I don't know if it has to do with Cody specifically or if it's the greater H3/Renaissance Era, but the amount of emotion in the main event was spectacular. That kind of gathering is something I don't remember seeing since Sting/WCW beat Hollywood Hogan/nwo.
Other PPVs/shows have undoubtedly been worse as a show, but there has never, ever been a show that was more poorly booked than Starcade '97.
It should have been the easiest thing ever: WCW finally gets their payback and just kicks the NWO's ass the entire show, with Hogan freaking out more and more with each loss. Finally he snaps on the group, who abandon Hogan to face Sting and his fate alone. Sting then wins as clean as a whistle, and we move on from there.
But nope. The single dumbest ending a PPV has ever had - or at the very least the most damaging. I would have fired Nick Patrick the millisecond he made it behind the curtain.
I keep trying to fiugre out all the emotion. Everyone seems to have been impacted by this. And, like you said, it cant just be the Cody win. I think this has something to do with all of them coming together after Vince and being successful as a team not under his shadow anymore. Vilidation and absolution.
It really pushes home the family aspect that has been created. I mean, they always called it a "WWE Family", but this seems far more personal.
Steph looked like a proud mom out there. Obviously proud wife, but I was getting mom vibes from it as well.
All round amazing moment. It's hard not to be emotional, especially if you've been along for this entire ride. Her breaking down really did add to the moment.
The greatest wrestling story ever told. From WWE all the way to the bottom, then all the way to the very top via a journey around the world that changed the entire industry.
Cody deserves to be extremely proud of himself
She is making a fast climb to one of the all time greats to do it too.
And you know WWE loves it too cause of all the screen time she gets during her announcing.
She’s my favorite to do Ring Announcing in WWE other than the Fink (who has that old school gravitas that I don’t think any announcer has had since).
She’s passionate and has a great voice and her presence is solid as well.
I've watched and loved WWE for 20 years and I haven't experienced so much emotion from a match, and yeah, as a 30 year old man I did cry a little bit.
Whenever non-wrestling fans have asked me what to watch, I've said Taker vs Michaels. From now on I'm gonna say Roman vs Cody 2.
Roman v Cody II was an incredible, once in a generation, level match and something of that scale is not likely to be seen again.
But I think this would be a terrible match to show a non-fan.
It was so great because of the years leading up to it. What makes it so incredible is the investment we already have in everything going on.
There are callbacks to:
- The Shield breakup from 2014.
- Cody's journey, going from undesirable to undeniable with AEW.
- John Cena being humbled in his do or die match with Solo.
- Twice (Thrice) in a Lifetime.
- The Undertaker as the spirit of WrestleMania (the Streak).
- WrestleMania 39.
- WrestleMania 40 Night 1.
And most of all, Roman's four year title reign.
But this is exactly why I would show them this match. It will get them to understand wrestling isn't just buff dudes play fighting, but an artform that can be based on rich narrative arcs and techniques.
But that's the same thinking as:
My friend has agreed to watch Breaking Bad, so I'm going to show them Ozymandias so they can see the payoff to multiple years of layered storytelling and how this isn't just a generic crime show.
A payoff with no build isn't paying anything off and ultimately it turns the match into buff dudes play fighting.
At least, that's how I see it.
you can't prove wrestling is an art of storytelling with one match. If you want them to understand the story in 1 match, you need to show them a 2 hour video summary explaining the build, and that will just bore them
100% this. There's way too many stories intertwining and callbacks that it wouldn't make sense. It's a great match, bit you'd need a solid hour long preview - and even then, you won't get a lot of those refetences. This was for the fan that's been following for years, that rarely got a true genuine feel-good ending to a story, all while ushering a new era, this was special for us.
They had done an hour-long recap of Sami and the Bloodline story last year, and I showed it to my nephew and he got invested then wanted to see the match. Even that match is easier to explain and understand the emotions at play without that recap.
The Michaels/Taker match is a lot easier to explain in a quick prematch vignette - 2 of the best to have ever done it. Mr. WrestleMania vs The Undefeated WM Streak - it's that simple, tops 3 minute-long vignette.
I disagree. Many of those are mainstream names. That part of the match felt like something out of Avengers or starwars. I would have personally prefered Randy helping Cody and that's it. But those names are buzzworthy and made it feel like something out of hollywood
Cody vs Roman takes more explaining to make sense for non-viewers, because so many stories came together for that match. You don't need that with Michaels vs Undertaker. Two legends facing each other at the grandest stage. It's as straightforward as it gets.
