Last week, I penned an article about the supply and demand aspect of Wrestlemania 42, the sports entertainment spectacle that is scheduled for Las Vegas this April for the second year in a row. Without the retread of the details of the previous column, the bottom line was that there was a noticeable dip in the number of tickets moved last year at this time compared to the current pattern of sales. Given that the entire premise of hosting WM 42 is based on the ability to secure those valuable tourism dollars, Allegiant Stadium touted 25% off sale during President’s Day weekend to attempt to spark the decision to not only purchase live event tickets, but the flights and hotel reservations required to attend. If fans are going to commit to spending that type of cash on the astronomical WM seats, especially for two nights, those plans have to be made in advance. It’s simply not logical or realistic to expect sales to spike a month ahead of time. The time frame to secure those travelers is now.
Will the stadium be full be the time the opening bell sounds on night one? Sure, particularly with the dynamic pricing model that is used through the advancement of technology to attempt to chop out the secondary market. But, and this is key, Wrestlemania isn’t about drawing the local or walk up crowd if the remaining seats are listed at reduced rates days before showtime to be able to garner a full house. Las Vegas paid the site fee, and outbid New Orleans in the process, to be able to use the WM brand to bolster its sluggish tourism industry. There was a 7.5% decline in visitors to the city last year, the lowest number for tourists since 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, if local fans gobble up the leftover seats at a reduced rate the first week of April, it completely defeats the purpose since the entire point was to pay the site fee in exchange for the massive economic impact that the WWE brand brings to a location.
According to The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, the President’s Day discount didn’t prompt a major boost in ticket sales, as the current number of seats sold this year is still considerably behind the amount of tickets that were already gone by this time last year.
As I wrote last week, the rather flat Wrestlemania ticket sales, and the lack of progress despite the reduced price is more proof of this, I think there’s a strong case to be made that WWE brass found the tipping point where the audience simply won’t pay inflated prices to be in the building for live events. The average fan can’t afford it, there are those that will pay that type of money once for the experience, but don’t need to do it again, and the number of diehard WWE fans with the disposable income to make the trip every year isn’t anywhere close to the amount of tickets that need to be sold for a stadium.
It goes without saying that the Wrestlemania brand is the primary selling point each year for these events, but the product ultimately has to justify the costs associated with attending, specifically when it was expanded for a two-night event. To reiterate what I wrote last week, there are peaks and valleys for everything, the momentum that the company had around Cody Rhodes’ chase to the championship couldn’t realistically sustain itself indefinitely beyond that point. The fans of the current era got to see the peak moment so there will naturally be a decline as the next storyline is put into place that will possibly increase the hype around the product again. For the past several years, the audience has paid inflated prices to see Cody, Roman, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre etc. It’s not a jab at their talent because the same would apply to almost any other star in the history of the business, but at some point, once you’ve seen the act, there’s not a reason to have to see it again, especially at increased prices, the following year.
With the amount of injuries and the amount of questions that go along with them, the under card hasn’t been set yet, but the top main events for the weekend, CM Punk/Roman Reigns, and almost confirmed Cody/Drew after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view this weekend, will be the marquee bouts on the cards. If those are the headliners, it’s fine, it doesn’t shift the direction of the company or prepare a new star for a top spot in the company, but it’s fine because it’s status quo for the TKO corporation. There’s nothing wrong with the status quo for TKO either, as the massive conglomerate touted WWE revenue of $1.7 billion for 2025, which was a 22% increase from the previous year during its earnings report.
Still, if the Wrestlemania 42 ticket sales stay stagnant with an estimated 35,000 seats sold for each night, wouldn’t that be negative optics for the organization?
Usually, it would be cause for concern if the biggest show of the year could only draw half a house in the 72,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, and it might be for the venue since Las Vegas paid the site fee, but the scenario is more or less moot for the WWE in the grand scheme of things.
The reason is simple, next year’s Wrestlemania is already the most successful and profitable in the history of the event.
As we know the Saudi government has already purchased Wrestlemania 43 with the same oil money that they used to buy The Royal Rumble this year. The Saudi Sports Authority has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on golf, boxing, wrestling, and other entertainment ventures. Early estimates for WM 43 put the show at a minimum of $100 million, which could be even more cash if they get a few of the legends such as Steve Austin or The Rock that they want for the show. Keep in mind, this is the Saudi government completely buying the event so the amount of tickets sold or the amount of fans in the building doesn’t matter.
With that type of guaranteed money, along with the massive revenue stream from their media rights deals, the WWE is already on the path to have its most profitable year in the history of the company by the end of 2027 since the mega payday for Wrestlemania from the Saudis will keep the stock price strong for the majority of the year.
With those type of economic numbers, particularly by mid-2027, the relatively soft sales for WM 42 will be largely forgotten about, and another host city will be to host the show in 2028. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a red flag when Wrestlemania only has half of the tickets sold, even for a stadium event, less than two months before the show, it’s an indication that they’ve priced out too many consumers, but in this specific situation, the Saudi deal for next year provides them with a safety net.
As we’ve discussed before the increased ticket prices and costs associated with following the WWE product through the slew of streaming services might chip away at the fan base, but as we’ve also mentioned, that might not be an issue for the TKO executives if the long range plan is to inflate the value of the company over the course of the next decade or so before it’s sold completely to the Saudi government. At the very least, it’s a possibility given the amount of cash that the country has already invested in associating it’s “modern approach” with the WWE brand. If that’s the case then the TKO suits wouldn’t be concerned about an eventual decline in the fan base, as it wouldn’t be their problem if they are going to sell the company to the foreign government.
In the short term, it will be interesting to see if the decreased WM ticket sales prompt WWE brass to quietly adjust ticket prices incrementally over the course of the rest of the year. It might not have any effect if TKO management firm with their pricing strategy, but if there’s any indication that tickets are too expensive for the WWE demographic, it’s that it’s difficult to move almost half of the tickets for a Wrestlemania event.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
