AEW star Ricochet recently addressed fan rumors over his involvement in Samantha Irvin’s departure from WWE. In an interview with the Barstool Rasslin’ podcast, Ricochet denied reports that he persuaded Irvin to leave her “dream job” and gave light on her reasons for seeking new possibilities.
“I think it’s so funny that fans blame me because apparently, I convinced her to leave her dream job,” Ricochet stated. He explained that Irvin’s decision came from a desire to pursue her interests outside of her work as a ring announcer.
According to Ricochet, Irvin stated, “‘I don’t really like doing this specific job, and I’m obviously not going to get the opportunities that I really want, so I’m going to step away because I was born to be an actress. I was born to be a singer. I was born to be a character.’”
Ricochet admitted that Irvin had embraced her role as a ring announcer, but she felt compelled to pursue other areas of creative expression. “Her identity became a ring announcer, and that’s kind of where she was like, ‘Oh, man, I like playing that role. It was a great role to play within the company, but I want to evoke more emotion into people in other ways.’”
He also addressed parallels to long-time WWE commentators such as the late Howard Finkel, Lillian Garcia, and former WWE announcer Justin Roberts, emphasizing Irvin’s brief four-year stay with the business. “People were like, ‘Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. That’s not how it works. You’re supposed to be for 20 years. What are you talking about? You’re not supposed to leave right now. Ricochet must have convinced you to leave because he left.’”
While Ricochet admitted that his departure from WWE may have played a slight effect in Irvin’s decision, he insisted that it was not the most important aspect. “I will say I do think me leaving was kind of like the straw that broke the camel’s back. It wasn’t the deciding factor… I think it was just a couple of things that she, because again, she was thinking about it.”
Ricochet noted that Irvin had been thinking about leaving since WrestleMania 39, implying that her decision had been carefully researched. “I want to say, like, last year’s WrestleMania, maybe. She was like, ‘This is the pinnacle. I’m done.’ I think that’s when she kind of started it, but I will say, I think maybe me leaving was kind of just the straw. I don’t think it was her main reason, but I do think it didn’t help.”
You can check out the complete interview below:
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
