There are conflicting reports regarding why ESPN stopped issuing letter grades for WWE Premium Live Event reviews.
According to one source, the change came after WWE expressed objections to the grading system used in ESPN’s coverage of the company’s shows.
The report claims the promotion was unhappy with the practice of assigning letter grades to its events.
Another source went a step further, alleging that someone connected to WWE managed to get the grades “killed” entirely.
However, a separate individual said to be familiar with ESPN’s editorial approach disputed that version of events.
That source claimed the decision to drop the grading system was made internally by ESPN and was not requested by WWE.
When asked for additional clarification, the source declined to provide further details.
Neither WWE nor ESPN responded to requests for comment regarding the situation.
The relationship between the two companies dates back to September, when WWE’s Wrestlepalooza event aired on ESPN’s Unlimited streaming service as part of their partnership.
Following that show, ESPN writer Andreas Hale issued a review that graded the event with a “C,” which generated notable discussion online among wrestling fans.
Hale later gave WWE Crown Jewel a “B.” After that review, the letter grading system quietly disappeared from ESPN’s WWE event coverage.
(H/T: POST Wrestling)
