ESPN reporter Andreas Hale announced Saturday morning that the WWE denied him media credentials for Wrestlemania on Saturday per his social media account. Hale reported on the Janel Grant-Vince McMahon story several weeks earlier which leads to speculation that it was the reason for denying the company’s media partner’s reporter access.
I will not be covering #WrestleMania for ESPN.
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) April 18, 2026
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.
~FIN~
Earlier this month, Hale reported on the allegations of a former WWE employee against Vince McMahon. Janel Grant sued McMahon for sexual misconduct and the case is ongoing.
Payout Perspective:
Obviously there are multiple layers to this story. The first is the timing of the announcement. It would be petty for WWE to tell Hale the day of Wrestlemania that he could not come and report on the day. Whether Hale knew or not prior to his social media. The night before, Hale was reporting on the Alicia Baumgaudner fight. He did not put out any social media on X after his announcement on Saturday. Regardless of the denial of credentials, Hale could have reported via watching or buying a ticket and going so it could have been some sort of agreement between ESPN and WWE that he sit out this weekend. Hale is one of the best reporters at ESPN covering combat sports so this seems like an odd (and petty) way to (punish) a member of the media. MPO will continue to follow.
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