WWE ticket prices have recently been on the rise.
Ever since Vince McMahon’s complete resignation from the promotion and TKO’s takeover, fans have noticed a steady increase in ticket prices. With several PLEs, weekly shows, and even live events receiving exorbitant ticket prices. Earlier this year, the promotion released their SummerSlam ticket prices, which were priced on the higher side.
Addressing the recent phenomenon, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long appeared on his Road Trip After Hours podcast and shared his thoughts on the rising ticket prices. Calling the promotion “greedy” he said,
“Well, you know, here’s what I think about that. You know, it’s kind of called greed. You know what I mean? And when you get greedy, sometimes that causes your problem.”
Long also emphasized the current economic hardship and the unaffordable cost of the tickets.
“Right now, you know, you’re living in this world. The economy is really not in a whole lot of good shape. A lot of people out of work out there, so they can’t afford to buy those tickets. I went in Walmart today, and I just got a few things, and I got this and it’s $200. And I’m like, Jesus Christ, what can you do? You have to have these things and I just thank God I had the money to pay for them but there’s some people are not going to be that lucky. They aren’t going to have the money to pay for that stuff.”
H/t Ringside News
While the former WWE SmackDown general manager acknowledged that fans still attend these highly priced events, he also warned WWE that they could lose their audience if they continued this practice.
AEW Star Believes TKO Could Sell WWE In The Future
Recently, speaking on his My World podcast, Jeff Jarrett claimed that TKO might sell WWE, the moment it stops getting a high return on investment.
“Yeah, I’ve said it and I’ve gotten interesting feedback. To me, this is Jeff talking to Jeff, the clarity of it at the end of day — Vince is a third generation promoter if you will. At the end of the day, every decision he made was based on what he thought the wrestling fan wanted. The rules are rewritten, those rules no longer apply. TKO does what is best to get a return on investment. They are their master, if you will, and you can’t serve two masters.
Their master, if you will, is private equity. Their powers that be get the return on investment, the highest return they can possibly [get]. When they quit getting the highest returns that they can, they’re gonna sell the asset. I just think it’s that simple. I think they’re going to burn and churn and burn and churn and burn and churn. My grandmother used to always preach in so many ways, ‘Son, as a promoter, you always have to prepare for rainy days.’
Well, when the rain comes on TKO, they are changing cities and changing assets. I do, I think it’s that simple. They are not concerned at all other than the return on investment. That’s the business they’re in. So, that’s not a knock, I want to make that clear. That is not a dig.
They are doing exactly what they set out to do and what their investors want them to do and require them to do. It’s just a different playing field. Karl, what he’s saying, I think a lot of folks are saying and it’s just kind of the awakening. It’s going to continue down this road, I think we’re just scratching the surface on what a different company it is.”
In other news: A WWE Hall of Famer has pitched a match against Taylor Swift.