Booker T didn’t hold back when addressing recent criticism aimed at Ava following her WWE departure, taking issue with veterans who questioned her place in the company.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer responded to commentary about Ava (Simone Johnson) following her exit from NXT.
Rather than focus on her departure, Booker T zeroed in on what he sees as unfair piling on from what he called “old heads” in the business.
“It’s just like people jumping all over Ava last week… Old heads too — I’mma call their names too — like a Stevie Richards and his partner James,” Booker T said.
Booker T Defends Ava’s Tenure Amid Nepotism Debate
A recurring critique of Ava centered on nepotism, given that she is the daughter of The Rock. Booker T acknowledged the privilege but stressed her development during her tenure.
“Maybe she did get her job because of her dad,” he said. “But I watched Ava when she first started that job, and she wasn’t that good… But I watched Ava grow in that job, and I saw her get so much better.”
Booker T argued that growth is the foundation of WWE and professional wrestling as a whole. “People just want to harp on how bad she was and not give her credit for how much better she had gotten,” he said. “That’s what this business is about — it’s about growing.”
He also referenced Dutch Mantell among those he believes have been overly critical, adding that veterans should reflect before tearing down younger talent. “To hear grown a** men tearing these young people down like that — it’s beyond me. They truly need to check themselves.”
Richards, for his part, described Ava’s character as “pretty vanilla” on his own show, claiming she had only one memorable segment.
Booker T, who currently calls NXT action weekly, made it clear — in WWE, everyone starts somewhere. And sometimes, the real main event is improvement.
READ MORE: WWE’s Booker T On Worst Commentator Award: Dave Meltzer Is Sucking The Life Out Of Wrestling
