Following the 2025 WWE Wrestlepalooza premium live event, ESPN combat sports reporter Andreas Hale found himself at the center of controversy after he gave the show a “C” grade. Speaking on Jonathan Coachman’s Off The Ropes podcast, Hale addressed the backlash and explained his reasoning behind the critical review.

Hale made it clear that his opinion came from a place of passion for the business. “I love pro wrestling. I’ve loved pro wrestling since I was three years old. I watch everything, literally everything. So people that know me were not surprised by this. I’m going to watch All Out. I’m going to watch TNA. I’m going to watch NXT. But people that didn’t know any better was like, ‘Oh, he’s on this side. He’s on Tony Khan’s side.’ So that surprised me that so many people were surprised that somebody from ESPN could give it an average grade.”

He went on to explain that the grade was not designed to bury the event, but rather to be a fair reflection of how the show landed compared to the hype surrounding it. “The show’s over. People already watched it. My match, the grade doesn’t mean nothing anymore. They got their views. It means nothing. But I think the bigger issue is, if we can’t be honest about what the show is, my journalistic credibility is under fire. And my grades mean something. For those who know at ESPN, I also grade UFC cards. I grade the fights. I grade boxing. If I give everything an A, then what does it all really mean? If I give everything an F, then I’m just a hater. But if I can give you an explanation as to what I’m giving it and why, which is what I did, then I think people will strive for more.”

Hale pointed to fan reaction toward his scoring of the women’s title bout, where Stephanie Vaquer faced IYO SKY, as an example of people misunderstanding the context of his review. “There were people that said, ‘Well, why didn’t you give Iyo and Stephanie an A?’ I gave it a B+. Was it the best women’s match I’ve seen all year? No. I thought the triple threat at wrestling was better, but I thought it still was a damn good match. B+ isn’t bad. So I think people got to get out of themselves and start thinking that a C is horrible. It’s passable.”

He concluded by noting that while Wrestlepalooza did not completely flop, it also did not deliver on the “epic” expectations WWE set going into it. “I’ll never watch the Wrestlepalooza again. I don’t care to, but it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen. But for something that promised, epic moments, it fell short.”

"It wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, but for something that promised 'Epic Moments,' it fell short."

ESPN's @AndreasHale responds to the backlash he received for the C grade for Wrestlepalooza#OfftheRopes | Weekdays from 2-4pm ET on Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7 Ch. 156 pic.twitter.com/Q3XcVklxY5

, SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) September 25, 2025

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