Michael Buffer praises Samantha Irvin’s WWE WrestleMania performance
WWE’s Samantha Irvin is getting deserved praise from a legendary ring announcer.
Irvin was the ring announcer for every match at WrestleMania 40 this past weekend. She’s received plaudits from both fans and those in the wrestling industry for her performance, which included an emotional announcement of Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship victory.
The 79-year-old Michael Buffer, perhaps the most famous ring announcer of all time, added himself to the chorus of praise on Monday. He tweeted that Irvin’s timing, pace, drama, and energy were all perfect:
Ring announcer Samantha Irvin ruled @WrestleMania last night & her emotional final announcement was awesome! She was featured on camera-ring center-that was a smart production move & she was just brilliant! Her timing, pace, drama, energy was perfect!
Paul “Triple H” Levesque responded to Buffer’s tweet by saying that Irvin is “WWE’s Michael Buffer.”
If you didn’t already know that @SamanthaTheBomb is a star – here’s your proof. Samantha is @WWE’s @Michael_Buffer. https://t.co/wnaFswlLMm
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 8, 2024
Best known for his work in boxing and his “Let’s get ready to rumble!” catchphrase, Buffer was also a pro wrestling ring announcer for WCW. He appeared for WWE on an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event in 2007 and at the Royal Rumble in 2008.
Irvin (real name Samantha Johnson) joined WWE in 2021 and is currently the ring announcer for Raw. She previously appeared as a singer on “America’s Got Talent.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.