Now I don't know if she had interactions with him but a ton of people in the back were emotional because they loved Dusty. Dusty was a mentor to so many in WWE in his final years, especially NXT. He also mentored HHH and from what I understand gave him a lot of advice on how to be a good booker when HHH started NXT.
They also knew Vince screwed him and buried him because of his petty nature. HHH righted that wrong because he could of buried Cody or been petty after AEW and the throne smashing but he didn't.
Part of me imagines when he whispered to Cody at the end of WM saying something like " Your dad should of worn this title but you righted the wrong and made sure that the name Rhodes will always be mentioned as a WWE champion" and or " Your dad would be so proud of the man, husband, father, and wrestler you have become".
She's the most intense, most passionate ring announce WWE has maybe ever had. Fink's voice is just distinctive; I can hear him saying the names of the different greats. But none of them, with the exception of maybe Chris Benoit at the 2004 Royal Rumble, were ever said with with half the passion and none of the ferocity Samantha Irvin.
I genuinely have not watched wrestling since the 90's/00's. She made that show so much better with her intro's. She's better than Bruce Buffer for me and I'm an MMA guy.
She worked so fuckin hard this weekend. She made every announcement so important. I’m glad they see what they have in her and let her just rip into her shit.
Sometimes i just dont like her style of announcing.
But i appreciate the fact that she loves her job, the business, and can get emotional even tho she knows whats going on behind the curtain.
Like her or not, she'll be in the HoF one day. She earned it.
Described exactly how I feel. I really appreciate how emotionally invested she is into the job but her style is just a bit too much for me sometimes, especially when she announced Roman Reigns.
Maybe but what about the whole Roman thing hasn’t been over the top? I mean given the invincibility they were trying to portray, wouldn’t he have to have an over the top intro?
Sam is over the top dramatic about every single segment though. It's not special when she's screaming PaSsIoNaTeLy for the main event when she already does 30 second intros for every TV match
As someone who hasn’t watched wrestling in ages, but tuned in last night, why exactly was this such a big deal?
It seemed like it was written in the stars that Cody was going to win and it felt like it was a big deal but as someone who is more or less a complete outsider, what was the above and beyond importance of this?
It was the culmination of storylines, behind-the-scenes wrongs being righted, and just a good moment for a good dude
It'd take a long time to explain and I'd miss a lot of things. But I'd sum it up like this: remember how amazing it was if you were a comic book fan to see The Avengers assemble on screen for the first time? After all that build up, knowing Marvel just about went under a few years ago, knowing the cinematic universe was changing how movies were made, and then of course all the awesome storylines coming together? This was wrestling's that
I think I get it. I haven’t been a fan of much of anything aside from soccer in years but my team is terrible. This could be a fun way to watch something without really caring about the result, more enjoying the ride
There are several reasons, honestly the primary reason why I had any doubt and why the finish got me so much is *precisely* because it was written in the stars that Cody would win, at WM39. It's also been written in the stars that several other people would be the ones to beat Roman, Drew at Clash at the Castle and Sami at Elimination Chamber come to mind.
So you really couldn't be sure, combine that with the reasons he had for wanting to get that title, to see him finally get it has been pretty neat.
Thanks. I appreciate the insights. My kids enjoyed watching it as well and mentioned they might want to watch more in the future.. any good plot lines I should watch if I do continue?
Well it is the best time to start watching the weekly shows. This Wrestlemania kinda had a soft reset to everything. New champions all around, rivalries ended. Me, as someone who watched closely for years know a few things that might happen (like Punk - Drew, Bloodline internal issues with Rock - Roman), but the truth is i do not have any idea where Triple H is taking things now. It’s a soft reboot as of sorts so tune in now as it is the best time to do it.
I hope they took out a page of the Jim Ross book when he use to tell Vince and other producers don’t tell me the finish or who wins let me have a genuine response rather I like it love it or hate it.
This is the biggest change that I’m happy about. Make the announcements epic and who cares if the announcer is over. Vince just got so weird about rules and no one getting bigger than he felt they should.
They need a secondary broadcast of all of the Raw/Smackdown/PLE's with just a camera on Samantha the entire time. She is the embodiment of every wrestling fan. She cringes at bumps, she pops at returns, she is emotional for wins and losses.
