Mike Rome

Austin Michael Romero (born October 9, 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.

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. He began working as a ring announcer for the NXT brand on its Florida loop. He was also the ring announcer at the Cruiserweight Classic, 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. Rome would make his main roster debut on the January 16, 2017, episode of ''Raw'', in a backstage segment interviewing Nia Jax. He would continue to make appearances on both ''NXT'' and ''Raw'', with his final ''NXT'' appearance as an interviewer at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4. 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. As part of WWE's online content, Rome would portray a delusional character who was sure he would be having dinner with Bliss.

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). 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. According to Hamilton, Rome was legitimately sick that night, and later commended him for still pulling off the announcement.

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.

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

* WWE
** WWE 24/7 Championship ( 1 time)

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rome, Mike
1981 births
Living people
WWE 24/7 Champions
People from San Diego
Professional wrestling announcers