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After leaving the WWE in favor of a music career, former ring announcer Samantha Irvin promised that she would return to professional wrestling someday.
Speaking to USA Today, Irvin reassured her fans that she would return to wrestling someday. She used the metaphor that Cody Rhodes used while pursuing the Undisputed WWE Championship — she wants to “finish my story.”
“That's a guarantee. My wrestling career has barely even begun,” she said. “I think it would be an absolute waste of everything that I've done so far to not continue the story. I gotta finish my story.”
However, do not expect her back as a ring announcer. Since leaving WWE, Irvin has expressed her ambivalence towards ring announcing. It was supposed to be a means to an end, not her career.
So, maybe her lifelong dream of becoming a manager or in-ring wrestler will come true. Her fiancé, Ricochet, is currently in AEW, so maybe she will rejoin him and work in the same company as him once again.
Either way, the future is bright for Irvin. She made a name for herself in WWE, but she left on her own terms. And now, the world is her oyster.
What has Samantha Irvin done since leaving WWE and will she return?
Since leaving WWE, Irvin has returned to her music roots. She has a new single, “Make Me,” which is her first since in a half-decade and will come out on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2025.
It is described as a “soulful R&B/pop song that is true to her as an artist” and “the perfect re-introduction for supporters of her sound.”
Before getting into the professional wrestling business, Irvin was a singer. She gained notoriety for starring as the lead female vocalist of the Michael Jackson tribute show, Thriller — Live. Irvin performed the show from 2011-15.
Additionally, she competed on the 10th season of America's Got Talent. Irvin auditioned by performing Aretha Franklin's “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” However, she was eliminated in the semi-finals.
She later appeared on Fox's I Can See Your Voice, performing Lizzo's “Good as Hell.” She sang and played the flute during the performance.
Her wrestling career
Before becoming a ring announcer, Irvin initially auditioned to be an in-ring competitor. She was unsuccessful, but she was later hired as a ring announcer for WWE 205 Live. The now-defunct WWE show ran from November 29, 2016, to February 11, 2022.
Irvin then moved to NXT to be their ring announcer. She was later promoted to the main roster in January 2022, moving to Friday Night SmackDown. Irvin would remain there for over a year before being moved to Monday Night RAW in February 2023.
At WrestleMania 41, Irvin had the honor of introducing all 14 matches on the card. These matches included Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, which Rhodes won.
In October 2024, Irvin announced her departure from WWE. She announced it right before an episode of RAW, leaving it in flux. Lillian Garcia, who was previously with WWE, returned to the company to take over Irvin's spot.
