According to an official report from ESPN, WWE WrestlePalooza, the promotion’s debut event on the network, received a rating of “C” from ESPN writer Andreas Hale. This news sparked controversy throughout the pro wrestling industry and social media.
During an episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling‘s WrestleVotes Radio on WrestleBinge, hosts JoeyVotes and TC discussed the internal reaction within WWE to ESPN’s “C” grade for WrestlePalooza. It was revealed that ESPN rated the show a “C” because it was perceived backstage as “just another PLE” (Premium Live Event), which did not sit well with WWE executives.
The partnership between WWE and ESPN began earlier than anticipated, following NBCUniversal’s Peacock needing to approve the new deal. This agreement was originally scheduled to take effect in early 2026. According to The Hollywood Reporter, WWE negotiated an early exit for its PLEs from Peacock, which led to the new arrangement with Disney-owned ESPN.
