Bully Ray Reacts To Departure Of Former WWE Raw Ring Announcer Samantha Irvin

Ahead of this week's episode of "WWE Raw," Samantha Irvin announced that she'd be leaving WWE, with reports suggesting that she wanted to put more focus into outside projects, such as her music career, in addition to spending more time with her family. On the heels of Irvin's departure, a number of her peers have offered praise for her ring announcing work. That trend continued on "Busted Open Radio," when WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray pinpointed her as a consistent highlight of the modern WWE product.

"I think she has done a fantastic job, a phenomenal job," Ray said of Irvin. "Can't say enough nice things about the job that she has done professionally, and my interaction with her personally, very respectful, very nice lady. The whole nine yards. I thought she brought spotlight to a position that normally never gets spotlighted."

When recalling his initial reaction to Irvin's exit, Ray noted that he was anticipating a "visual and audible hole" to form on this week's "Raw," which emanated from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "I was like, what do they do in this situation that ensures whoever is ring announcing tonight doesn't get booed by the Philadelphia crowd?' The Philly crowd, being as educated as they are, might hear a new voice and decide, 'Man, we don't want you' and start off with 'We want Samantha Irvin' chants or whatever," Ray said.

With worries of an adverse reaction from the live crowd, Ray felt there was only one person who could successfully replace Irvin — that being veteran ring announcer Lilian Garcia. Ray's vision later materialized, as Garcia is now expected to fulfill the role previously occupied by Irvin, at least for the foreseeable future, following her return to "Raw."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.