly for someone seeking a different type of development.
Her comments also underline the reality that a visible television role is not necessarily the same thing as a complete career path. Ava’s NXT general manager position gave Johnson a regular presence on the brand, but she indicated that visibility alone was not enough to satisfy her desire to grow. Her choice was rooted in what she believed she needed next, rather than simply in the role she held at the moment she left.
From WWE Signing to NXT General Manager
Johnson signed with WWE in 2020 and entered the company with immediate attention surrounding her name. As Simone Johnson, she is the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of WWE’s most successful and recognizable figures. That family connection made her arrival a major point of interest, while also creating an environment in which her own progress would be watched closely.
Her WWE journey developed in a different direction than the standard in-ring path many fans expected when she first joined the company. She became Ava and was associated with The Schism during her time in NXT before later moving into the general manager role. As NXT general manager, Ava was responsible for making matches, addressing disputes, announcing decisions, and serving as an authority figure during major developments on the show.
The role made her one of the recurring personalities on NXT television. It also represented a significant level of trust in her ability to handle a presentation that often requires performers to guide storylines, react to unpredictable confrontations, and communicate clearly in front of a live audience.
Still, Johnson’s new remarks indicate that she saw limits in her ability to develop where she was. She did not say whether that concern was tied to performing, creative work, business experience, or another part of the entertainment industry. What she did make clear was that she wanted to pursue a path that would allow her to continue learning.
Johnson Has Moved Into a New Entertainment Role
Since leaving WWE, Johnson has begun working as a junior executive at Seven Bucks Productions. The company is associated with Dwayne Johnson and operates in the entertainment space, giving her a different professional environment from the one she occupied as an on-screen WWE character.
The move aligns with the emphasis Johnson placed on gaining experience and exploring new possibilities. While WWE is a global entertainment company with an expansive production operation, her role at Seven Bucks Productions places her in a new professional setting and gives her an opportunity to pursue growth away from weekly wrestling television.
Johnson did not present the new position as a simple replacement for WWE. Instead, her comments suggested that the transition is part of a larger effort to broaden her perspective. She specifically said she needed to “learn and grow and see what’s on the other side,” language that points to a willingness to step into unfamiliar territory after spending several formative years inside WWE.
There is also no indication in her remarks that she views the decision as erasing the value of her NXT experience. She said she would not change her time in WWE “for the world,” a strong statement from someone who nevertheless concluded that a departure was necessary.
What Ava’s Comments Say About Her WWE Exit
Johnson’s explanation avoids the more dramatic framing that often surrounds WWE departures. She did not claim that one issue alone caused her exit, nor did she suggest that her time in the company was unsuccessful. Her account is more nuanced: WWE was meaningful to her, the decision was extremely difficult, and she felt she had reached the point where pursuing growth required moving elsewhere.
That honesty offers a clearer understanding of why a person may choose to leave a high-profile role. Career progression is not always measured by a title, television time, or proximity to a major promotion. For Johnson, the deciding question appears to have been whether she had room to continue evolving in the way she wanted. Her conclusion was that she needed a new environment.
Her acknowledgement that she had been thinking about the move for around a year further reinforces that this was a considered transition. With her WWE contract set to expire in February, she had a natural point at which to evaluate what she wanted from the next stage of her career. She chose to depart in January and has since moved into her role with Seven Bucks Productions.
For NXT, Ava’s exit closed the book on a distinct chapter in the brand’s authority-figure presentation. For Johnson personally, it marked the end of a WWE tenure that began in 2020 and included a prominent televised position. She remains appreciative of that period, but her comments show that appreciation was not enough to override her desire for something different.
Johnson’s message is ultimately one of ambition. Leaving WWE was, in her own words, “incredibly” hard. Yet she believed it was time to take the risk, seek fresh experiences, and find out what her career could become beyond the company. As she starts her work as a junior executive at Seven Bucks Productions, that next phase is already underway.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.