Who replaced Samantha Irvin on WWE RAW this week? 

Samantha Irvin's exit from WWE shocked the pro wrestling world, but the company hasn't taken too long to find a replacement. Irvin announced her departure with a lengthy statement on her Instagram account earlier today.

Lilian Garcia is Irvin's replacement and returns to announcing duty full-time. She started immediately on tonight's episode of WWE RAW, first announcing the New Day vs. the Authors of Pain.

The 58-year-old previously spent a decade with WWE from 1999 to 2009. She is synonymous with Monday Night RAW and is arguably the best option to replace Irvin after her shocking exit.

Lilian Garcia returned for another stint with the promotion from 2011 to 2016. She has since made sporadic appearances on WWE RAW, including earlier this year when she coincidentally helped Irvin announce.

Samantha Irvin's announcement surprised many, including her former colleagues. She'd been positioned as the company's main ring announcer and has been a mainstay at PLEs, including WrestleMania 41. She was a musician before entering the pro wrestling business.

Her partner, former WWE and current AEW star Ricochet, downplayed suggestions that she was AEW-bound. Judging by her X bio, which simply reads 'ARTIST,' she may go back to her music career.

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"I miss you" - Lilian Garcia hinted at a WWE RAW return before Samantha Irvin's shocking exit

Lilian Garcia spoke glowingly of her one-off appearance on WWE RAW in May earlier this year. She explained on her Instagram story how a supposed reunion turned into an 'awesome' moment with Samantha Irvin:

"I just stopped by to say hi to everybody. Next thing you know, I was on the show. It was so much fun. Triple H, thank you so much for including me in the show. Doing that with Samantha was so awesome. And all the fans and the reception that I got, you guys are amazing. I miss you. I’m just so glad that I can pop in every now and then. I hope you guys had fun tonight because there’s nothing like a live Raw event. Until next time, I love you." [H/T Inside the Ropes].

Garcia is popular with the WWE Universe because of her enthusiasm and passion when on the job. She became the first female and first Latina to announce at WrestleMania amid a hugely successful career with her now-current employers.

It will be interesting to see who is on ring announcing duty at Crown Jewel, WWE's next PLE on November 2. Samantha Irvin served as the ring announcer for Bad Blood, her last PLE with the company.