Samantha Irvin to join AEW in backstage role and help Tony Khan closely, suggests Dave LaGreca; former WWE star responds

Samantha Irvin was at the pinnacle of her ring-announcing career when she suddenly left WWE in October 2024. The wrestling world was shocked by the decision. She later clarified she was unsatisfied with merely being a ring announcer in the Stamford-based promotion.

The former WWE star recently appeared on the Busted Open podcast, where host Dave LaGreca suggested she'd be a great addition to Tony Khan's roster in a backstage role in AEW.

Reacting to the suggestion, Samantha Irvin said she would be open to joining any wrestling promotion in the future if a good enough opportunity arose. This might be a hint that if Tony Khan approached her with a good deal, she wouldn't turn it down.

She said, "I'm so proud of everything that I accomplished, but ring announcing is not my goal. I'm very goal-oriented so when I accomplished all that stuff and it was like 'okay that's it so now. I'm just going to keep doing it and there's nothing else to work for or to reach.' That's when I had to step away. If there is some work that needs to be done if there's something that I think needs to be improved and if there's a way that I can contribute, I'm going to finagle my way back in there when the time is right. Wherever that may be." [From 24:56 - 25:25]

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Samantha Irvin says she'll return to WWE on one condition

During her interview on the Busted Open podcast, Samantha Irvin was asked if she'd return to WWE. She explained she would love to, but only if they allow her to work in some backstage capacity. She doesn't want to return to her old ring-announcing post.

"Let me be in a backstage (role), let me speak. I never spoke, not one time, except when I said, 'Thank you, Lilian [Garcia],' when she hugged me, but I've never said a free word," said Irvin.

Samantha Irvin has been focusing on her music career since she parted ways with WWE and even released her first single called Make Me recently. She released it on Valentine's Day in 2025.

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While using any quotes from this article, please credit the Busted Open Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.