WWE claims WrestleMania ticket sales have ‘surged’ in recent weeks
While lower-than-expected ticket sales have become part of the on-screen build for WrestleMania 42, WWE says sales for the show have “surged” as of late.
Sports Business Journal published an article this week on the WrestleMania ticket situation, quoting from a USA Today story that said high prices were the biggest reason WWE has struggled to fill Allegiant Stadium. The SBJ piece included a quote from “a source close to WWE” downplaying the issue, saying that sales are up in recent weeks and the company still expects WrestleMania 42 to be among the largest gates in history:
A source close to WWE said ticket sales have surged in recent weeks and projected that the event remains headed toward one of the top gates in WWE history.
This is the second straight year that WWE has held WrestleMania in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. Last year’s two-night event was announced as the biggest gate WWE has ever drawn.
WrestleTix’s latest estimate has WrestleMania 42 at 42,715 tickets distributed for night one and 43,394 distributed for night two. At the start of April, those respective numbers were 38,381 and 40,003.
In last week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that ticket sales were down approximately 20 percent from this time last year, and there had been “no great run” on tickets since the angle where Pat McAfee was inserted into the build for the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton night one main event. McAfee has mentioned low ticket sales during the angle, saying he wants to save the business by helping get Orton back to the top of the card.
McAfee — who offered a discount on night one tickets last week — will be in Orton’s corner when he challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday. The night two main event will then see CM Punk defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.