Simone Johnson was set to go to NYU after high school, but the lure of the wrestling ring was too much.
Johnson's decision to forgo NYU for WWE came at what would seem to be a questionable time as she had just blown out her knee when she made the choice to sign with WWE.
"I was supposed to go to NYU in August," Simone said on the Swerve City podcast. "At the end of July, I blew my knee out completely and it sucked, but in a way it made me re-think everything. After I hurt my knee, I was like, 'Alright, I don't think I want to go to New York anymore' and I wanted to stay in Orlando. Almost a year ago, I moved [to Orlando] and it was the happiest I had ever been because I love wrestling and love the people I'm around. I vividly remember, a couple of days after I hurt myself, my mom came in and I told her, 'I don't think I want to go to New York. I want to attend college in Orlando and keep training once I'm able to again.' My mom means everything to me and her first reaction was, 'Okay, we'll make it work.' Throughout all this, she has been the most supportive person."
She continued, "Not going to New York was the best decision I made. I signed my contract in December. I look at [wrestling] differently now, but I still have that kid inside. Now, while watching, it's still amazing, but what can I learn from this match, this person, and how does it tie in?"
WWE announced the signing of Simone, who is the daughter of The Rock, in February. She had been training on-and-off at the Performance Center since 2018. It is unknown when she will make her official WWE debut.
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