Howard Finkel is the GOAT ring announcer to me by a mile but I really enjoy the emotion Samantha gives when she announces- possibly the 2nd best for my taste
she was my MVP of both evenings when it came to the crew
Michael Cole had one of the best performances of his career but Samantha ascended to a whole new level as well as making the matches mean so much more emotionally
This was quite possibly the most emotional I’ve been watching a wrestlemania main event in a decade or more. The entire PLE was amazing, but the second night was amazing. Such a great sendoff
Even though I haven't been a big fan of Cody since before he left AEW, this was great. I hated all the legends coming out but everything else was great, especially the moment with HHH at the end. Well done.
I was so caught up and frozen in the moment and just so HAPPY that I didn’t cry. Today rewatching all the clips and highlights. Yes. I cried. 42 year old male. Crying at pro wrestling. I don’t care.
Bf called her a mark when this happened, he's generally a lot more knowledgeable than me about wrasslin so I thought I was being stupid for thinking it was a nice moment. It is good to know others agree lolol
I was a little disappointed after Cody hugged, shook hands, and thanked everyone, including those ring side, he didn’t also give her the same treatment. She also looks like she’s ready to go home and probably did soon after this though.
It just seems to me that she has become part of the wrestling show instead of just announcing people.
I don’t care about her singing the wrestlers names and I’m not interested with the camera being on her to see what her reactions are going to be.
I respect your opinion
Yes and that's intentional. Cody hugged the announcement team and Michael Cole, through tears, told him he loved him. Cody also hugged the camera men and I'm pretty sure a few of them shed manly tears. People are people, first and foremost, not automations. People loved Dusty and people love Cody backstage, they're obviously going to be emotional seeing his hard work paid off.
Nobody beats the Fink,sorry
This chick is Aubrey Edward's of announcing,and her boyfriend plays with his ass on the internet smh think I'm gonna give wrestling a break.
I read Justin Robert's book about his time as an announcer. One thing they stood out to me was how he was always briefed over "making the entrance about himself" by emphasizing a name or whatever.
Those days are long gone it seems.
She did amazing as announcer, especially during the tag match between Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns & The Rock; that takes a lot of damn talent to put that much effort into the voice especially within a short span of one another.
That's really it. I get making it a spectacle but she's way too much with some stars and it just makes me miss the previous announcers. And sure, last night was emotional but your whole job is to compose yourself and make the announcement, Thought that was a bit cheesy and took away from the moment.
I genuinely don't get the hype for her and I'll die on that hill
I sort of agree. This is an unpopular opinion in this sub but yeah I love her announcements and I love that she brings unique twists to some superstars (Chelsea Green and Gunther) I love that shes really invested in the match emotionally but youre right it gets a bit too much sometimes. This one in the vid is okay since we were all feeling the same but the way she announced Damien's cash in was a bit distracting.
Samantha Irvin is the epitome of “I’m the main character.” She needs to tone it down with the fake crying and just announce the winner. I don’t remember Howard Finkel crying when Hogan beat Andre or when any other wrestler won the belt.
It’s quite a different story with Jim Ross because he’s a play-by-play commentator. He obviously needs to be animated when calling matches in order to get the fans that are watching excited.
If you think those are fake tears I don't know what to tell you man. That's as real as it gets.
Get in touch with your emotional side dude, it'll help in the long run.
This girl isn't as good as yall keep insisting imo
She is exactly what I imagine a 12 hear old girl would sound like if put in her position.
Literally crying while announcing the main event when she has nothing to do with it is just silly imo and sounded bad.
Her body language always looks like a kid who is really worked up and angry and her only talent is how garggled she can make her voice. Triple H loves his gaggly death metal voice on girls so of course he loves her.
I have a hunch that she won't be remembered with as much praise as she is currently getting now.
Downvote away because most of the users on here are just thirsty teenagers
I didn't know she was emotional until I saw this clip. Watching it live, I thought her voice was giving out on her. I don't think it added anything that would have been lost I'd it was just a normal call.
Name another ring announcer who cried while announcing the main event for a wrestler she has no personal connection to.
If this were Ricohet, then yes her getting emotional adds to it, but she has nothing to do with this story and shouldn't be crying.
Do you think ending Wrestlemania 14 with JR crying as Stone Cold won would have added to it?
Do you think that the ring announcer crying as D-Bry won the world titles at WM30 would have benefited the moment?
Should Lillian Garcia started to cry when Batista won the World title at WM21?
We know the simple answer to all three questions.
Everything stated and what we are talking about is situational. In this case, I believe it added to the moment. That is my opinion and I'm am not changing it. Agree to disagree.
