ESPN reviewer gives Wrestlepalooza a C, prompting WWE-ESPN deal debate

ESPN combat sports writer Andreas Hale gave WWE Wrestlepalooza a C in a postshow review, prompting a wave of criticism from fans and wrestling figures after the event marked WWE’s first premium live event airing under its new multi-year broadcast agreement with the network. Hale praised the Women’s World Championship bout between Stephanie Vaquer and IYO SKY as the night’s highlight but wrote that much of the rest of the card felt underwhelming or served primarily to set up future matches.

Hale’s review assigned a B to the Vaquer versus SKY match, calling it “a phenomenal display inside the squared circle,” while he graded the Brock Lesnar versus John Cena match a C, describing Lesnar’s dominance as part of a bout that set up forthcoming storylines. His overall verdict was that a card billed to deliver “epic moments” largely fell short of those expectations.

The grade touched off heated reactions on social media and among former wrestlers and industry figures. Booker T, speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, disputed the C, arguing that every match on the five-match card had merit and that several were “absolutely stellar.” Booker T said the Lesnar-Cena match delivered strong...