Nick Khan Defends Soaring WWE Ticket Prices as Fans Call Out Disconnect From Reality
As WWE continues to shatter financial records under the TKO Group umbrella, many longtime fans feel the company has never been further removed from reality — or from them.
On the company’s Q3 earnings call this week, WWE President Nick Khan addressed the company’s live event and pricing strategy, defending what he called “appropriate” ticket prices for shows like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Raw, and SmackDown.
But outside the boardroom, fan sentiment tells a very different story — one of growing disconnection, declining TV viewership, and frustration with a product that many believe has lost its creative soul.
Nick Khan Says WWE’s Pricing Strategy Is Working
During the call, Khan said that WWE deliberately reduced the number of non-televised live events to create a sense of scarcity — and that the move has allowed them to raise ticket prices across the board without hurting attendance.
“A couple of years ago, when TKO was put up, one of the first things we collectively did was reduce the non-televised live events, which created more scarcity in the marketplace for our televised events,” Khan explained. “It’s created more scarcity in the United States, which is a good thing in terms of our overall gauge.”
Khan added that attendance and capacity remain high and insisted that WWE is “pricing tickets appropriately” based on market demand.
“Capacity continues to be very high. We’ve increased prices appropriately with the marketplace. That’s for PLEs, RAW, SmackDown, SNME, and every other ticketed program that WWE has. We remain bullish on it.”
— Nick Khan (h/t WrestlePurist)
WWE’s 2025 global expansion has included international PLEs in Paris, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, with WrestleMania 43 officially set to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027 — the first time the event will ever be held outside North America.
But while the business side of WWE celebrates “record-breaking revenue,” many fans — and even some within the industry — argue that the company is cashing in on nostalgia and brand power while alienating its audience.
Fans Say WWE Has Lost Touch
While Khan frames WWE’s current strategy as a “market success,” critics argue that the product’s creativity and authenticity have taken a back seat to profit margins and investor calls.
On social media, fans have pointed out that despite sold-out arenas, television ratings continue to slide — with SmackDown recently dipping below one million viewers for the first time in years.
Others have noted that outside of a handful of stars like Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, and CM Punk, the company has struggled to build lasting new main-event talent.
One X user summed it up bluntly:
“They can raise ticket prices all they want, but if the stories keep falling flat, fans are gonna stop caring. Period.”
And that’s the growing sentiment — that WWE’s biggest problem isn’t ticket prices or event scarcity, it’s a creative disconnect that’s slowly driving viewers away.
Wrestling.news | Backstage Take
Behind the scenes, sources close to WWE acknowledge the internal tension between business success and fan satisfaction. The TKO merger has made WWE more corporate than ever — a company led by financial analysts rather than wrestling minds.
While Nick Khan’s data-driven approach is great for quarterly earnings, it risks eroding the passion that once made WWE feel larger than life.
Several longtime WWE producers have privately expressed concern that the company is “over-monetizing” its audience, focusing more on premium pricing and sponsorships than building emotional, week-to-week storytelling that keeps fans invested.
In short — the arenas may "appear" to be full (even though they aren't), but the hearts of the fans feel emptier than ever.
Unless WWE rediscovers the magic that connects fans to its product — through compelling storylines, believable stars, and authentic emotion — no amount of record revenue will stop the long-term decline in viewer loyalty.
