Having already been prominent in the music and film industry, 23-year-old Lauren Mayhew is about to be shot into a stratosphere of it’s very own — the sports entertainment industry. As reported earlier this week, WWE debuted Lauren as their new ring announcer on Tuesday night in Tulsa, Oklahama, one night after ten-year veteran Lilian Garcia retired from her position as the voice of Monday Night Raw.
Though there are likely to be comparisons made in abundance, Lauren is keen on carving out her own career and separate herself from the legendary Garcia. Lauren’s long list of credits speaks for itself and suggests that she has what it takes to be a Diva in her own right. Having been around the entertainment industry since she was just 4 years old, Lauren has accomplished much already. From television to music to film; Lauren’s role on the long running soap opera, Guiding Light brought her to prominence but forming pop group PYT which toured with the likes of ‘N Sync, Britney Spears and Destiny’s Child put her on the map. Over the years, Lauren has gone her own way and become a multi-faceted Hollywood diva, she’s performed to a crowd of 80,000 at the Super Bowl pre-show and had her music featured on The Hills. As well as all of this, Mayhew has also done acting and television presenting which are key to her new WWE role also.
But with her future looking a little blue — SmackDown blue that is, Mayhew isn’t giving up on her current career. In fact, she is working on her second solo album, has a television series [‘Private High Musical’] in the works for MTV and a movie [‘Frat Party’] due this fall.
So just how did a burgeoning Hollywood starlet get involved in the whacky world of WWE? Lauren tells Diva Dirt exclusively that her agents had seen the position of a female singer/ring announcer advertised — the very advertisement that led to Lilian Garcia announcing her retirement this past summer. Lauren decided to audition, feeling that working for WWE would be a fun and exciting opportunity. Mayhew is now scheduled to be part of the SmackDown tapings every Tuesday night.
Despite what you may think, she is familiar with the wrestling industry and was a fan of Hulk Hogan, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper and the Undertaker growing up.
When we asked her if she had any desire to one day get in the ring, Lauren tells us that though she is very athletic, she has no plans to get in the ring herself. Mayhew says she has a lot of respect for the other Divas and will leave wrestling to the professionals.
You can catch Lauren make her SmackDown debut tomorrow on MyNetworkTV, or y’know, just visit here… We’ll be sure to cover her first appearance! For more on Lauren, you can also visit her official website.
