Fabian Aichner Files ‘II Gladiatore’ Trademark, WWE Denied ESPN Writer WrestleMania 42 Access

TNA star Fabian Aichner (formerly Giovanni Vinci in WWE) has filed a trademark for ‘II Gladiatore’ with the USPTO. Aichner debuted for TNA on the May 14 episode of iMPACT!, confronting new X‑Division Champion Cedric Alexander. This is his first major branding move since his 2025 WWE release. You can check out the description of his trademark filing below: “IC 041: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.” ESPN combat sports writer Andreas Hale says WWE denied his media credentials for WrestleMania 42 and never gave him or ESPN a reason, even after the network followed up. During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s “Off The Ropes” podcast, Hale stated that he did everything required, yet he ended up watching WrestleMania from home in his own city. He said, “It was never approved for either day. I don’t know (what happened). I was never given a reason. I did everything I was supposed to do. I did my job as a reporter. I’ve covered pro wrestling for ESPN. I’ve written stories about Jey Uso heading into WrestleMania, Seth Rollins, John Cena, so on and so forth. The infamous match grades, which we discussed the last time I was here, which had a big buzz on social media, and then all of a sudden, it was, ‘Your credentials not approved,’ and I was never given a reason why. We never found out why, and that’s kind of where it stood.” “It was a big shocker, and yes, I tweeted about it, and that caused an uproar, but how can ESPN’s reporter not be at WrestleMania without saying anything? So, the only thing I could say is what I said in that tweet: I don’t know what happened. Nobody gave me a reason. ESPN asked on behalf. We were never given a reason, and that was that, and I wasn’t at WrestleMania. I watched from home, in my city, by the way. Again, I can’t tell you (a reason why it happened). The relationship between ESPN and WWE, all I could say is it’s above my pay grade. The answer is above my pay grade.” ESPN promised editorial independence for WWE coverage in 2025. But after Hale gave Wrestlepalooza a “C” rating, WWE reportedly stopped ESPN’s letter grades and blocked Hale’s access to their big events.