Backstage Details on WWE’s Reaction To ESPN Grading Wrestlepalooza a ‘C’

As previously noted, an official report from ESPN on WWE Wrestlepalooza, WWE’s debut event on ESPN, was given a C grade by ESPN writer Andreas Hale. This sparked a deluge of controversy throughout the wrestling space and social media. During Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WrestleVotes Radio on WrestleBinge, JoeyVotes and TC discussed the viral incident, along with the internal reaction in WWE to the “C” grade from ESPN for Wrestlepalooza Indianapolis.

According to JoeyVotes and TC, many people in WWE were surprised that ESPN openly rated the show a “C” grade, as it was viewed backstage as “just another PLE.”

The WWE and ESPN partnership started earlier than expected. As noted, NBCUniversal’s Peacock had to give WWE approval of the new deal, which was originally scheduled to start in early 2026. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the deal for WWE PLEs to exit Peacock early was brokered between WWE and Peacock and brought to Disney-owned ESPN.