Lilián Annette Garcia is an American ring announcer, singer, and podcaster who was born on August 19, 1966, in the Panama Canal Zone. Her colorful career has had a lasting impact on sports entertainment. Garcia is best known for her groundbreaking work with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but she has also made important contributions to music, podcasting, and mixed martial arts announcing. She is known as a trailblazer and a beloved figure in many fields.
Life and Background in the Past
Garcia’s upbringing had a big impact on her early years. Her father was Puerto Rican and a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. She spent the first eight years of her life in Spain, living on an American military base and calling herself a “military brat.” This experience helped her become fluent in both English and Spanish, which would later help her be more flexible in her work. Garcia graduated from Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina, after coming back to the United States. He then went on to earn a cum laude degree from the University of South Carolina. She was a top-ten finalist in the Miss South Carolina beauty pageant. As a teenager, she sang in local clubs to improve her performance skills. Later, she co-hosted a popular morning show on WYYS “YES 97” in Columbia.
WWE Career: A Groundbreaking Ring Announcer
Garcia started working for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1999. He made his debut as a ring announcer on the August 23 episode of Raw is War in Ames, Iowa. She stepped into the role with little warning, taking over for the legendary Howard Finkel, which was a scary job that she almost quit because she was so nervous. Garcia did well, even though she was scared at first. She was the first woman to announce at WrestleMania and became WWE’s first “Decade Diva” for her ten years with the company.
There were many historic events during her time in WWE. In 2018, Garcia was the first woman to announce the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal and the first-ever WWE Women’s Pay-Per-View, WWE Evolution. She has also sung the U.S. National Anthem live at WrestleMania more times than anyone else, even the great Aretha Franklin. Her powerful performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the September 13, 2001, episode of SmackDown!, just two days after the 9/11 attacks, got a standing ovation and made her a symbol of strength for fans all over the world.
There were problems during Garcia’s time. In 2007, she tore her ACL while skiing, so she had to announce matches from the floor instead of the ring while she healed. That same year, an infamous scripted scene on Raw accidentally ripped her skirt off, which caused searches for her name to go up by 301%. Even though there were times like this, Garcia’s professionalism and charm shone through, making her a fan favorite. She left WWE full-time in 2016, but she still made occasional appearances, like when she came back for one night in 2024 to fill in for Samantha Irvin, who was leaving.
A Voice Beyond the Ring: A Music Career
Garcia’s musical skills have been a big part of her career. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a WWE superstar, pushed her to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at WWE events. Her first televised performance was at WrestleMania 2000. Her singing skills got her first album, ¡Quiero Vivir!, out in 2007, and then an EP, My Time, in 2012. A big moment happened in 2007 on Raw when she announced ¡Quiero Vivir! and got into a storyline feud with Jillian Hall. She also competed in a WWE Idol segment where she sang Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
Garcia has sung the National Anthem at many big sporting events besides WWE, such as NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, and U.S. Open Tennis matches. This shows off her range and love for her country.
Other Projects and Podcasting
In 2017, Garcia started her podcast, Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia. It has been downloaded more than 8 million times and is often in the Top 10 on iTunes. The podcast, which was first called Making Their Way to the Ring, has in-depth interviews with athletes, entertainers, and health professionals that tell inspiring stories of hard work and success. In 2020, the show moved to the WWE Network, which made Garcia’s impact on the media even stronger.
In 2019, Garcia became the first woman to be an in-cage announcer for the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She brought her dynamic personality to mixed martial arts. But in 2023, she left PFL because she lost her announcing voice, which she talked about openly on her podcast.
Life and Legacy
Garcia’s life has been one of faith and strength. She lost both of her parents and went through a divorce, but she found her faith again at Mariner’s Church in California, where she joined the worship team. Garcia has lived in Los Angeles since she got married to Christopher Jozeph in 2009. She is still a keynote speaker, giving talks about confidence and perseverance.
Garcia’s career has included live TV, music, and motivational speaking for more than 20 years. In 2019, her net worth was thought to be $5 million. She is a pioneer in sports entertainment because of her work with WWE, which includes her role in raising the profile of women’s wrestling and her historic performances. Lilian Garcia is still a well-known figure whose voice, both literally and figuratively, speaks to millions of people around the world as she continues to announce WWE events like Saturday Night’s Main Event and WWE x AAA Worlds Collide.
