Samantha Irvin became one of WWE’s most recognizable voices, but she recently admitted that ring announcing was never her passion. Speaking on Busted Open, Irvin revealed that announcing was just a way to break into the company, and she had ambitions to take on other roles—including refereeing and writing.
“When I said, ‘I don’t like announcing. That’s not really what I want to do,’ it’s hard… it’s a real job that I’m honestly not good at,” Irvin admitted.
“Because I’m gonna cry if Shawn Michaels comes out, so I’m not good at this.”
She expressed appreciation for WWE allowing her creative freedom but always wanted to explore different opportunities.
“I just wanted the opportunity to challenge if maybe it wasn’t just the ring announcing people loved. Give me a chance to see if maybe it’s just Samantha. Put me in some other positions.”
Irvin even pitched the idea of becoming a WWE referee but was turned down.
“At one point, I asked if I could referee, and they were like, ‘No!’” she recalled with a laugh.
She was also interested in writing for the company, revealing that before she officially took the ring announcer job, she had been interviewing for a different department within WWE.
“I wanna be an old lady, an old, smart lady who knows everything and makes sht happen.”*
One of the few people who recognized her ambitions was Michael Hayes, who saw her drive to learn.
“He was like, ‘You wanna learn everything don’t ya?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’”
While Irvin didn’t get the chance to transition beyond announcing in WWE, she’s now returning to her first love—music. She will release her debut single “Make Me” on February 14, marking the start of a new chapter in her career.