Paul Levesque, also known as Triple H, is reportedly facing internal criticism within WWE over ongoing changes to the WrestleMania 42 card. According to Dave Meltzer, some within the company are growing frustrated with frequent creative pivots, which are believed to be contributing to slower-than-expected ticket sales.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer revealed that ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 are currently tracking behind last year’s pace, with the advance reportedly down by a notable margin.
“Essentially, what the way it was described to me is, and this makes no sense, but this is how I was told is that they’re very disappointed with the advance. It’s down about 18% from last year,” Meltzer said.
While Meltzer noted that WWE still expects WrestleMania 42 to sell out eventually, the current figures have apparently led to disappointment among company officials. He added that some of the internal criticism directed toward Levesque stems from comparisons to the creative style of Vince McMahon, particularly regarding late-stage changes to major plans.
“So there’s been a lot of internal criticism of Paul Levesque, as far as, like, not keeping, you know, they keep changing the plans, essentially, like Vince,….they have a plan, and then they change the plan,” Meltzer stated.
According to Meltzer, the frustration is heightened by the belief that repeatedly altering a WrestleMania card—especially before it has been fully announced—can be counterproductive from a marketing and sales standpoint.
Beyond creative concerns, Meltzer also pointed to several external factors that may be impacting ticket sales. Chief among them are higher ticket prices and a downturn in international tourism, particularly in Las Vegas, the host city for WrestleMania 42.
“The problems are number one, ticket prices are really high, higher than last year. Number two, a lot of foreigners won’t come to the United States right now… I mean, tourism in Vegas is down,” he explained. “That’s one of the reasons why WrestleMania is there again, because tourism is down, and it’s down throughout the United States, but Vegas has been hit hard.”
Despite the concerns, the WrestleMania 42 card is beginning to solidify. Major matches currently expected include Roman Reigns challenging CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship, along with a likely WWE Championship clash between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes.
As WrestleMania season continues, it remains to be seen whether WWE’s creative direction stabilizes—and whether ticket sales rebound as the full card is officially revealed.
