Simone Johnson has not closed the door on returning to the ring.
The former WWE NXT General Manager, who previously competed under the name Ava, addressed the possibility of wrestling again during an appearance on What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes. Johnson said she still has injuries that require attention, but made clear that she hopes her active in-ring career has not reached its conclusion.
“I hope not. I was actually just thinking about this today. I don't think so. I have a couple injuries that I need to sort out, and then when that is done, I think so.”
Johnson’s comments offer an important update on a period of change that has seen her step away from WWE NXT following the decision not to renew her contract earlier this year. While she became a prominent on-screen figure in NXT as its General Manager, her role behind the scenes and her physical condition had changed significantly by the end of her run.
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For Johnson, the desire to compete remains connected not only to the matches she had in NXT, but also to the day-to-day training process that was a major part of her time in WWE. She explained that she continued to train and wrestle even while serving as General Manager, until pain prevented her from doing so during the final two months of her tenure.
“I do genuinely miss actually wrestling because for my last, I think two months there, I wasn't. So even when I was general manager, I was still actually training, I was still wrestling. But then for my last two months there, I was in so much pain that I wasn't actually wrestling. So I do miss that.”
Those remarks underline that Johnson’s departure from NXT did not stem from a loss of interest in professional wrestling itself. Instead, she is dealing with physical issues that must be resolved before a potential return to action can become a realistic possibility.
Johnson’s NXT run included competition and authority
Johnson’s WWE career was followed closely from the moment she joined the company, in part because she is the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Yet her path in NXT developed across distinct stages. Before becoming the brand’s General Manager, she was an active performer in the developmental system and wrestled six matches for NXT in 2023.
Her on-screen authority role eventually became the central part of her NXT presentation. As General Manager, she was involved in major announcements, match decisions, and the overall structure of NXT programming. The position gave Johnson a visible presence on the brand even as her own in-ring opportunities became less frequent.
However, being a television authority figure did not mean she had stopped preparing to wrestle. Johnson’s comments to Rhodes make that distinction clear. She continued training while carrying out her General Manager responsibilities, preserving a connection to the part of the business she says she misses most.
That context is significant when considering her future. A wrestler moving into an authority role can sometimes signal a permanent shift away from active competition. In Johnson’s case, she has indicated that the transition was not necessarily intended to be final. The injury concerns, rather than a lack of ambition to compete, were what kept her out of the ring during the closing stretch of her NXT run.
Injuries remain the key factor
Johnson did not provide specifics about the injuries she needs to address, nor did she offer a timetable for treatment, recovery, or a possible return. As a result, there is no confirmed date for when she could resume training or wrestle again.
Still, her answer was notably optimistic. Saying “I hope not” in response to whether her in-ring career is over leaves little doubt that she sees a path back, provided she can first get healthy. That is a different message than a retirement announcement or a declaration that she has moved on from the physical side of wrestling.
Professional wrestling demands far more than appearing in matches on television. Returning after injuries requires the ability to train consistently, build conditioning, regain timing, and work safely with other performers. Johnson’s own description of being unable to wrestle because she was in substantial pain illustrates why sorting out those issues must come before any next step.
There is also an important difference between missing wrestling and being ready to return immediately. Johnson was candid about the first point, while remaining measured about the second. She did not present an in-ring comeback as guaranteed, and she did not identify a promotion, opponent, or venue for a future match. Her focus is on recovery first.
Why Johnson chose to leave WWE
Johnson announced at the beginning of the year that she would be leaving NXT after deciding not to renew her WWE contract. In her conversation with Rhodes, she said there were “a lot of reasons” behind that decision.
One of those reasons was her belief that she could not continue to grow within her position in the company. Her role as NXT General Manager was a major one on television, but Johnson indicated that there were limits to where she felt she could take it. The lack of room for growth contributed to her choice to pursue a life outside WWE.
That choice does not erase the appreciation she has expressed for her time with the company. Johnson has spoken positively about the experience while also acknowledging that she wanted to find out what life outside the wrestling industry looked like again. Her decision was therefore not framed simply as an exit from wrestling, but as an opportunity to broaden her experiences beyond the environment she had been in.
For a performer who entered WWE at a young age and whose connection to the industry has been highly visible, that perspective is understandable. NXT was both a workplace and a demanding training environment. It gave Johnson exposure to live television, character work, physical preparation, and the pressures that come with building a career under intense public attention.
Now, she is taking stock of what comes next. The fact that she is open about missing the ring suggests wrestling remains an important part of that conversation, even as she explores life away from WWE.
No confirmed next destination
Johnson did not reveal whether a potential return would take place in WWE, on the independent scene, or with another promotion. Her comments were centered on her personal desire to wrestle again once her injuries are sorted out, not on any formal plans for a new contract or debut.
That uncertainty should be kept in perspective. There is presently no announcement that Johnson has been medically cleared, resumed regular wrestling training, signed anywhere, or scheduled for a match. What is confirmed is that she does not view her in-ring career as definitively finished.
That alone makes her comments noteworthy. Johnson’s NXT tenure included only six documented matches in 2023, leaving relatively little opportunity for her to show what she might become as an in-ring performer over a longer period. Her General Manager work made her familiar to NXT viewers, but it also meant that much of her development as a wrestler took place away from a regular match schedule.
A return, if and when it happens, would give Johnson the chance to revisit that unfinished aspect of her career. Whether she ultimately returns to WWE or chooses another setting remains unknown, and any decision will depend first on her health and recovery.
For now, Johnson’s message is straightforward: she misses the work, she wants to wrestle again, and she is not ready to call her in-ring journey over. After spending her final months in NXT unable to train because of pain, getting those injuries handled is the necessary first step before she can determine what the next chapter will be.
Johnson’s comments were made on What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes.
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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.