As it turns out, Lilian Garcia’s latest run as a WWE ring announcer was a relatively short one.
Taking to Instagram following WWE SmackDown on Friday, Garcia announced that she’ll no longer serve as a full-time ring announcer for the pro wrestling giant. But while she won’t be the voice introducing wrestlers to the ring on a weekly basis, she will remain the ring announcer for WWE’s quarterly Saturday Night’s Main Event specials on NBC and Peacock.
“I have some news. This was actually my last SmackDown as the full-time ring announcer,” Garcia said in the video. “There’s just a new era upon us. Things are being shifted around. However, I am going to Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC and Peacock, so I’m very very excited. I’m going to be singing at certain special events. And also, I am working with the WWE on some new projects.”
Garcia added of WWE: “This is home for me. I’m not going anywhere. I absolutely love the WWE and you guys have been so incredible ever since I came back. I can’t thank you enough for the welcome.”
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Garcia initially returned to WWE as the ring announcer for WWE Raw this past October following former ring announcer Samantha Irvin’s departure from the company. The 58-year-old then shifted to SmackDown this past January, with Alicia Taylor taking over as the ring announcer on Raw as WWE’s flagship show moved to Netflix.
At this point, it has yet to be announced who will replace Garcia as the new ring announcer for SmackDown, with Mike Rome currently serving in the role on WWE NXT in addition to Taylor on Raw. Garcia’s recent five-month run as a WWE ring announcer marked her third full-time stint with the company following previous runs from 1999-2009 and 2011-2016.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.