Samantha Johnson (born January 9, 1989), is an American professional wrestling ring announcer and musician. As of May 2024, she is the ring announcer for the Raw brand of the professional wrestling promotion WWE under the ring name Samantha Irvin.
Samantha Irvin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samantha Johnson January 9, 1989[1] Dennis, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Other names | Samantha Irvin |
| Occupation(s) | Ring announcer, musician |
| Partner | Ricochet |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
Johnson was born in Dennis, Massachusetts in 1989, the eldest of six siblings.[2] At the age of four, she began studying classical music, going on to compete in classical flute at a national level.[3][4] She grew up in the North End neighborhood of New Bedford, Massachusetts, attending Normandin Middle School.[5] As a child, she was a fan of professional wrestling, and attended WrestleMania XIV in Boston, Massachusetts in 1998.[6] She went on to attend New Bedford High School, where she starred as Dorothy Gale in a performance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz[4] 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.[2] After graduating in 2007, Johnson worked as the Drama Club director for Normandin Middle School[8] and as a waitress.[3][9] At the age of 20 she auditioned for America's Got Talent.[2]
Musical career
From 2011 to 2015, Johnson performed as the lead female vocalist on the Michael Jackson tribute show "Thriller – Live".[4][2][10][11] 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][12][13] 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.[4] In 2016, she released an EP, 27Underground, including the debut single "Jump High"; her siblings provided backing vocals.[2][14][15] In the same year, she portrayed Betty Rizzo in a production of Grease staged in the New Bedford Festival Theatre.[16] In 2020, Johnson appeared on I Can See Your Voice on FOX, playing the flute and singing "Good as Hell" by Lizzo.[6][5][17] After relocating to Las Vegas, she appeared in productions including Vegas! The Show (portraying Gladys Knight and Tina Turner).[5][18]
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][13] 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.[19] In January 2022, she was promoted to being the ring announcer for WWE SmackDown on FOX.[20] In February 2023, she moved to being the ring announcer for WWE Raw on the USA Network.[21] At WrestleMania XL in April 2024, Irvin introduced 14 matches; her performance garnered praise from veteran announcer Michael Buffer.[6][12]
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.[22][23] She has a daughter from a previous relationship.[6][24]
References
External links
- Samantha Irvin on Twitter
- Samantha Irvin on WWE.com
- Samantha Irvin at IMDb
- Samantha Irvin's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com