Samantha Irvin has spent almost two years outside WWE without being able to simply show up somewhere else in wrestling. That clock is finally about to hit zero, with her unusually long non-compete set to expire next month.
Irvin’s two-year restriction will end in October, finally freeing her to work elsewhere in wrestling if that’s what she wants to do. What makes her situation unusual is that she wasn’t under the type of talent contract WWE wrestlers typically sign.
Irvin had an employee contract. That agreement allowed her to quit whenever she wanted as long as she provided two weeks’ notice, but there was a major catch: leaving before the end of her three-year deal triggered a 24-month non-compete. That’s exactly what happened when Irvin left WWE in October 2024.
Even more notable is that the restriction was unpaid. WWE wrestlers are traditionally paid during the 30 or 90-day non-compete periods that follow a company-initiated release, but Irvin’s employee agreement didn’t provide that same protection. She was able to leave WWE, but doing so meant spending the next two years unable to work for another wrestling company.
Irvin herself made it clear last year in October that she was counting down the days. When she reached the halfway point, she celebrated having just one year remaining.
“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…..”
The non-compete traces back to a new WWE agreement Irvin signed in early 2024. According to Fightful Select, she had already told the company she didn’t want to continue as a ring announcer, but WWE offered her a significant 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.”
There has naturally been speculation about AEW because Irvin’s husband Ricochet works there. Sean Ross Sapp previously floated the possibility of Irvin eventually managing Ricochet, but there is currently no indication that AEW, or any other wrestling promotion, is where she is headed.
For nearly two years, though, Irvin didn’t really have the option of making another move within wrestling. Next month, she will. Whether that means AEW, another promotion or no wrestling at all remains to be seen. The important difference is that once October arrives, Samantha Irvin will finally be able to make that decision without WWE’s two-year restriction standing in her way.
Do you think Samantha Irvin returns to wrestling once her non-compete expires next month, or will she continue focusing on life outside the business? Let us know in the comments.
