Samantha Irvin has spent nearly two years unable to work for another wrestling company — and WWE wasn’t paying her during that time. With her non-compete finally set to expire in October, a new update makes the restriction look even harsher.
Fightful Select reports that Irvin has not been getting paid by WWE while sitting out the two-year restriction. The outlet also noted that the non-compete could almost certainly have been challenged and waived if Irvin had decided to fight it legally.
“Regarding Samantha Irvin’s non-compete, she was pretty clear about it ending in October a while back. She has not been getting paid by WWE while out of action, and almost certainly could have had that non-compete waived if she fought it legally. We’ll have more on her in the coming weeks.”
That’s a very different situation from the standard 30 or 90-day non-compete periods WWE talent usually deal with after being released, where they continue getting paid during that window.
Irvin’s situation came from the employee contract she signed with WWE. She was allowed to quit with two weeks’ notice, but leaving before the end of the three-year agreement triggered a 24-month non-compete.
That’s exactly what happened when Irvin walked away from WWE in October 2024. The restriction came from a new deal Irvin signed earlier that year. Fightful previously noted that Irvin had already told WWE she no longer wanted to work as a ring announcer, but the company offered her a major raise to stay.
“Yeah, so she had signed a new deal, I believe, early 2024. She had told them she didn’t want to be a ring announcer anymore. But they offered her a significant pay raise. And from what I understand, she was very flattered by the deal, but when she took it, she took it with a pretty hefty non-compete as well.”
Irvin has never exactly hidden how she felt about the clock ticking down. When she hit the halfway point last October, she celebrated having just one year left.
“One year down, one year left on my non-compete! Can’t wait 😛 I hope you enjoy my songs in the meantime and look back on all the memories as fondly as I do! Love & miss you all and remember—I NEVER left FOR music, I am music. Hope to see you soon…..”
There has been plenty of speculation about whether Irvin could eventually end up in AEW, where her husband Ricochet currently works, but nothing has been confirmed.
What is clear is that Irvin spent almost two full years blocked from working for another wrestling company without collecting a WWE paycheck during that stretch. In October, that restriction finally disappears, and she’ll be free to decide what comes next on her own terms.
Do you think WWE’s two-year unpaid non-compete was excessive, or should Irvin have challenged it legally much sooner? Let us know what you think in the comments.
