Jim Cornette Claims Ava Had No Business on Being a Wrestling Show After WWE Exit

Ava Raine’s WWE departure caught fans off guard—but Jim Cornette had already made up his mind about The Rock’s daughter long before she walked out.

On Episode 618 of The Jim Cornette Experience, the legendary manager and wrestling commentator unleashed a brutal critique of Ava’s entire WWE run. According to Cornette, she never should’ve been on TV in the first place.

“She had no business on a f**ing wrestling show doing any goddamn thing. She didn’t need to be on television. Since she’d been on the air, people decided to quit breathing. When she walks into a bank, they turn off the cameras.”*

Cornette didn’t stop there. He claimed fans were never going to give her a fair shot—not because of anything she did, but because of how she got there.

“Can I stress more how she doesn’t need to be on television? And the fans were never going to give her a break because she was obviously a nepo hire. Again, you know, they were trying to be nice in every way to The Rock, but that’s not fair to the girl.”

He added that giving her a job she wasn’t ready for didn’t help her—it hurt her.

“That’s not a favor to them to give them a job they’re not qualified for. They look awkward, and fans are just going to laugh at them.”

Ava Raine—real name Simone Johnson—announced her departure from WWE shortly before shutting down her Twitter account. While WWE issued a formal farewell praising her contributions, Cornette’s take reflects a much harsher reality from wrestling’s old guard.

Do you agree with Jim Cornette’s take on Ava’s WWE run? Was she set up to fail, or was she never ready in the first place? Drop your thoughts in the comments.