The State of WWE Ticket Sales
In the closing months of 2025, WWE’s once-steady live event attendance appears to have lost its luster—especially outside of pay-per-views and premium live events. The latest numbers from Salt Lake City, where Saturday Night’s Main Event recently took place, paint a stark picture: just 7,867 tickets distributed in an arena set up for over 8,000—a far cry from the 11,000–12,000 that WWE has been averaging for major shows this year[2]. The drop is even more pronounced compared to last year’s SmackDown taping in the same city, which attracted over 8,300 fans[2]. Backstage, the sentiment is reportedly one of “real frustration,” with one source describing the turnout as “very disappointing”[1].
According to a WWE insider, creative and business staff have privately expressed concerns over the lack of momentum, with some questioning whether the product’s direction and presentation are resonating with audiences like they once did. “There’s a clear disconnect right now between what we’re hoping for and what’s actually happening live in the building,” the insider said.
Matt Hardy’s Take: High Prices, Missing Stars, and Lukewarm Stories
On The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the veteran wrestler and industry observer laid out a blunt assessment of WWE’s live event struggles. “If you’re going to charge those top-level prices, you have to make sure your product is top-level at all times and is white hot,” Hardy emphasized[4]. His comments echo a growing sentiment among fans and industry figures: WWE’s ambition to maximize revenue through higher ticket prices may be outpacing the appeal of its current product.
Hardy pointed to several key factors:
- Increased Ticket Prices: Since the TKO merger and the company’s subsequent strategic shift, average WWE ticket prices have nearly doubled, rising sharply in 2024 and 2025—well beyond general inflation and industry trends in North America[3]. WWE President Nick Khan has defended this approach, arguing that reduced event schedules and increased “scarcity” justify the higher prices and that capacity remains high[5]. However, Hardy, and others, are skeptical that fans are seeing enough value in return.
- Missing Star Power: Hardy specifically cited the absence of John Cena, who “is obviously a major marketing move, which is helping sell tickets everywhere”[4]. While WWE has focused on building new stars, the lack of Cena-level draws—especially at major live events—has left a void that the current roster hasn’t quite filled.
- Current Storylines: Hardy was candid about the state of WWE creative: “They have a lot of great stuff going on. They have a lot of characters that are cool. They have some cool stories, some cool sagas going on. But there’s not anything that is currently happening that is, like, white hot, like red hot, like, if you touch it, you’re burnt.” The implication is clear: while WWE is hardly lacking in talent, there’s nothing currently captivating fans in the way that, say, Stone Cold vs. The Rock or Cena vs. Punk once did.
- Injury Woes: Hardy also mentioned a spate of recent injuries as a contributing factor, making it harder for WWE to keep momentum when their top stars are sidelined[4].
The Pricing Conundrum: Is WWE Over-Indexing on Revenue?
WWE’s aggressive pricing strategy is not an accident. According to Khan’s public remarks, the company is deliberately cutting back on non-televised events and expanding internationally to create scarcity and drive up demand—and prices—for televised shows[5]. “We’ve increased prices appropriately with the marketplace,” Khan said on a recent earnings call, insisting the company remains “bullish” on its live event business[5].
But numbers from Pollstar and Wrestlenomics tell a different, or at least mixed, story. While total revenue may be holding steady or even climbing due to higher prices, attendance is down. WWE’s average domestic TV event ticket price has soared since the TKO merger, while AEW’s, for comparison, has actually dropped in real terms since 2022[3]. As one industry analyst noted, WWE is now “an outlier in a live entertainment market where, in general, ticket prices have remained flat over the past two years, even accounting for inflation”[3].
Sources close to Cody Rhodes revealed that some stars have privately raised concerns about the impact of higher prices on long-term fan engagement and the live event atmosphere. “You want the building to feel alive—sometimes it’s just not happening right now, and it’s not just about the talent or the stories. Prices are part of it, too,” one wrestler reportedly told colleagues.
The Bigger Picture: Fan Fatigue and the Search for ‘White Hot’ Moments
Hardy isn’t the only one to notice something missing. The atmosphere at recent live events, particularly for TV tapings and non-PLEs, has been described as “flat” by some fans and journalists. Even when WWE has moved fans down to lower sections to fill camera shots, the echo of empty seats in the upper bowl is hard to ignore[1][2]. This stands in stark contrast to the white-hot audiences that defined eras like the Attitude Era or the peak of Cena’s run.
An industry veteran who spoke on condition of anonymity observed, “WWE’s always cycled through hot and cold periods. Right now, it feels like they’re in a valley—there’s no must-see, can’t-miss thing happening every week. Fans are waiting to be grabbed, and they just haven’t been.”
What’s Next for WWE?
With ticket sales for upcoming shows reportedly cooling further—including some lackluster Christmas week advance numbers—WWE’s live event strategy faces a critical test[6][7]. The company appears determined to stick to its high-price, high-revenue model, betting that demand for major events and new international markets will offset any domestic softness[5].
But as Hardy and others have noted, WWE’s long-term health depends as much on emotional connection as on financial performance. While the company continues to deliver world-class production and a roster full of talent, the missing ingredient may be the intangible—the sense that something “white hot” is happening, drawing fans into the arena and keeping them invested week after week[4].
As one backstage source put it: “When the product is hot, the fans will come—no matter the price. Right now, we need to find a way to get back to that.”
Conclusion: A Crossroads for WWE
WWE’s recent dip in live event attendance is a symptom of deeper challenges: a ticket pricing strategy that may be outpacing fan engagement, the absence of crossover superstars like Cena, and a creative landscape that—while competent—hasn’t yet produced the kind of can’t-miss storyline that can fill arenas and electrify audiences. As Matt Hardy’s comments suggest, the road back may require more than just business as usual—it may need WWE to rediscover that elusive spark that once made every show an event, not just another stop on the calendar[4].
Will WWE double down on its current approach, or seek to reignite the passion that once made it “the place to be” for wrestling fans? The answer will shape the company’s future—and its connection with the live audience—for years to come.