Samantha Irvin is reportedly just weeks away from being contractually free following her WWE departure nearly two years ago.
Irvin announced that she was leaving WWE on October 21, 2024. One year later, she revealed that she still had another year remaining on a non-compete clause tied to her former deal with the company.
While Irvin has continued pursuing her music career since leaving WWE, the agreement has prevented her from working elsewhere in professional wrestling.
With the two-year non-compete period set to expire next month, Dave Meltzer provided an update in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com. Meltzer noted that there is currently no indication of where Irvin might end up, despite her previously teasing the possibility of appearing on-screen alongside her husband, AEW star Ricochet.
“The non-compete clause on former ring announcer Samantha Irvin Mann, which covered two years, will end next month,” Meltzer wrote. “Unlike with Renee Paquette, who had a lengthy unpaid non-compete period, where we knew she was headed to AEW, with Irvin, we don’t know.”
Meltzer pointed out that Irvin’s circumstances were also different because she left WWE to pursue opportunities outside of wrestling.
“She left to pursue a singing career, not to be a ring announcer elsewhere,” he continued. “She had an employee contract, and not a talent contract. As much as people complain about one-sided talent contracts, the employment deals are worse.”
According to Meltzer, Irvin’s employee agreement allowed her to resign with two weeks’ notice. However, leaving before the completion of her three-year contract triggered the lengthy non-compete provision.
“Her contract allowed her to quit at any time provided she gave two weeks notice, but if she quit before the end of her three-year deal, as she did, there was a 24 month non-compete period written into the deal,” Meltzer wrote.
He added that unlike WWE talent who continue receiving their salaries during standard 30- or 90-day non-compete periods following their releases, Irvin’s employee agreement did not provide for a paid non-compete.
“Unlike with talent who are paid their salaries during the non-compete period, which lasts either 30 (for NXT contracts) of 90 (for WWE contracts) days when the company decides to let someone go, for an employee deal, if you are let go, there is no paid non-compete period.”
