ESPN has ceased assigning letter grades to its reviews of WWE Premium Live Events following objections from WWE, according to reports. This change came after mixed ratings for recent events, though an ESPN source claims the decision was internal. The move highlights tensions in the WWE-ESPN broadcasting partnership.
ESPN, the exclusive U.S. broadcaster for WWE Premium Live Events since last summer, has stopped including letter grades in its reviews of these shows. The decision follows reviews by ESPN's Andreas Hale, who gave Wrestlepalooza a C rating and Crown Jewel a B grade the following month. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, individuals within WWE objected to these grades and effectively "killed" them, as reported by POST Wrestling.
An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on the matter to POST Wrestling. However, a source familiar with ESPN's operations insisted that the removal of grading metrics was an internal ESPN decision, with no direct request from WWE. When pressed on the reasons, this source also declined further comment.
Notably, ESPN continues to use letter grades for its UFC event reviews, including last weekend's UFC 326, where Charles Oliveira defeated Max Holloway for the BMF Title. In contrast, all subsequent WWE reviews have omitted grades for both individual matches and overall shows.
Recent reports describe the WWE-ESPN relationship as a "DNA mismatch," amid underwhelming early ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 and uncertainty surrounding its card. These developments underscore ongoing challenges in their partnership, though ESPN maintains it holds the exclusive rights for WWE PLEs in the U.S.
