WWE Hall of Famer JBL stated that an ESPN journalist would have been fired under Vince McMahon’s leadership for giving the inaugural WrestlePalooza premium live event a “C” grade. The criticism, published on ESPN’s own platform following the September 20 event in Indianapolis, drew a sharp response from the former WWE Champion on a recent episode of his Something to Wrestle show.
JBL argued that such a review undermines the significant financial investment made by the network. “You’re writing for a platform that you spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this product, and you’re bashing the product,” he said. “I just don’t think that’s well thought through.” He directly referenced the writer, Andreas Hale, suggesting his job security would be minimal under the previous regime. “Mr. Hale would be looking for a new job. There’s no doubt about it, and that’s what should happen.”
The ESPN review in question assigned lukewarm grades to several of the card’s marquee matches. The Undisputed WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre received a “C,” as did the mixed tag match that featured AJ Lee’s in-ring return. The lowest score, a “C-,” was given to the show’s opener, where Brock Lesnar secured a dominant victory over John Cena.
Hale’s summary explained the overall grade, noting: “The excellent Vaquer vs. Sky match saved this show from being truly average… Everything else was either underwhelming… or a setup for a future match.” The only bout to receive high marks was the Women’s World Championship match, where Stephanie Vaquer defeated Iyo Sky, earning a “B+.”
While JBL acknowledged Hale’s right to his opinion, he framed the critique as a poor career decision. This public commentary from a WWE Hall of Famer follows a report from WrestleVotes Radio indicating that the harsh review from a major media partner also caused surprise among personnel within WWE, where the event was reportedly perceived internally as a standard PLE.