Samantha Irvin is set to become a free agent later this month as her two-year non-compete agreement with WWE expires, according to Fightful Select. The report notes that AEW has internally discussed bringing her in on a number of occasions, but it has been made clear that any such move is not happening immediately.
Irvin, whose real name is Samantha Johnson, departed WWE in October 2024 after choosing to leave the company. Wrestling Headlines reported that her exit came as part of an agreement that included a genuine non-compete clause, a detail that eWrestlingNews emphasized differs from the “termination periods” that WWE talent released from the company are typically subject to. A standard termination period generally lasts 90 days, while a true non-compete clause, as described in Irvin’s case, can run considerably longer and carries stricter contractual weight.
That distinction matters for understanding why speculation about Irvin’s next move has persisted for two years without resolution. Because her agreement was structured as a non-compete rather than a shorter termination window, she has effectively been barred from appearing for a rival promotion like AEW since her 2024 departure. With that restriction now set to lapse this month, the timeline opens the door for her to sign elsewhere for the first time since leaving WWE.
Despite the internal AEW conversations reported by Fightful Select, there is no indication that a deal is close or that Irvin has committed to any promotion. The reporting characterizes the discussions as recurring rather than active negotiations, and explicitly states that an AEW arrival “isn’t going to happen immediately” even once she is contractually free to sign.
Irvin built her profile in WWE as a ring announcer, a role that made her a familiar on-screen presence across the company’s programming before her departure in October 2024. Her impending free agency marks the first time since then that she will be eligible to work for a competing promotion, making the coming weeks a notable point for tracking any further developments regarding her next step in professional wrestling.
