JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students in college broadcasting programs around the country are preparing for careers at news stations, sports networks or online streaming platforms.
But if you’re McKenzie Mitchell, you take a different route.
GOING RINGSIDE Ep. 96: Joe Hennig AKA Curtis Axel
“I was a broadcast journalism major at the University of Mississippi... I went to Ole Miss, so I worked with their sports department. Baseball, football, basketball. I was their emcee for four years. So I was the girl in the middle of the court at the arena,” said Mitchell.
But the type of arena she wound up in upon graduating was certainly a different one than she’d been in before.
“For me, I knew I wanted to work in sports, entertainment or music. Live in Nashville. I made that transition really easily,” she said.
And that’s when she was discovered by TNA Wrestling.
“I got lucky with some really great connections that put me in great hands and put me in good hands with TNA Wrestling,” Mitchell said.
It was an unusual path because when you think of people who work in pro wrestling, there’s often an assumption they either grew up in the industry (like Joe Hennig, who’s also on this episode -- see below) or were a fan of it.
Watch McKenzie’s interview on Going Ringside, just after the Joe Hennig interview. Press play below:
McKenzie Mitchell was not at the time. And that meant she started studying. A lot.
She said it was a culture shock.
“I really attest to putting your head down and like learning the industry and whatever it is that you’re trying to get into,” said Mitchell. “That’s what I did. I just really learned, and I watched the product and I memorized as much as I could and I would just Google and in my own way visually write down the things that made sense to me about professional wrestling.”
And soon enough she was off and running in the unique industry with her first live interview being one of the greatest of all time: Jeff Hardy (who previously appeared on Going Ringside).
Mitchell offers an interesting perspective on the unique industry: the backstage interviewer. They don’t provide the gritty drama that unfolds in the ring, rather it’s their job to make the backstage drama have meaning for the viewers.
And often it’s the backstage drama that’s the most interesting part of pro wrestling.
“Like when we start the interview, we have an idea of what we want to accomplish,” said Mitchell. “But let’s say, someone wants to take it in a different direction. It’s all about listening to what the talent, the superstar says.”
But Mitchell’s TNA experience was just the beginning for the up-and-coming broadcaster. Because not too long after, WWE came calling.
She spent years in WWE, much of it with NXT, until leaving the company last year. Now she’s a social media sensation with much of her content coming through her Threads channel.
“Where we talk about iconic looks. Iconic moments from the past. A lot of the times from the interviews you hear talking about the biggest moments, winning a title,” said Mitchell. “We also started streaming audio as well so you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.”