WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross believes the company’s current lack of a breakout superstar may be contributing to slower-than-expected ticket sales for the second night of SummerSlam 2026.
According to WrestleTix, SummerSlam Sunday at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium, which has a capacity of more than 70,000, has distributed 22,364 tickets as of Thursday. That figure represents an increase of just 633 tickets over the previous week’s update.
Discussing the numbers on his podcast, Ross suggested WWE currently lacks the type of red-hot attraction that has historically driven major business.
“Well, I would say that they don’t have… WWE doesn’t have any one wrestler that’s just white hot. You got to have somebody hot. So, people are talking about and they don’t have that right now. They got a lot of great talents, I’m not saying that, but it’s always it’s always been a matter of how they’re utilized.”
Ross emphasized that creating genuine stars has always been critical to professional wrestling’s success and believes talent presentation remains the key.
“They got to do a better job of utilizing their talent and seeing where that takes them. You got to get somebody hot. It’s that the wrestling has always been, at least in my opinion, an attraction-driven business.”
To illustrate his point, Ross pointed to the popularity of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin during WWE’s Attitude Era.
“That’s like back when [Steve] Austin was on fire, he would come out and they do a run in or something and it worked. They got ratings and people loved it and they cheered and all that.”
Ross concluded by saying he feels WWE has several talented performers but hasn’t established anyone at that same must-see level.
“Right now WWE doesn’t have that somebody in that role. It seems like they get somebody quasi hot.”
While Ross offered his perspective on the ticket sales, he did not cite any official reason for the current figures, and WWE has not publicly commented on the pace of sales for SummerSlam Sunday.
