Jonathan Coachman is blasting WWE over the company denying ESPN reporter Andreas Hale credentials for WrestleMania, calling the entire situation “embarrassing” and accusing WWE of looking petty over criticism.

Speaking on 2 Count Tuesday, Coachman defended Hale and made it clear he believes the ESPN writer has handled wrestling coverage fairly and professionally. Coachman pointed to Hale’s previous WrestleMania review, where he gave the event a C++, and questioned why WWE would seemingly react negatively to honest criticism.

“I had Andreas Hale on, he does a solid job, he’s a legit wrestling fan. And last year, when they started the relationship, he gave WrestleMania a C++. I don’t know why WWE doesn’t understand. Look at the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball. They all have deals with ESPN, and there are reporters like Adam Schefter who cover those sports honestly.”

Coachman suggested WWE took issue with Hale’s grading of the product and connected that to Hale later being denied access for WrestleMania coverage.

“But apparently there’s an issue when you give a bad grade.”

He also referenced Hale publicly revealing that WWE blocked his credentials without providing either him or ESPN with a reason. Coachman noted that around the same time, ESPN quietly resumed stronger coverage of AEW content on its website.

“So they didn’t give him a credential for WrestleMania. On my radio show, he said, ‘They never gave us a reason. We couldn’t get in touch with anybody.’ And now, very quietly, ESPN.com has opened up the AEW tab again and is covering All Elite Wrestling.”

Coachman went on to criticize WWE for trying to heavily control how its talent and product are presented across ESPN programming, arguing not every show benefits from wrestling appearances.

“And WWE said they want talent on every show, whether it makes sense or not. On a 6 PM SportsCenter, it doesn’t make sense to have a pro wrestler. It’s a news show. That should be for entertainment segments or separate programming.”

He placed much of the blame directly on WWE, saying the company’s handling of the situation creates the perception that it is attempting to dictate coverage and silence criticism.

“And hopefully they figure that out, because ESPN has done their part. But for WWE to be so petty, to take someone’s credential away at your biggest event, on their platform, is embarrassing.”

Coachman also praised Hale for staying professional publicly despite the situation.

“And for Andreas not to go off, I give him a lot of credit. He was very respectful. But when you’re a reporter in wrestling, you’re supposed to give your opinion. If you like something, you say it. If you don’t, you say that too.”

The former WWE announcer later warned that WWE risks damaging its reputation by appearing overly sensitive to criticism despite being the biggest wrestling company in the world.

“When you’re number one, you can’t show that you care this much about number two. Because what’s going to happen is whether it’s ESPN, Andreas Hale, whoever, they’re going to start moving away from you. Because it starts to feel petty. And you can’t be petty when you’re a global brand making billions and billions of dollars.”

Hale previously revealed on social media that WWE denied his WrestleMania 42 credentials and blocked his access, while stating neither he nor ESPN received an explanation from the company.