WWE has denied press credentials to ESPN combat sports reporter Andreas Hale for WrestleMania 42 weekend in Las Vegas, blocking him from covering the event for the network that pays $325 million per year to stream WWE's premium live events.
Hale revealed the situation Saturday afternoon on X, posting that neither he nor ESPN had been told why his access was pulled.
"I will not be covering #WrestleMania for ESPN," Hale wrote. "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."
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The Wrestlepalooza Grade
Hale has covered WWE's premium live events for ESPN since the network's $1.6 billion, five-year rights deal began with Wrestlepalooza in September 2025. His review of that debut event gave the show a C grade, which sparked immediate backlash from the WWE fanbase and reportedly rubbed executives at WWE and parent company TKO the wrong way.
In the weeks that followed, multiple reports indicated WWE pressured ESPN to drop letter grades from its PLE coverage entirely. ESPN's reviews stopped including grades after Crown Jewel in October.
Hale's Wider WWE Coverage
Beyond event reviews, Hale has been one of ESPN's primary reporters on the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon. His most recent reporting on the case detailed Grant's 40-page affidavit outlining additional allegations against the former WWE chairman and ex-head of talent relations John Laurinaitis.
Hale, a longtime combat sports journalist who previously worked at DAZN and Sporting News, also covers UFC for ESPN. He has handed out critical grades on UFC events as well, recently giving UFC 326 a D-, suggesting his Wrestlepalooza review was consistent with how he approaches combat sports coverage broadly.
A Strained Partnership
The credential denial comes at the worst possible optics moment for both companies. WrestleMania 42 takes place this Saturday and Sunday in Las Vegas, the centerpiece of ESPN's first full WrestleMania weekend as the exclusive domestic streaming home of WWE PLEs.
WWE has not publicly commented on Hale's credential denial. ESPN has also not issued a statement on the situation.