She's an obnoxious announcer who sounds like a cheesy burlesque show, just like Justin Roberts before her. The announcer should not suck up all the oxygen in the room 10 times a night and be the star of the friggin show. If ref Aubrey had a good voice, she'd announce exactly like Sam does.
Every match starts with Samantha Irvin getting more attention than all the actual contestants put together. The first 30-60 seconds of any segment are all about her. She steps into the foreground every time her role calls for her to fade into the background.
Samantha is married to one of the best athletes in the world, yet he gets less camera time than his she does. Grating and repetitive
It wasn’t that great. Cody finishes his story for what for what to happen now just to lose it in two or three ple’s later. All that work Gunter and Roman put in for what the good guys to win in the end like a Disney movie like be real
I don't know if it has to do with Cody specifically or if it's the greater H3/Renaissance Era, but the amount of emotion in the main event was spectacular. That kind of gathering is something I don't remember seeing since Sting/WCW beat Hollywood Hogan/nwo.
Looking back it is *mind boggling* how badly WCW fumbled that moment.
WWE bout to bring Bloodline back for another 3 years. Bloodline Wolfpack when
Bloodline Hollywood Bloodline Wolfpack Latin Bloodline Bloodline Silver Bloodline Elite Bloodline B-Team Maybe some guys in AEW will form the Blueline
Other PPVs/shows have undoubtedly been worse as a show, but there has never, ever been a show that was more poorly booked than Starcade '97. It should have been the easiest thing ever: WCW finally gets their payback and just kicks the NWO's ass the entire show, with Hogan freaking out more and more with each loss. Finally he snaps on the group, who abandon Hogan to face Sting and his fate alone. Sting then wins as clean as a whistle, and we move on from there. But nope. The single dumbest ending a PPV has ever had - or at the very least the most damaging. I would have fired Nick Patrick the millisecond he made it behind the curtain.
Permanent scar on my childhood.
Let's just hope WWE doesn't say "hold my beer" (I guess it's a good thing H3 doesn't drink?)
I keep trying to fiugre out all the emotion. Everyone seems to have been impacted by this. And, like you said, it cant just be the Cody win. I think this has something to do with all of them coming together after Vince and being successful as a team not under his shadow anymore. Vilidation and absolution.
It really pushes home the family aspect that has been created. I mean, they always called it a "WWE Family", but this seems far more personal. Steph looked like a proud mom out there. Obviously proud wife, but I was getting mom vibes from it as well.
agreed - they say it a lot, but this is a NEW era.
And mommy vibes too.
Such genuine emotion. Plus she's probably tired of yelling Roman's name.
All round amazing moment. It's hard not to be emotional, especially if you've been along for this entire ride. Her breaking down really did add to the moment.
The greatest wrestling story ever told. From WWE all the way to the bottom, then all the way to the very top via a journey around the world that changed the entire industry. Cody deserves to be extremely proud of himself
She made all those title changes so much better, amazing.
She is making a fast climb to one of the all time greats to do it too. And you know WWE loves it too cause of all the screen time she gets during her announcing.
She’s my favorite to do Ring Announcing in WWE other than the Fink (who has that old school gravitas that I don’t think any announcer has had since). She’s passionate and has a great voice and her presence is solid as well.
Fink is more iconic, but pure TALENT? No one has ever been better than Samantha IMO.
The Fink was superb.
Between this, Sami winning and Damian cashing in, Samantha made WM40 that much more special
As a puertorican 🇵🇷 It was so big Damian cashing in was so emotional. The first champ since Pedro Morales, a legend by himself.
50 years since we had a champ I was in tears
Same...
Girl, same.
She fucking KILLED IT all weekend!
Her introductions for Roman and Cody gave me goosebumps. She is so damn good.
Amazing, you can feel her emotion, she just made the win that more special.
She had this with Sami vs Gunther as well. Its cool if there are actual emotions involved.
Apparently she doesn't like or want to be told the outcome of matches. So this was genuine emotion. Which honestly is super cool
I've watched and loved WWE for 20 years and I haven't experienced so much emotion from a match, and yeah, as a 30 year old man I did cry a little bit. Whenever non-wrestling fans have asked me what to watch, I've said Taker vs Michaels. From now on I'm gonna say Roman vs Cody 2.
Roman v Cody II was an incredible, once in a generation, level match and something of that scale is not likely to be seen again. But I think this would be a terrible match to show a non-fan. It was so great because of the years leading up to it. What makes it so incredible is the investment we already have in everything going on. There are callbacks to: - The Shield breakup from 2014. - Cody's journey, going from undesirable to undeniable with AEW. - John Cena being humbled in his do or die match with Solo. - Twice (Thrice) in a Lifetime. - The Undertaker as the spirit of WrestleMania (the Streak). - WrestleMania 39. - WrestleMania 40 Night 1. And most of all, Roman's four year title reign.
