Samantha Irvin has revealed the real reason she’s left WWE after receiving a torrent of abuse from trolls.
The 35-year-old star has been hailed as one of the best ring announcers of all time after her performances over the last few years, bringing an incredible layer of emotion to the role.
However, Samantha – who announced her shock departure a few hours before Monday Night Raw last week, with Lilian Garcia replacing her – has admitted she didn’t actually ‘like’ the job.
Explaining why she was sharing her feelings, she wrote on X: ‘I don’t take any of it for granted. It was the best time, I’m just not an announcer. I’m an actress. And the only reason I had to let people know I left because I don’t enjoy the act of announcing, is because of the wave of hate that has come to myself and my husband.
‘The constant comparisons and the assumption that I would leave announcing at WWE to announce somewhere else. I’m a stage performer.
‘I enjoyed playing the role until it wasn’t acting anymore and until I realized there was no character work for me at WWE. I poured my love for wrestling into it. Doesn’t mean I consider myself a true announcer. I’m a performer.’
She insisted announcing was ‘only supposed to be’ a way in, as she had other ambitions as a performer.
‘I wanted to manage, maybe even become general manager one day,’ she explained. ‘But WWE saw no other future for me besides announcer. I love watching the action but I don’t love being an announcer.’
Samantha replied to a fan to say she is still ‘so proud and honoured’ for the opportunities she had, but it was time to move on.
She has made it clear she’s addressing the reasons for her shock exit after speculation she could head to AEW to join her fiance Ricochet, but that won’t be the case.
‘He was blaming my husband for my departure. I responded with THE TRUTH. I left because I don’t see myself as an announcer. That’s it,’ she tweeted.
She added: ‘Imagine the one thing fans knowing you for is not something you enjoy.’
Although WWE’s upcoming move to Netflix made her decision a ‘tough call’, she wanted to show she could do more – while still being grateful for the position she had.
Samantha revealed she enjoyed ‘helping create a vibe, helping with the presentation of the Superstars, interacting with the fans’ and supporting her pals behind the scenes,’ but the actual role of announcing was ‘not fun’ for her.
The former America’s Got Talent star and singer insisted she had to make a decision ‘the minute it stopped being a performance and the world started regarding me as an actual announcer’.
She had ambitions to become a manager, a commentator and even a writer, looking to the way people like Paul Heyman have risen up through the ranks in the wrestling world.
‘I wanted to age in the company, become a trusted figure and eventually do character work. Paul Heyman is my inspiration,’ she said.
She had ‘anxiety’ over her role, particularly with remembers match rules, worrying her ‘voice might crack’, plus the idea of ‘millions watching’ around the world.
‘I’m an artist, a performer, and the announcer role requires a certain type of professional. I’m proud of what I did but I do miss performing in other capacities. Of course I love sitting there and watching. I’ve been traveling the world since 2011. I love my colleagues and I love the fans. But I want to do other things now,’ she continued in another tweet.
Fans pointed to seeing her cry as her voice cracked when Cody Rhodes finally won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40 earlier this year, which viewers loved to see.
But she argued: ‘Nah they should have never let a fan that close to the action 💯 I knew in that moment it was time to move on. I couldn’t pretend any longer and I would never trade in being a fan for being the ring announcer.’
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