Mike Rome Throws Shade at New Announcer Mark Nash Over Cue Cards on SmackDown

There might be a little backstage heat brewing among WWE’s announce team. Longtime WWE ring announcer Mike Rome seems to have taken a not-so-subtle shot at newcomer Mark Nash, and it all went down on social media after SmackDown.

Following the April 4 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Rome took to Twitter and posted: “Wait, we get to read off of cards now??? Asking for a friend lol #wwesmackdown.” That jab came after Nash was seen reading from cue cards during the show—again.

Samantha Irvin jumped in with a shocked reply asking if that was really happening, and Rome doubled down, saying: “That’s two weeks I’ve seen one.”

Mark Nash just made his WWE debut on the March 28 episode of SmackDown, and while he’s been earning solid feedback from fans and wrestlers alike, he’s still learning the ropes. Nash is no stranger to live performance—he’s been the voice of Top Rank Boxing and is known for hyping up the Vegas Golden Knights—but WWE’s pace and production demands are a different beast entirely.

Still, Rome’s comment clearly got people talking. While Nash might be using cue cards to keep things smooth in the early stages, Rome’s tweet shows how sharp the expectations are behind the scenes. In WWE, everything is under the microscope—including the announcers.

As Nash settles into the WWE system, it remains to be seen whether this was just a playful jab or if there’s a little real tension brewing. Either way, WWE’s ring announcer scene just got a little more interesting.

UPDATE: Mike Rome addressed this report and downplayed the idea that he was trying to throw shade at Mark Nash. He wrote on Twitter, “Hahhaha you guys will make an article about anything lol stop trying to find drama where there is none lol”