Mike Rome
Birth nameAustin Michael Romero
Born (1981-10-08) October 8, 1981
San Diego, California, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Mike Rome
Billed height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Billed fromSan Diego, California
DebutSeptember 20, 2012

Austin Michael Romero[1] (born October 8, 1981) is an American television host, ring announcer and backstage interviewer. He is signed to WWE under the ring name Mike Rome, where he is the ring announcer for the SmackDown brand. He is also known for his previous work on the NXT and Raw brands. He is a one-time WWE 24/7 Champion, holding the title for nine seconds.

Early life

Rome grew up in San Diego, California as a huge fan of WWE's Rock 'n Wrestling era, idolizing Superstars like The Ultimate Warrior and being mesmerized by The Undertaker's debut at Survivor Series 1990.[2]

Career

NXT ring announcer and sporadic Raw appearances (2016-2019)

Romero signed with WWE in May 2016, having previously worked for Nickelodeon as a touring emcee, and for Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, as a cast member.[3] He began working as a ring announcer for the NXT brand on its Florida loop.[4] He was also the ring announcer at the Cruiserweight Classic,[5] and made his debut on WWE programming on the September 7, 2016, episode of NXT. His ring name is a shortened version of his middle name and his surname, and he initially went by his full middle name and the shortened version of his surname, before it was changed before a NXT taping to differentiate himself from Michael Cole.[6] Rome would make his main roster debut on the January 16, 2017, episode of Raw, in a backstage segment interviewing Nia Jax.[7] He would continue to make appearances on both NXT and Raw, with his final NXT appearance as an interviewer at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4.[8] From then on, Rome would appear regularly on the main roster shows.

Rome has occasionally been used on Raw or otherwise to further storylines. In an backstage segment in July 2018, Alexa Bliss was promoting Table for 3 on the WWE Network, when Rome walked by and interrupted her, thinking she was asking him out on a date.[9] As part of WWE's online content, Rome would portray a delusional character who was sure he would be having dinner with Bliss.[10][11][12][13]

Raw ring announcer (2019-2023)

Starting in January 2019, Rome became the main Raw ring announcer after previous announcer JoJo quietly left that position. Beginning in April 2019, Rome, much like his SmackDown counterpart Greg Hamilton, was forced by Shane McMahon to introduce him to the ring with emphasis on the phrase "best in the world" (relating to McMahon's gimmick at the time).[14] On one occasion, Rome's voice gave out towards the end, resulting in McMahon and Roman Reigns visibly laughing, as well as Michael Cole and Corey Graves making fun of him.[15] According to Hamilton, Rome was legitimately sick that night, and later commended him for still pulling off the announcement.[16]

On December 27, Rome won the WWE 24/7 Championship at a WWE Live event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Samir Singh had just won the title off R-Truth for his third reign, and wanted Rome to announce him as the new champion, prodding him as he did so. Instead, Rome rolled Samir up to win the title and was about to announce himself as the new champion, before Sunil Singh surprised him with a roll up to regain the title, also for his third reign.[17][18]

Following the release of Greg Hamilton in October 2021, he had been announcing on both Raw and SmackDown until January 14, 2022 when Samantha Irvin was called up to the main roster from 205 Live to serve as the ring announcer for SmackDown.

SmackDown ring announcer (2023-present)

During the 2023 WWE Draft, Rome and Irvin were both drafted to switch announcing positions taking effect May 8, 2023. As a result, Rome would become the new ring announcer for SmackDown, starting with the May 12 episode.

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ "NEW WWE NXT ANNOUNCER". PWInsider.com. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Mike Rome's Bio". September 20, 2012.
  3. ↑ Saxton, Byron (January 6, 2017). "NXT ring announcer Mike Rome on his boy band background, his most embarrassing moment and more". WWE. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (May 22, 2016). "Daily Update: WWE Extreme Rules preview, Conor McGregor speaks". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ Twiss, Andrew (June 23, 2016). "SECOND WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CLASSIC SPOILERS REPORT & LIVE NOTES". PWInsider.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  6. ↑ Van Vliet, Chris. "Mike Rome on his tattoos, WrestleMania 36, Alexa Bliss, his voice cracking on TV, ring announcing". Retrieved March 22, 2020 – via YouTube.
  7. ↑ "Nia Jax shows no remorse after ambushing Sasha Banks: Raw, Jan. 16, 2017". Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Aiken, Chris (August 18, 2018). "NXT TakeOver Brooklyn IV live results: Ciampa vs. Gargano". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Do you want to go to dinner with Alexa Bliss?: WWE Network Pick of the Week, July 13, 2018". Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ "Mike Rome apologizes to Alexa Bliss: Raw Exclusive, July 16, 2018". Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "Alexa Bliss gives Mike Rome his just desserts: WWE Exclusive, July 26, 2018". Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ "Alexa Bliss keeps Mike Rome waiting: WWE Exclusive, Aug. 9, 2018" – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ "Bliss recalls going to a high school dance in a neck brace: Network Pick of the Week, August 31 2018". Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ Keller, Wade (April 15, 2019). "4/15 WWE Raw Results: Keller's report on Superstar Shake-up including more fallout from WrestleMania 35". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  15. ↑ Keller, Wade (July 7, 2019). "7/8 WWE Raw Results: Keller's report on Week Two of Heyman as Executive Director, Roman's mystery partner, return of Rey Mysterio, Extreme Rules hype". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  16. ↑ Van Vliet, Chris. "Greg Hamilton on ring announcing, Shane's "Best in the World" intro, Shinsuke Nakamura, cooking". Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via YouTube.
  17. ↑ Washabaugh, John (December 27, 2019). "12/27 WWE in Pittsburgh, Pa.: Seth & AOP vs. KO & Viking Raiders, Ring Announcer Mike Rome becomes 24/7 Champion (briefly), Becky vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte, Aleister vs. Murphy, Styles vs. Orton". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  18. ↑ "At #WWEPittsburgh, @MikeRomeWWE became the 24/7 Champion, but not long enough to announce it..." Twitter. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ "WWE 24/7 Championship". WWE. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
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