Booker T Comments On Ava's Departure From WWE NXT, Suggest Ex-AEW Star As Replacement

Last week, Ava surprised fans when she announced that her time as "WWE NXT" General Manager and with WWE as a whole had come to an end. Ava, the daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, first stepped into the GM role in January 2024. Now, someone else must fill her shoes.

While appearing on the "Hall of Fame" podcast, "NXT" commentator Booker T shared his thoughts on Ava's departure. "I thought she had been doing a hell of a job," he said. "I really did. I thought she fit that role very, very well as a young person, being a part of such a young group of guys doing big things, and being able to have the finger on the pulse as far as knowing what young people may want, perhaps maybe what young people may need. We said for many years, respect your elders, but I do believe we got to respect the young people these days. No more Ava. The question is: who should replace Ava?"

According to Booker, former AEW and WWE star Saraya (also known as Paige) is a solid candidate to take Ava's place. "What a hell of a return that would be," Booker said. "That would be so awe-shocking just because you're not expecting it. It's totally out of left field. It's someone who I could see playing that role and playing that role very, very well."

Following her initial retirement from in-ring competition in 2018, Saraya settled into various non-wrestling jobs, including the General Manager of "WWE SmackDown." In this role, Saraya worked closely with the on-screen "SmackDown" commissioner at the time, Shane McMahon. She remained in it until the end of the respective year, then transformed into the manager for The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane).

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Hall of Fame" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.