ESPN’s Andreas Hale says WWE denied his WrestleMania credential request

If you went by its daily programming this past week, you’d think ESPN and WWE were essentially the same company at this point. Thick as thieves, the Worldwide Leader essentially became the WorldwideWrestling Leader. Based on that intense, some might say over-the-top synergy, one might presume that they’d be in lockstep over providing access between companies.

Turns out, there’s only so much access $1.6 billion gets you.

ESPN’s boxing, MMA & pro wrestling reporter Andreas Hale said Saturday that he would not be covering WrestleMania 42 for the network after WWE denied him access.

“I will not be covering WrestleMania for ESPN,” Hale wrote on X. “WWE denied my credentials and blocked my access. Neither I nor ESPN has been told why. You can speculate on the reasons, but if you want answers, ask WWE. Let me know what they tell you.”

It doesn’t take much to presume that WWE might be holding a grudge against Hale. Last September, he gave Wrestlepalooza, ESPN’s first PLE under a new $1.6 billion deal with the wrestling company, a “C” grade. He subsequently assigned the second PLE a “B” grade, but stopped giving out grades after that. It was later reported that ESPN ended its practice of assigning letter grades to PLE reviews at WWE’s behest.

If this is the reason that Hale, who works for what was essentially WWE’s PR arm this past week, was denied a credential due to his previous grades, that’s some very weak sauce.

“I think the answer to that is an emphatic ‘yes,’” ESPN SVP John Lasker said in September when asked if the network would continue to cover WWE without fear or favor. “Unequivocal, ‘yes.’ That’s separation of church and state.”

Sounds like that’s not how WWE sees it. And if ESPN doesn’t stand up for its reporter, it sounds like it’s not how they actually see it either.