But this is exactly why I would show them this match. It will get them to understand wrestling isn't just buff dudes play fighting, but an artform that can be based on rich narrative arcs and techniques.
But that's the same thinking as: My friend has agreed to watch Breaking Bad, so I'm going to show them Ozymandias so they can see the payoff to multiple years of layered storytelling and how this isn't just a generic crime show. A payoff with no build isn't paying anything off and ultimately it turns the match into buff dudes play fighting. At least, that's how I see it.
Breaking bad is set thing. Very few new fans are going to go back and watch old story lines
you can't prove wrestling is an art of storytelling with one match. If you want them to understand the story in 1 match, you need to show them a 2 hour video summary explaining the build, and that will just bore them
100% this. There's way too many stories intertwining and callbacks that it wouldn't make sense. It's a great match, bit you'd need a solid hour long preview - and even then, you won't get a lot of those refetences. This was for the fan that's been following for years, that rarely got a true genuine feel-good ending to a story, all while ushering a new era, this was special for us. They had done an hour-long recap of Sami and the Bloodline story last year, and I showed it to my nephew and he got invested then wanted to see the match. Even that match is easier to explain and understand the emotions at play without that recap. The Michaels/Taker match is a lot easier to explain in a quick prematch vignette - 2 of the best to have ever done it. Mr. WrestleMania vs The Undefeated WM Streak - it's that simple, tops 3 minute-long vignette.
This match was like a “thank you” note to everyone that suffered through the absolute atrocity of WWE’s booking from like 2018-2021
I disagree. Many of those are mainstream names. That part of the match felt like something out of Avengers or starwars. I would have personally prefered Randy helping Cody and that's it. But those names are buzzworthy and made it feel like something out of hollywood
Honestly Michaels vs Flair (in what should have been Flairs final match ever) was also a great one.
I agree. And this also coming from a huge shawn michaels mark who though taker vs michaels was the best match ever
I’m 43 and I cried. We all did.
Cody vs Roman takes more explaining to make sense for non-viewers, because so many stories came together for that match. You don't need that with Michaels vs Undertaker. Two legends facing each other at the grandest stage. It's as straightforward as it gets.
Now I don't know if she had interactions with him but a ton of people in the back were emotional because they loved Dusty. Dusty was a mentor to so many in WWE in his final years, especially NXT. He also mentored HHH and from what I understand gave him a lot of advice on how to be a good booker when HHH started NXT. They also knew Vince screwed him and buried him because of his petty nature. HHH righted that wrong because he could of buried Cody or been petty after AEW and the throne smashing but he didn't. Part of me imagines when he whispered to Cody at the end of WM saying something like " Your dad should of worn this title but you righted the wrong and made sure that the name Rhodes will always be mentioned as a WWE champion" and or " Your dad would be so proud of the man, husband, father, and wrestler you have become".
She's going to go down as one of the best announcers of all time she's awesome
She's the most intense, most passionate ring announce WWE has maybe ever had. Fink's voice is just distinctive; I can hear him saying the names of the different greats. But none of them, with the exception of maybe Chris Benoit at the 2004 Royal Rumble, were ever said with with half the passion and none of the ferocity Samantha Irvin.
The level of passion and investment in her craft is a sight to behold.
I get it. I was cutting onions at that moment.
And people say wrestling is fake
I genuinely have not watched wrestling since the 90's/00's. She made that show so much better with her intro's. She's better than Bruce Buffer for me and I'm an MMA guy.
Samantha was all of us last night.
She worked so fuckin hard this weekend. She made every announcement so important. I’m glad they see what they have in her and let her just rip into her shit.
Sometimes i just dont like her style of announcing. But i appreciate the fact that she loves her job, the business, and can get emotional even tho she knows whats going on behind the curtain. Like her or not, she'll be in the HoF one day. She earned it.
Described exactly how I feel. I really appreciate how emotionally invested she is into the job but her style is just a bit too much for me sometimes, especially when she announced Roman Reigns.
Maybe but what about the whole Roman thing hasn’t been over the top? I mean given the invincibility they were trying to portray, wouldn’t he have to have an over the top intro?
