How Alex McCarthy became one of the leading wrestling reporters
From breaking huge stories to covering the biggest events, Alex McCarthy has done it all in wrestling journalism.
McCarthy is widely recognised as one of the most reliable and respected sources for news in the industry.
But it wasn’t always his plan. In fact, it once seemed impossible for a British reporter to make a big impact on the wrestling business.
“When I got into journalism, I wasn’t pursuing a career in wrestling at all,” said McCarthy. “That wasn’t really a thing in England. My first proper journalism job was around 2015 when it was your Dave Meltzers and Mike Johnsons, I didn’t know anyone who did it.
“When I started progressing at GiveMeSport, they had a US section and I had already been working on NBA. I offhandedly mentioned to the editor that I liked WWE and was happy to get involved with that section of the website.
“It went from there really and the first opportunities that came around were through 2K, they were offering interviews and the first ones I did were Big Show and Sheamus. They were well received and that led to more opportunities, like WrestleMania and SummerSlam, and those interviews started to gain traction.
“People start to hear about your work through Twitter and the headlines those interviews would make. I had zero expectations and suddenly I am being sent to WrestleMania, I had never even been as a fan.
“I have been to four Manias now and done all of the big four shows. It always blows my mind that I get to go to these events which I would love to attend as a fan. It is not just me, a lot of people have made their own paths elsewhere.
“A lot of that goes to Cultaholic, WhatCulture and what they built on YouTube. I think it all helped and I am proud of how far we, as a country, have come with our efforts towards wrestling.”
Breaking big stories
After helping grow GiveMeSport’s wrestling coverage, McCarthy moved to talkSPORT and continued to make a positive impact.
One of his big scoops was revealing that WWE were planning to host a major show in Cardiff, Wales but there were plenty of doubters when he first broke the story.
“I had a sit down with Triple H for 25 minutes which is seldom done in this industry, certainly not for people in the UK,” he recalled. “My Twitter just blew up, I tweeted a couple of things he said and went from a few hundred followers to three thousand in a day.
“When you’ve never had that before, it makes you think, ‘Woah!’ There are so many notifications and your phone won’t stop vibrating.
“I was always worried about my reputation because that is your currency as a journalist. If you get things wrong, people don’t forget when you make mistakes like that. You obviously check and you get it confirmed by two or three different sources, but you are still worried.
“I reported on Brock Lesnar and Matt Riddle having an altercation backstage at Royal Rumble. I was very confident with it but when Riddle confirmed it in later interviews, that was nice.
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“One of the ones I am most known for was saying the show (Clash at the Castle) was going to come to Cardiff. WWE were mad that I had broken that!
“There were lots of people telling me I was wrong. I really trusted the two or three people who had told me, but then you start to panic. It is a lot of stress but it is really cool when you get your dues.”
‘It is all about timing’
McCarthy is currently working as a sports news editor for MailOnline and continues to carry out interviews with the industry’s biggest names.
With the wrestling business seemingly entering another boom period, he is excited about what lies ahead.
“I remember maybe five years ago when the product was stale and it was almost hard work being a fan,” he laughed. “I always believed in Triple H and was such a huge fan of NXT in its prime – before it went to network TV – and I wanted to see what he would do with a bigger production, a bigger stage and more talent.
“Obviously, the Bloodline storyline has been so red hot and the stars are aligning with CM Punk coming back. I didn’t necessarily foresee a boom period for wrestling but with the merger and Triple H coming into the ascendancy, it is all about timing.
“You wouldn’t get The Rock vs Hulk Hogan in 2002 if it wasn’t for timing, all of the stars have to align. I feel like that is where we are right now. If someone said 18 months ago Punk would be back in WWE, I would have laughed at them.
“To have him and The Rock, but even without them, I can’t remember the last time WWE had so many hot babyfaces. Triple H has done really well – he’s not perfect but to get that part of the business on fire, I think he has done exceptionally well.
“I am a big AEW fan too. I don’t think they are in their best stretch right now but I am always rooting for them to do well. There are plenty of people on their roster I am a huge fan of, Bryan Danielson especially.
“All In at Wembley was a phenomenal show, we were pining for a big show and WWE were starving us. I feel like AEW is forcing WWE’s hand and it’s just a great time. If you’re a WWE fan, you should be thankful for AEW for that if nothing else.”
