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Samantha Irvin announces she’s leaving WWE, Lillian Garcia returns as ring announcer

Irvin had become a fixture on WWE programming

uncrowned staff
·2-min read
Musician and WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin performs the national anthem before an NFL football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Musician and WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin performs the national anthem before an NFL football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Popular WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin announced Monday that she is leaving WWE. In a post on social media, she thanked, among others, Hall of Famers Brian “Road Dogg” James, Mark Henry and WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque for their support during her time with the company.

"WWE Universe, my time has come to an end as your Monday Night Raw Ring Announcer," read part of Irvin's statement. "I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share. Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me."

With her arena-filling voice and obvious passion for the business, Irvin became a mainstay and focal point of WWE television broadcasts over the past several years since joining the company in 2021. Perhaps her most memorable moment came at the end of the main event of WrestleMania 40, when Cody Rhodes dethroned Roman Reigns to win the WWE championship.

Irvin is married to former WWE superstar and current AEW wrestler Ricochet. The former WWE superstar left the promotion earlier this year to work in Tony Khan’s company and posted in support of Irvin on Monday.

In light of Irvin's departure, former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia returned to the company to replace Irvin as the ring announcer for Monday's edition of "WWE Raw," as first reported by Sean Ross-Sapp of Fightful Select.

"WWE Raw," the company's long-running flagship weekly series, currently airs on the USA Network, but will soon begin a new era, airing on Netflix beginning in January 2025.