Booker T Calls Out “Old Heads” For Tearing Down Ava After WWE Exit

Ava’s WWE departure led to a ton of criticism about money, opportunity, and nepotism — but Booker T isn’t here for the pile-on.

While speaking on the February 17, 2026 episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker addressed the criticism Ava has faced since leaving NXT. In particular, he took issue with veteran voices publicly tearing her down after her exit became official. Booker didn’t mince words when discussing the backlash.

“It’s like people jumping all over Ava last week. Ava left NXT and then I see people—old heads too, I’m going to call them out—like Stevie Richards and his partner James. I know Richards tries to do his best to help out James.”

He acknowledged that Ava’s famous lineage — as the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — may have opened doors, but said that shouldn’t erase the progress she made on screen.

“But the thing is, maybe Ava did get her job because of her dad. But I watched when she first started that job, and she wasn’t that good—I can attest to that. But I also watched Ava grow in that job, and I saw her get so much better at what she was doing.”

Booker argued that growth is the entire point of the business and felt critics were ignoring that development. He then turned the criticism back on those making it, asking them to consider how they would feel if their own children were treated the same way.

“People just want to harp on how bad she was and not give her credit for how much better she had gotten. That’s what this business is about—it’s about growing. I can imagine one of these guys speaking on Ava—like Dutch Mantell and the rest of them. I can only imagine if your kid was in the business and getting the same criticism Ava was getting when she was just doing a job and hopefully having fun doing it.“To hear grown men tearing young people down like that—it’s beyond me. It really is. They need to check themselves.”

He closed by reminding veterans how difficult the wrestling business truly is, so it makes him genuinely mad when oldheads just tear down younger talent instead of helping them.

“Like I said, I can only imagine if you had a kid striving to get into this business. Think about your own careers and how hard it was to make it to the next level. Do that for a second instead of sitting here critiquing and knocking someone who’s just trying to have fun, do a job, and maybe leave a legacy. It makes me mad when I hear these old heads—who know better—doing that. Do you know how hard it is in this business? It’s ridiculous.”

Whether Ava left over money, burnout, or a personal pivot, Booker T made one thing clear: growth matters — and veterans piling on a 24-year-old isn’t the move.

Do you agree with Booker T defending Ava, or do veteran voices have the right to critique how she handled her role in NXT? Sound off in the comments.

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