Samantha Irvin

Samantha Irvin
Born
Samantha Johnson

(1989-01-09) January 9, 1989 (age 35)
Dennis, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other names
  • Samantha
  • Samantha Irvin
Occupation(s)Ring announcer, musician
Partner(s)Ricochet (2021–present; engaged)
Children1

Samantha Johnson[a] (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestling ring announcer and musician. She is best known for her time in WWE from 2021 to 2024, under the ring name Samantha Irvin.

Early life

Johnson was born in Dennis, Massachusetts, in 1989, the eldest of six siblings.[1] At the age of four, she began studying classical music, going on to compete in classical flute at a national level.[2][3] At the age of 12, her family moved to the North End neighborhood of New Bedford, Massachusetts,[4] where she attended Normandin Middle School.[5] As a child, she was a fan of professional wrestling, and attended WrestleMania XIV in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1998.[6][better source needed] She went on to attend New Bedford High School, where she starred as Dorothy Gale in a performance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz[3] and won a gold medal at the International Association of Jazz Educators State Jazz Finals as part of the New Bedford High School Jazz Choir.[7] As a teenager in the mid-2000s, she twice auditioned for American Idol.[1] After graduating in 2007, Johnson worked as the Drama Club director for Normandin Middle School[8] and as a waitress.[2][9] At the age of 20 she auditioned for America's Got Talent.[1]

Musical career

From 2011 to 2015, Johnson performed as the lead female vocalist on the Michael Jackson tribute show Thriller – Live.[1][3][4][10] In 2015, she appeared on season 10 of America's Got Talent, auditioning with "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin; she was eliminated in the semi-finals.[8][11] Later that year, she starred in a show titled "Home" in the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford in which she sang, whistled, danced, told stories, and played the flute; her five siblings all appeared in the show.[3] In 2016, she released an EP, 27Underground, including the debut single "Jump High"; her siblings provided backing vocals.[1][12][13] In the same year, she portrayed Betty Rizzo in a production of Grease staged in the New Bedford Festival Theatre.[14] In 2020, Johnson appeared on I Can See Your Voice on FOX, playing the flute and singing "Good as Hell" by Lizzo.[6][5][15] After relocating to Las Vegas, she appeared in productions including Vegas! The Show (portraying Gladys Knight and Tina Turner).[5][16]

Professional wrestling career

Johnson was introduced to the professional wrestling promotion WWE by WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry. She originally auditioned at the WWE Performance Center to be a wrestler, but was unsuccessful.[6] In April 2021, she was hired by WWE as the ring announcer for WWE 205 Live on Peacock. She adopted the ring name "Samantha Irvin".[5] Irvin went on to serve as a ring announcer for WWE NXT on the USA Network.[17] In January 2022, she was promoted to being the ring announcer for WWE SmackDown on FOX.[18] In February 2023, she moved to being the ring announcer for WWE Raw on the USA Network.[19] At WrestleMania XL in April 2024, Irvin introduced 14 matches; her performance garnered praise from veteran announcer Michael Buffer.[6][11] On October 21, 2024, Irvin announced her departure from WWE.[20][21]

Filmography

Title Year Role Notes
Got 2B Real: The Diva Variety Show 2012 Christina Aguilera Episodes: "Crispy Business", "Long Time, No Seat"
Got 2B Trill: The Untold Story 2015 Christina Aguilera
Social Girl 2019 Virginia Washington Episode: "Too Young"

Discography

  • 27Underground (2016)

Personal life

Johnson became engaged to professional wrestler Ricochet in 2023.[21][22] She has a daughter from a previous relationship.[6][21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Daley, Lauren (December 21, 2017). "Something to sing about". The Standard-Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Samantha Johnson". NBC.com. NBC. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Bowles, Sandy Quadros (October 30, 2015). "Bringing it Home: Samantha Johnson at Z tonight". The Standard-Times. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Simmons, Colton (November 20, 2015). "Faces of New Bedford – #25: Samantha Johnson". NewBedfordGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Chitwood, Seth (April 30, 2021). "New Bedford native Samantha Johnson lands major WWE role". The Standard-Times. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Antony, Kebin (May 6, 2024). "17 things you didn't know about WWE's announcer Samantha Irvin". TheSportster.com. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Staff writer (May 19, 2006). "Jazz choir wins gold medal". The Standard-Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Chitwood, Seth (March 10, 2021). "Local superstar Samantha Johnson virtually returns to New Bedford to belt Broadway". The Standard-Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  9. ^ Moser, John J. (July 1, 2015). "Woman with area ties wins over judges on 'America's Got Talent'". The Paterson Morning Call. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  10. ^ St. Michel, Patrick (September 28, 2012). "Stage tribute to Jackson hits all the right notes". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Harrington, Faith (April 11, 2024). "New Bedford's Samantha Irvin gets high praise from WWE legend". The Standard-Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Daley, Lauren (March 31, 2016). "For Marlena Johnson, 'American Idol' run just the beginning". The Standard-Times. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Gilbert, Will (January 28, 2016). "Samantha Johnson sings her song 'Jump High'". WPRI.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  14. ^ Paleologos, Phil (January 11, 2016). "Samantha Johnson stars in Grease". WBSM.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Silvia, Michael (October 2, 2020). "New Bedford's Samantha Johnson makes appearance on FOX's newest show "I Can See Your Voice"". NewBedfordGuide.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  16. ^ Chitwood, Seth (May 24, 2023). "'A true symbol of resilience and strength': New Bedford actress on portraying Tina Turner". The Standard-Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "Samantha Irvin". WWE.com. WWE. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  18. ^ Vassallo, Colin (January 15, 2022). "Samantha Irvin promoted to Smackdown ring announcer". Wrestling-Online.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Vassallo, Colin (May 2, 2023). "Ring announcers Samantha Irvin and Mike Rome swap brands in the Draft". Wrestling-Online.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  20. ^ Barnard, Adam (October 21, 2024). "Samantha Irvin announces WWE departure". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "Samantha Irvin leaving WWE". SlamWrestling.net. October 21, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  22. ^ "Ricochet and Samantha Irvin announce their engagement". WWE.com. WWE. January 10, 2023. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.

Notes

  1. ^ Also known by the mononym "Samantha"