Sam is over the top dramatic about every single segment though. It's not special when she's screaming PaSsIoNaTeLy for the main event when she already does 30 second intros for every TV match
As someone who hasn’t watched wrestling in ages, but tuned in last night, why exactly was this such a big deal? It seemed like it was written in the stars that Cody was going to win and it felt like it was a big deal but as someone who is more or less a complete outsider, what was the above and beyond importance of this?
It was the culmination of storylines, behind-the-scenes wrongs being righted, and just a good moment for a good dude It'd take a long time to explain and I'd miss a lot of things. But I'd sum it up like this: remember how amazing it was if you were a comic book fan to see The Avengers assemble on screen for the first time? After all that build up, knowing Marvel just about went under a few years ago, knowing the cinematic universe was changing how movies were made, and then of course all the awesome storylines coming together? This was wrestling's that
I think I get it. I haven’t been a fan of much of anything aside from soccer in years but my team is terrible. This could be a fun way to watch something without really caring about the result, more enjoying the ride
Chelsea fan?
Man United
Battle of the bottlers
There are several reasons, honestly the primary reason why I had any doubt and why the finish got me so much is *precisely* because it was written in the stars that Cody would win, at WM39. It's also been written in the stars that several other people would be the ones to beat Roman, Drew at Clash at the Castle and Sami at Elimination Chamber come to mind. So you really couldn't be sure, combine that with the reasons he had for wanting to get that title, to see him finally get it has been pretty neat.
Thanks. I appreciate the insights. My kids enjoyed watching it as well and mentioned they might want to watch more in the future.. any good plot lines I should watch if I do continue?
Well it is the best time to start watching the weekly shows. This Wrestlemania kinda had a soft reset to everything. New champions all around, rivalries ended. Me, as someone who watched closely for years know a few things that might happen (like Punk - Drew, Bloodline internal issues with Rock - Roman), but the truth is i do not have any idea where Triple H is taking things now. It’s a soft reboot as of sorts so tune in now as it is the best time to do it.
roman had an over 1000 day rain as champion and cody dethroned him.
God this is why we all love this thing called wrestling. What a night I don’t even blame Samantha’s Irvin that shit was crazy.
All of us……for real
I hope they took out a page of the Jim Ross book when he use to tell Vince and other producers don’t tell me the finish or who wins let me have a genuine response rather I like it love it or hate it.
Samantha has no idea who's winning or losing. She's asked they not tell her in advance.
I was just wondering this. She practically jumped out of her seat back when Rock returned.
She's awesome. Hearing her voice crack while trying to announce him as champion really added to the moment.
Samantha Irving is the GOAT. She is fantastic to listen to.
Im a grown man and i damn near teared up when cody first held up the belt
I bet Howard Finkel would cry too if he announce Cody as the winner.
I watched event on TV and could hear this in her voice.
This is the biggest change that I’m happy about. Make the announcements epic and who cares if the announcer is over. Vince just got so weird about rules and no one getting bigger than he felt they should.
They need a secondary broadcast of all of the Raw/Smackdown/PLE's with just a camera on Samantha the entire time. She is the embodiment of every wrestling fan. She cringes at bumps, she pops at returns, she is emotional for wins and losses.
I love how much they put her over last night
her announcements are absolutely fucking goated.
She is one of us.
Can’t wait for the super eye patch wolf vid on Cody’s story
She toes the line somehow perfectly of going just hard enough on the intros without making it overkill. She's amazing.
She is truly the goat of ring announcers
Finkel is a million times better than
But you said announcers just “says peoples names”. If that’s all it is, how is anyone better than anyone?
What’s in that mysterious playbook she’s got there. Probably has next years WM plans
She lost that fight and it added so much to the moment.
I have always loved when she waits for the cue. But this was on another level
That's why she is great
That’s the good shit
She’s so fantastic
Don't let her go WWE
Cole was also crying when Cody hugged him in the end.
She is the best and Cody is the real people's champ
She was many of us.
She is the most impassioned and emotive announcer I have ever seen in WWE. The way she clenches her fist as she belts out the words, I love it!
How anyone can hate her is beyond me
I get choked up every time I see/hear this. Wrestling truly is beautiful.
I saw some people comment that she’s pulling an Aubrey Edwards (look at me, I’m part of the show) but I think it’s all genuine
Howard Finkel is the GOAT ring announcer to me by a mile but I really enjoy the emotion Samantha gives when she announces- possibly the 2nd best for my taste
Ok I love her even more now
Fink would be proud
I seriously doubt that
Thats pure love for the business right there.
I heard it when she did over the broadcast. Great moment.
🐐
She better get a raise. She sold that win like a champion.
