House shows have been a staple of WWE for as long as it has been around, with the promotion being built on the back of live events – growing the product, bringing in fans, and widening the world of professional wrestling in culture. Even though WWE gradually moved to featuring more TV shows and PPV events, house shows were still regular on an almost daily basis. This has steadily decreased, with a better schedule being afforded to wrestlers. Recent comments have suggested a further decrease of house shows in WWE, though this is a negative across the board – including for WWE’s international fanbase.
WWE Is Planning To Reduce House Shows
TKO’s Influence In WWE Is Broadening
- TKO COO Mark Shapiro revealed plans to further cut live shows.
- He defended WWE’s rising ticket prices.
- WWE’s house shows have been cut massively in recent years.
Compared to the almost daily schedule in the past, WWE’s house show schedule has decreased massively, especially post-pandemic. This has been beneficial for the wrestlers’ bodies and for family time, with many no longer needing to spend the majority of their time and life on the road. In 2025, WWE has reduced live events to sometimes as little as one per month – or even less! Over the last couple of years, the most fans have seen of these house shows are on international tours, but even that may decrease further. According to TKO COO Mark Shapiro, when speaking at the JP Morgan Annual Global Technology, Media & Communications Conference, WWE is planning to step back even further from house shows.
“We cut those house shows down to where now we’re doing 200 events a year. We cut them 75%, the number of house shows that we do. We feel that’s a good place to be and we’ll continue to prune as we go through. WWE has tremendous upside on global partnerships. Tremendous upside on ticket pricing. Tremendous upside on site fees, dynamic pricing, yield management. All areas we’re really focusing and pushing in on as it related to live events. As you saw on our first quarter, our margins significantly expanded as it relates to WWE live events.” (h/t Fightful)
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It is hard to imagine the schedule lessening even further, but if this is the trend, then fans may eventually see little to no house shows at all, with WWE’s focus being more centered on TV shows, PLEs, and other shows that can be turned into content, rather than being solely for the enjoyment of fans.
International Fans Will Have Fewer Opportunities To Attend WWE Shows
Most Overseas WWE Events Are House Shows
- WWE has annual European tours.
- It is rare for many international fans to attend WWE events.
- For some overseas fans, it is a once in a lifetime experience.
For the longest time, WWE predominantly remained in North America for most live events, TV shows, and PLEs. Under the ownership of TKO, a decision was made to put the ‘World’ back into ‘World Wrestling Entertainment’. WWE has traveled to the likes of the UK, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and more for not just televised shows, but also for marquee PLEs. This has enabled international fans to attend more prominent and important WWE events, which has been a huge positive. However, with WWE more willing to bring these bigger events to other countries, the need to draw fans to house shows isn’t as important, and this comes at a cost for those same fans.
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WWE’s European tours have been hugely beneficial for overseas fans who have dreamed of seeing WWE live, taking their children to see their favorites, and attending a memory-making event for an affordable price. With WWE stripping back on house shows, it means that fans will now be fighting and clamoring to get tickets to the PLEs and TV events, which will come far less frequently. For example, WWE’s UK tours see WWE visit a whole host of cities, such as Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow, Bristol, and more, but few of these places ever receive a big RAW, SmackDown, or PLE, with that often remaining around London. Without the live events, fans will have way fewer opportunities to attend shows, which is a huge shame.
|
Year |
Number Of Main Roster House Shows Outside Of North America |
|---|---|
|
2025 |
6 |
|
2024 |
23 |
|
2023 |
15 |
|
2022 |
8 |
|
2021 |
12 |
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
44 |
|
2018 |
49 |
|
2017 |
65 |
|
2016 |
57 |
WWE Is Forcing International Fans To Overspend
Due To WWE’s International PLEs, Fans Will Have To Spend More
- WWE has been hosting more and more overseas PLEs.
- WWE is forcing fans into attending these bigger shows.
- So many fans will be outpriced by WWE.
House shows have always been the affordable option for audiences, especially in more recent times as WWE has increased prices by a huge margin. PLEs are drawing record gates, but only due to the hike in prices, and this is also being reflected on RAW and SmackDown too. Selections of audiences are being priced out, with either only richer people able to afford it, or bank accounts taking a huge hit. For those in certain countries – Belgium for instance – WWE’s trip in 2025 for Monday Night RAW was a once in a lifetime experience for many in the country, so they are being forced to overspend in order to attend, especially with the decrease in live events. WWE would hold two events in Belgium every year from 2011, but since 2019, the only show in the country has been RAW, which is way more expensive than a house show.
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WWE’s recent business practices have not catered to the audience whatsoever, and this is the latest example of that. Fans across the world will take the hit, but arguably more so for those internationally. Countries such as Japan, Mexico, China, and more so infrequently host WWE shows, and with fewer live events it may decrease to zero in some cases.
