ESPN’s Surprise Reaction To WWE Wrestlepalooza

WWE debuted on ESPN with Wrestlepalooza, but it seems the show did not go down well with everyone at their new broadcast partner.

WWE signed a deal with ESPN to become the new home for PLEs in the United States. That new relationship began with Wrestlepalooza, a show that was originally set to go head-to-head with AEW All Out before Tony Khan moved his show to the afternoon.

Wrestlepalooza saw Brock Lesnar destroy John Cena in one of Cena’s final matches of his career, to the horror of the many children in the arena. AJ Lee won her first match in over ten years as she teamed with CM Punk to defeat WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

Cody Rhodes retained his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre, while there was also a new champion crowned as Stephanie Vaquer won the Women’s World Title vacated by Naomi as she defeated IYO SKY.

The show as a whole received a mixed reception from fans, and now ESPN has even been damning of it.

ESPN Writer Unimpressed By WWE Wrestlepalooza

ESPN combat sports writer Andreas Hale wrote his review of the show on the ESPN website, and it seems he wasn’t a massive fan of WWE’s offering:

The excellent Vaquer vs. Sky match saved this show from being truly average. It was a phenomenal display inside the squared circle.

Everything else was either underwhelming (the short Rhodes-McIntyre match) or a setup for a future match (Lesnar dominating Cena).

For a card that promised to have epic moments, it fell a little short of expectations.

Hale graded the show a C overall. His comments might surprise some, but WWE president Nick Khan claimed there would be a separation of church and state when it comes to WWE news on ESPN.