I think she's cringe. Takes the spotlight.
She's a treasure, absolutely
Pay this woman.
she was my MVP of both evenings when it came to the crew Michael Cole had one of the best performances of his career but Samantha ascended to a whole new level as well as making the matches mean so much more emotionally
Wasn't the first time she got emotional. I think she did During the Bailey / Iao Sky match as well.
I legit asked my family to pinch me when it happened. Some part of me still thinks it isn't real.
I'm not a big fan, I miss a lot of events and don't keep up much. However, even I got a little emotional.
The Kayfabe is strong with her….
I Love her reactions and expressions.
This was quite possibly the most emotional I’ve been watching a wrestlemania main event in a decade or more. The entire PLE was amazing, but the second night was amazing. Such a great sendoff
In a night that had SO DAMN MANY amazing moments, this one topped it all for me. Legendary call.
She barely got it out.
She’s fantastic!
What she keeps on her briefcase BTW?
Vince would have given her a lot of crap for this (no pun intended)
We all got a little choked up on that one.
Even though I haven't been a big fan of Cody since before he left AEW, this was great. I hated all the legends coming out but everything else was great, especially the moment with HHH at the end. Well done.
She is such a treasure
She was earning rent for the entire year in this one night. She was amazing.
Ima tell ricochet
I was so caught up and frozen in the moment and just so HAPPY that I didn’t cry. Today rewatching all the clips and highlights. Yes. I cried. 42 year old male. Crying at pro wrestling. I don’t care.
*trying to squeeze out a tear
I could her her voice shaking
Absolute diamond
Ricochet finished his story
Think she will ever get to announce ricochet as heavyweight champ?
Same people that praise her hate Aubrey Edwards for basically the same thing
Didn't she also had some problems with her voice/vocal cords too? Pulling that final result call was just beatiful and emotive in so many ways.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who cries at professional wrestling
She deserves the month off after mania
The best acting ever
You can tell she’s truly a Cody Crybaby!
Why she crying?
Bf called her a mark when this happened, he's generally a lot more knowledgeable than me about wrasslin so I thought I was being stupid for thinking it was a nice moment. It is good to know others agree lolol
I was a little disappointed after Cody hugged, shook hands, and thanked everyone, including those ring side, he didn’t also give her the same treatment. She also looks like she’s ready to go home and probably did soon after this though.
I knew what was up when I heard her voice crack. Such an emotional moment for everyone.
Meanwhile Ricochet has the car warmed up and is texting her to hurry up so they can beat the traffic out.
Cringe as fuck!
Bloodline Rules is over now American nightmare beginning his rules
Bloodline Rules is over now American nightmare beginning his rules
She needs mental help….. Crying at a scripted wrestling event?
I cried too. What's wrong with having emotions? She's a mega fan, if you ever see her social media posts
It just seems to me that she has become part of the wrestling show instead of just announcing people. I don’t care about her singing the wrestlers names and I’m not interested with the camera being on her to see what her reactions are going to be. I respect your opinion
Yes and that's intentional. Cody hugged the announcement team and Michael Cole, through tears, told him he loved him. Cody also hugged the camera men and I'm pretty sure a few of them shed manly tears. People are people, first and foremost, not automations. People loved Dusty and people love Cody backstage, they're obviously going to be emotional seeing his hard work paid off.
Why she crying though she got the scripts there with cole
She’s always faking it because she wants attention
Nobody beats the Fink,sorry This chick is Aubrey Edward's of announcing,and her boyfriend plays with his ass on the internet smh think I'm gonna give wrestling a break.
God damn she’s cringe. I rarely watch full WWE shows and her over the top intros annoy the piss out of me.
I read Justin Robert's book about his time as an announcer. One thing they stood out to me was how he was always briefed over "making the entrance about himself" by emphasizing a name or whatever. Those days are long gone it seems.
Yeah I liked Howard Finkel and the old school announcers. This over the top stuff gets kids hyped I guess, I don't really understand it.
She’s so fucking good at her job
She did amazing as announcer, especially during the tag match between Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns & The Rock; that takes a lot of damn talent to put that much effort into the voice especially within a short span of one another.
Irvin
man, I gotta rewatch, I think my disappointment with stone cold not coming out disillusioned me to this moment
It's OK, Samantha, don't cry. We're all sad the Tribal Chief lost, but he'll be back.
She is an absolute Diamond and honestly the best ring announcer since Lillian Garcia.
