Summary

A report stated ESPN has dropped WWE letter grades from its reviews after a "C" grade was issued for the 2025 WWE Wrestlepalooza PLE.

Dave Meltzer wrote that he was told from a WWE-side source that the grading format was removed after WWE pushed back.

A follow-up report said an ESPN spokesperson declined to comment, while a source familiar with ESPN's approach said the move to remove letter grades was made by ESPN and not requested by WWE.

That same source declined to explain further when asked why the grades were removed.

ESPN and WWE disagreement over grading highlights growing tension around media framing

The split accounts on why letter grades disappeared create immediate uncertainty around editorial independence in high-profile wrestling coverage, and that consequence keeps attention on how future WWE events will be reviewed publicly.

Because both reports point to internal decision-making but disagree on influence, this story is likely to remain active until one side provides a clear on-record explanation.

Quotes

Quote from Dave Meltzer report excerpt

"If you thought WWE didn't care about that, clearly you have to think again given they disappeared. The story came up after the weekend show and it was confirmed to me by someone on the WWE side that WWE had gotten it killed."

Quote from PostWrestling report excerpt

"An ESPN spokesperson declined to provide comments for this report. However, one source with knowledge of ESPN’s approach maintained that the decision to discontinue letter grades was ESPN’s alone and that WWE did not request the change. When pressed to explain the reasoning for the removal of grades and whether WWE took issue with the reviews, the source declined to respond further."

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.