WWE is far and away the biggest promotion in professional wrestling, but under TKO’s leadership, they’ve made many controversial decisions. Ticket prices continue to rise. The Royal Rumble is going to be in Saudi Arabia next year. After announcing that WrestleMania 42 would be in New Orleans, it was moved to Las Vegas for the second year in a row. Brock Lesnar shockingly returned. Yesterday, the chaos continued. First came the report that WrestleMania 43 will be held in Saudi Arabia. On the same day, we got to see just how much it will cost you to attend John Cena’s final Madison Square Garden appearance. And if that wasn’t bad enough, TKO COO Mark Shapiro said that he wants WWE ticket prices to rise even higher, and for cities to pay WWE just to hold Raw and SmackDown. How long before it’s all too much and fans simply stop showing up?
WrestleMania 43 Will Be In Saudi Arabia
- Nick Khan promised that the major WWE PLEs would stay in North America.
- WrestleMania 42 was moved from New Orleans to Las Vegas.
- London has wanted a WrestleMania for many years.
Although WWE has expanded internationally the past few years, their biggest PLEs of the year have remained in North America. WWE CEO Nick Khan even promised that it would stay that way, but just a few months later came the announcement that the 2026 Royal Rumble would be held in Saudi Arabia. This was a controversial choice for what is arguably the second-biggest show of the year. Saudi shows have long been disliked by fans because of the politics involved, so now the most exciting match of the year will have an uncomfortable feel to it which might push some fans away.
Royal Rumble isn’t the only PLE being messed with. WrestleMania, the biggest show of them all, has been attached to its own controversies. On a SmackDown in New Orleans several months ago, The Rock came out to announce that WrestleMania 42 would be held in the city. It was a smart decision, but then came a baffling one, as WWE changed course, taking the promised show away and moving it to Las Vegas for the second year in a row. This choice bucked tradition, angered fans, and showed that TKO is all about making the most money possible.
If you need more proof, yesterday brought that shocker that WrestleMania 43 is going to be held in Saudi Arabia. London has been fighting to get that show for years, but it’s Saudi Arabia who gets it first? Again, this is because TKO is only thinking about who can give them the most money. Rather than being a traveling event like the Super Bowl, you can expect WWE’s biggest shows to keep moving back and forth between Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia (three PLEs will be held in the latter next year), further alienating fans who live elsewhere.
TKO COO Mark Shapiro Wants WWE Ticket Prices To Go Up
- Wrestlepalooza ticket prices are unaffordable for most people.
- It will cost thousands of dollars to see John Cena’s last Madison Square Garden appearance.
- Mark Shapiro wants cities to pay TKO just to host Raw and SmackDown.
The worst sin of all that TKO could commit is how they’re treating middle-class fans and families. Ticket prices have gone way up in the past year, making it impossible for most people to go to a simple WWE event. Wrestlepalooza tickets prices are astronomical, and it will cost you $3,000 to see John Cena in his last New York City appearance at Madison Square Garden.
What’s most frustrating is that TKO is not even trying to hide how little they care. On Wednesday, TKO COO Mark Shapiro spoke at the annual Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference, where he had the nerve to say:
“WWE is not where the UFC yet is on ticket yield. We have our work to do there. We know we have a lot of room there because Vince McMahon was primarily pricing tickets for families and wasn’t totally focused on maxing the opportunity there. Now that we’ve seen what we can do with UFC, we’re replicating that in terms of ticket yield and holding back and advance sales when it comes to OnLocation on the WWE side and it’s working out really well.”
Because that wasn’t shocking enough, Shapiro kept going:
“If we have a St. Louis going up against a Des Moines, Iowa, and you want us back there and you’ve broken records and sold out both your arenas, you have to pay for us to come back or else we’ll take it to another town. And that goes for NXT, Raw and SmackDown on the WWE side.” (h/t Wrestling Observer)
WWE Will Continue Their Strategy Until Fans Stop Buying Tickets
- Middle-class people and families are being priced out of WWE shows.
- American fans will have to pay $30 a month for WWE PLEs on ESPN.
- Will WWE return to the era of tarped off arenas?
It’s baffling that Mark Shapiro would say this, but he obviously didn’t know that his comments, made in front of a bunch of super rich people, were going to be leaked to the public. It’s just the latest frustrating choice made by TKO. Ticket prices are pushing fans’ wallets to the brink, and last month came the news that all future WWE PLEs in the United States will now be on ESPN’s new streaming app. Instead of paying around $10 a month on Peacock, fans will have to shell out $30 a month for ESPN.
As all of this happens, WWE is more popular than ever, with them selling out everywhere they go. Creatively, you can argue that WWE is struggling, but fans have yet to turn away. TKO continues to do whatever they want because there are no repercussions. With WWE doing away with post-show press conferences, they don’t have to answer for it either. However, it feels that TKO’s strategies are reaching a breaking point.
How long will this go on until middle-class fans and families can’t take it any longer and stop showing up? Is TKO trying to make WWE a promotion that’s only for the rich? Do they not get that professional wrestling has always been most popular with the common man? There is going to come a point when fans rebel and stop buying tickets, leading to the return of tarped off arenas. Only then will TKO change, and even then, they might just raise ticket prices even more to cover for the loss.
