JBL defends WWE after Wrestlepalooza

JBL has defended WWE after the promotion came under scrutiny following Wrestlepalooza. The premium live event marked WWE's big debut on ESPN, and while the night was packed with in-ring action, the show left fans feeling underwhelmed.

There were no major surprises as teased by WWE's Chief Content Officer Triple H, leading to immense backlash against The Game. In its review, ESPN said the show fell a little short of expectations, grading it a "C."

However, amid the criticism, Hall of Famer JBL has defended WWE. Speaking on the Something to Wrestle With podcast, he said that the negative reviews of Wrestlepalooza don't undermine WWE's start with ESPN.

"I saw some negative stuff out there. I think people love to be negative in reviews...Dracula is the second most sold book behind the Bible, and reviews when it came out were horrible. So I think reviewers have always been negative. You sound smart when you’re negative, you don’t sound smart when you’re positive," he said.

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The lukewarm reaction around Wrestlepalooza stems from the fact that WWE failed to deliver on some big moments that fans were anticipating given the hype around the event. Brock Lesnar was wrestling his first in over two years, and you also had Cody Rhodes defending his WWE Championship.

But JBL believes the event was a success for WWE, and the partnership with ESPN will only get bigger.

"I think it’s a terrific start for WWE, I think it’s gonna be huge," he added.

You can watch the video below:

JBL backed WWE's Saudi WrestleMania announcement

Previously on Something to Wrestle With, the Hall of Famer also came to WWE's defense over its announcement that WrestleMania 43 will be held in Saudi Arabia.

The sports entertainment juggernaut faced a lot of criticism for this move, but the former WWE Champion was not having it.

He said the reasoning behind people criticizing it was "misguided," and he didn't "100% agree" with this dissent.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik