WWE Crown Jewel received a favorable rating from ESPN

WWE Crown Jewel 2025 will go down in history for several reasons, but above all for being one of the most enjoyable events of this year in the company owned by Endeavor. Fans agree that the PLE has been vastly superior to Wrestlepalooza, the show that marked the beginning of WWE's ESPN era. That event received a global grade of C from ESPN itself, which was not well received by many in the company.

Today, however, the outcome has been very different. ESPN journalist Andreas Hale, who a month ago rated Wrestlepalooza, has now given Crown Jewel a global grade of B. For Hale, it wasn't a perfect show, but it was indeed superior to a Wrestlepalooza he described as mediocre.

"A show that started with stumbles - with a relatively tame street fight and a too brief match between female champions - was saved by an absolutely stellar match between Cena and Styles, which served as an excellent conclusion to their rivalry. Rollins finally got his deserved win against Rhodes - by any means necessary - and the women's tag team match was also solid, helping to solidify a memorable comeback for WWE after a lackluster Wrestlepalooza," wrote Hale.

Hale gave a C- to the Tiffany Stratton vs. Stephanie Vaquer match, lamenting its short duration (just ten minutes). The Australian Street Fight between Roman Reigns and Bronson Reed received a grade of C. Hale compared this match to the Last Man Standing Match held the previous night on SmackDown, which was vastly superior and ultimately "overshadowed" the PLE match.

The women's tag team match pitting the Kabuki Warriors against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY received a B grade, as did the main event of the night. For Hale, this fourth match between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins didn't live up to the first three, but he positively evaluated its narrative structure.

Finally, Hale agreed with the fans, giving a grade of A to the John Cena vs. AJ Styles match. Both wrestlers delivered a great show full of nods to other talents inside and outside the company, keeping the audience engaged and on edge every second of the match. "This was the best of the best and a perfect way to close out one of the best rivalries in WWE," wrote Hale.

Thus, it seems that the recent criticisms WWE has received in the past weeks have prompted the company to take action. It was reported a few days ago that WWE is making changes to the SmackDown writing team to find ways to offer more entertaining shows. This seems to have extended to the PLE, as seen today.