WWE star opens up about stepping away from full-time role

A popular WWE star has stepped away from their full-time role, which they undertook five months ago. The veteran recently spoke about the surprising move.

WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia returned to the Stamford-based company in full capacity to replace Samantha Irvin on Monday Night RAW in October 2024. However, she switched roles with Alicia Taylor and moved to Friday Night SmackDown in January. Earlier this month, the 58-year-old announced the end of her role as a full-time ring announcer.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT, Garcia reflected on her final full-time appearance at a show in Spain, the country where she spent her childhood. She added that the company wanted it to be meaningful and let her announce it on social media beforehand.

"I think that they actually were like, ‘How can we make this really meaningful?’ So when they told me, ‘We do wanna go ahead and have Spain be your final one, and you’re good to go ahead and announce that on social media’," she said. [From 1:12:08 to 1:12:24]

Lilian Garcia stated that she did not want the fans to think she decided to step away from her role. She claimed that the wrestling promotion was upfront with her and that she was okay with their vision. The veteran added that she was told WWE was open to working with her in the future.

"Because I was like, ‘How are we gonna let people know?’ I don’t want people to think, like a, that it’s me, that didn’t wanna do it for some reason or that I got tired of being on the road or anything. But I also knew that they were very upfront with me, and I respect that. They have a vision, and that’s fine. They have a vision as to what they wanna do. But I also love that they were like, ‘But we’re not done with you yet, we want you here, and we keep an open mind, and let’s use you here.' so I’m excited." [From 1:12:24 to 1:12:58]

You can check out the conversation in the video below:

Lilian Garcia opens about working in WWE under Triple H

In the same interview, Garcia shared her experience following her return to WWE to work under Triple H. Lilian noted that she was living alone in Atlanta, and she considered the wrestling promotion her family.

"Working back with Triple H and seeing all of these people that I worked with for so many years, all the agents now that are the producers that are there. It's my family. I don't have my parents anymore, I didn't have kids, and I'm not in a relationship, I'm in Atlanta by myself. So it is my family, and that's what's so beautiful, and the fact that they [WWE] said, 'Look, we really want to work this out to keep you in some capacity here.' Man, that's music to my ears and just to my heart," she said. [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]

Despite her departure from the blue brand, Lilian Garcia will be the ring announcer for Saturday Night's Main Event. It will be interesting to see if the veteran returns to do more shows moving forward.