Hugely popular WWE star Samatha Irvin quit her role in a sensational twist just hours before Monday Night Raw.

Charismatic and talented Irvin was notably absent from Monday’s broadcast Philadelphia, telling fans before the show went on the air that her time with the company had come to an end.

Samantha Irvin worked with partner Ricochet in WWE until his departureWWE

The 35-year old made her mark in WWE, as many wrestlers have done before, by performing in NXT, her talents earning her a promotion to the ‘main roster’ in 2022 and a switch to SmackDown.

Since February 2023 she’d been starring on Monday Night Raw and at WWE’s many Premium Live Events such as WrestleMania, where she gave epic introductions to stars like The Rock, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. Her efforts were even labelled ‘awesome’ by iconic boxing announcer Michael Buffer.

Her dramatic style, which often gave each wrestler their own unique introduction, earned her a cult following among viewers and fans on social media, Irvin’s decision to leave WWE leaving them stunned.

Addressing them, she said in a post: “My time has come to an end as your Monday Night Raw Ring Announcer. I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share.

“Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me.”

She went on to praise the women’s locker room in WWE and the ‘crew and cameramen,’ before saying of WWE Superstars ‘past and present’: “I have thanked you since 1989 and will continue to thank you for the rest of my days for entertaining us. For raising the bar over and over again. For risking your bodies and finding new ways to keep us shocked and wanting more.

“There is no form of entertainment like this and not just any entertainer can be a WWE Superstar. The respect I have for you is more than I can express.”

Irvin showed her gratitude to a string of other WWE figures, including Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, Michael Cole and Mark Henry, before adding: “To my fans, my entire career l’ve been waiting for you! We are meant to be and I can prove it. Stay tuned. All my love! And still…”

As well as wowing viewers with her ring announcing, Irvin was occasionally involved in storylines, not least one involving her partner, Ricochet, during his intense rivalry with influencer turned wrestling sensation Logan Paul.

The villainous Paul spent several weeks goading Irvin as the two men battled, correctly predicting he’d defeat Ricochet during their eye-catching SummerSlam match in 2023.

Paul and Ricochet battled during the summer of 2023 after a viral moment at Royal Rumble

The result left Irvin with tears in her eyes as she was forced to announce the 29-year-old as the victor and the two would regularly trade jabs on social media.

Ricochet left WWE to join rival wrestling organisation All Elite Wrestling in the summer, leading to speculation that Irvin’s decision to depart could be linked to her own switch to AEW, though Ricochet himself quashed such talk with a post on X, saying: “She’s not coming to AEW. You can all rest easy.”

For their part, WWE have acted quickly to fill the void left by the star, with legendary ring announcer Lillian Garcia returning to the role for Monday’s broadcast.

She featured for the company during a ten-year spell across the Attitude Era and beyond, returning for eight further years up until 2019.