According to POST Wrestling, multiple sources have reported that ESPN has altered its reviews of WWE premium live events (PLEs) by eliminating letter grades after WWE expressed concerns about this practice. The original news was disclosed in last week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which noted that someone within WWE had requested that the grades be removed.
The report indicates that an ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on the situation, while one informed source claimed that this decision was made solely by ESPN. However, when asked for further clarification about the reasons behind the change and whether WWE had issues with the letter grades, the source chose not to elaborate. WWE also did not respond to requests for comment, nor did ESPN reviewer Andreas Hale.
POST Wrestling highlighted that since the review of WrestlePalooza, ESPN’s digital reporters have not published new stories featuring original comments from WWE talent. Despite this, WWE talent continues to appear regularly on ESPN’s television broadcasts to promote the company. A knowledgeable source mentioned that there have been no access issues.
Andreas Hale’s review of WWE WrestlePalooza, the first event under WWE’s deal to air PLEs on ESPN Unlimited, attracted attention when he assigned it a grade of C. He later rated WWE Crown Jewel: Perth with a B. Since those reviews, however, subsequent evaluations have omitted letter grades for both the events and individual matches. Notably, Hale continues to assign letter grades for UFC events, including through this past weekend’s UFC 326.
ESPN has previously stated that its reporters maintain full independence in how they cover WWE, with both ESPN+ SVP John Lasker and former VP of Programming and Acquisitions Matt Kenny explicitly affirming this on a press call.