Samantha Irvin Shuts Down Rumors About Leaving WWE — The Truth on Her Non-Compete and Pay
Halfway through her non-compete, former WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin used a blunt X post to slam rumors about her October exit after a fan pressed her on her WWE deal.
Quick update on Samantha Irvin, because a lot of you have asked where she went and when she might pop back up on your screen: she is officially halfway through her WWE non-compete. And no, she is not sitting home collecting a check. Here is what that actually means, and what she is doing instead.
Where things stand with WWE
Irvin left WWE on October 21, 2024. On October 21, 2025, she jumped on X to say she is one year into a two-year non-compete. Translation: she has one more year before she can work in pro wrestling again. WWE is owned by TKO, and her agreement is keeping her out of the ring-announcing game until fall 2026.
'I never left for music, I am music.'
That was the vibe of her post: enjoy the music she is dropping now, and remember the WWE run fondly, because she does.
The money question (and the contract wrinkle)
A fan asked if WWE is paying her during the non-compete and whether she walked out with time left on a talent deal. Irvin clarified the part that trips people up: she was not under a performer contract like a wrestler. She was a company employee out of WWE's Stamford offices. Because she resigned from that employee role, she did not breach a talent deal, and she is not being paid while she waits out the non-compete. It is a very wrestling-business kind of distinction, but that is why the math looks different here.
So what is she doing now?
Music, full speed. The 36-year-old has rolled out three singles so far, each with a music video on her official YouTube channel (she is at 31.8K subscribers right now):
- 'Assumin''
- 'Shawty Wanna'
- 'Sweet' — her latest, released October 14, 2025
'Sweet' caused a little stir on X because of a sensual dance move in the choreography. She pushed back and defended the choice. Meanwhile, over on YouTube, the response has been much warmer: lots of praise for her vocals and the straight-up 2000s R&B feel. Fans are already telling her not to stop and asking for an album sooner rather than later.
Why she walked away in the first place
In a USA Today interview after her exit last fall, Irvin said the WWE gig was the performance of a lifetime, but it started to swallow the part of her that sings. As the ring-announcing took off, the singing gigs slowed, and she realized she could not keep splitting herself in two. So she chose her first love and left WWE.
Bottom line: she is not back in wrestling until the non-compete runs out next year, she is not being paid by WWE while she waits, and she is using the time to build a music lane that sounds exactly like what she wants to be doing. If you miss her voice, there is a pretty easy place to find it right now.