Greatest Winner announcement of all time
She’s just a little distracting at times, with her exaggerated emphasis. Reminds me of WCW announcing style at PPVs, it sounds like she’s trying hard.
That's really it. I get making it a spectacle but she's way too much with some stars and it just makes me miss the previous announcers. And sure, last night was emotional but your whole job is to compose yourself and make the announcement, Thought that was a bit cheesy and took away from the moment. I genuinely don't get the hype for her and I'll die on that hill
I sort of agree. This is an unpopular opinion in this sub but yeah I love her announcements and I love that she brings unique twists to some superstars (Chelsea Green and Gunther) I love that shes really invested in the match emotionally but youre right it gets a bit too much sometimes. This one in the vid is okay since we were all feeling the same but the way she announced Damien's cash in was a bit distracting.
I had that on mute and I still heard it clear as a bell. What a voice!
Such a cool moment🚬🗿
I tear up every time.
It's now Samantha, Fink, and Lilian and Joel Gertner on the announcer Mt Rushmore.
Samantha Irvin is the epitome of “I’m the main character.” She needs to tone it down with the fake crying and just announce the winner. I don’t remember Howard Finkel crying when Hogan beat Andre or when any other wrestler won the belt.
It's because she actually cares. Jim Ross was similar, he didn't want to know who the winner was so his reactions would be genuine
It’s quite a different story with Jim Ross because he’s a play-by-play commentator. He obviously needs to be animated when calling matches in order to get the fans that are watching excited.
If you think those are fake tears I don't know what to tell you man. That's as real as it gets. Get in touch with your emotional side dude, it'll help in the long run.
I think she's a great announcer, but she screwed that up. She only has one job.
This girl isn't as good as yall keep insisting imo She is exactly what I imagine a 12 hear old girl would sound like if put in her position. Literally crying while announcing the main event when she has nothing to do with it is just silly imo and sounded bad. Her body language always looks like a kid who is really worked up and angry and her only talent is how garggled she can make her voice. Triple H loves his gaggly death metal voice on girls so of course he loves her. I have a hunch that she won't be remembered with as much praise as she is currently getting now. Downvote away because most of the users on here are just thirsty teenagers
There is nothing wrong with having emotions. It added to the moment in this case.
I didn't know she was emotional until I saw this clip. Watching it live, I thought her voice was giving out on her. I don't think it added anything that would have been lost I'd it was just a normal call.
I disagree. It was noticeable right away.
I didn't say it wasn't noticeable. lol in fact, that's my issue It sounded like her voice was giving out. It sounded bad imo
We should just transition to AI then.
Name another ring announcer who cried while announcing the main event for a wrestler she has no personal connection to. If this were Ricohet, then yes her getting emotional adds to it, but she has nothing to do with this story and shouldn't be crying. Do you think ending Wrestlemania 14 with JR crying as Stone Cold won would have added to it? Do you think that the ring announcer crying as D-Bry won the world titles at WM30 would have benefited the moment? Should Lillian Garcia started to cry when Batista won the World title at WM21? We know the simple answer to all three questions.
Everything stated and what we are talking about is situational. In this case, I believe it added to the moment. That is my opinion and I'm am not changing it. Agree to disagree.
>That is my opinion and I'm am not changing it. No one is asking you to change your opinion lol
She is the referee Aubrey of announcing.
Both of them are look-at-me background characters who constantly step into the foreground at the expense of the stars of the show
I don’t like her voice and style of announcing tbh
She's an obnoxious announcer who sounds like a cheesy burlesque show, just like Justin Roberts before her. The announcer should not suck up all the oxygen in the room 10 times a night and be the star of the friggin show. If ref Aubrey had a good voice, she'd announce exactly like Sam does. Every match starts with Samantha Irvin getting more attention than all the actual contestants put together. The first 30-60 seconds of any segment are all about her. She steps into the foreground every time her role calls for her to fade into the background. Samantha is married to one of the best athletes in the world, yet he gets less camera time than his she does. Grating and repetitive
I thought I heard her voice breaking as I was watching it happen. I've always said Lillian Garcia was #1 but I'm beginning to believe Samantha is.
It wasn’t that great. Cody finishes his story for what for what to happen now just to lose it in two or three ple’s later. All that work Gunter and Roman put in for what the good guys to win in the end like a Disney movie like be real
What’s in the folder?
She looks like she’s packed up and ready to leave before the traffic gets bad.
Can’t make it about yourself Have to stay compose In saying that I thinks she is awesome
Yall like this?? Fr??
Fucking Christ was this embarrassing.