Matt Hardy Speaks Out On WWE WrestleMania 42 Ticket Prices (WWE News)
Matt Hardy addresses WWE's high ticket prices.
Following in the footsteps of fans and certain other wrestlers, TNA's Matt Hardy is the latest name to discuss WWE's pricing strategy, particularly where it relates to WrestleMania 42.
Speaking on the latest edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt talked about WWE opting to run Allegiant Stadium for a second consecutive WrestleMania, and the lofty ticket prices in place for this year's Showcase of the Immortals.
As Hardy explained:
"It’s a tough sell, too. Vegas was so good last year, and, you know, they did these record numbers, and I guess [Vegas] bid for them to come back, right? But it’s tough to go into the market two years back-to-back. And you know that those tickets are pricey. Still, economically, especially since the pandemic, it's kinda been a rollercoaster ride for everyone. It's hard to justify spending that much money on tickets for entertainment, that isn't something that you have to have in your everyday single life to survive and be okay. So, it's a tough sell. I mean, they're confident, I guess, they can do it for another year straight, and I guess when it’s all said and done, by the time we get to WrestleMania, we’ll see if they were right or not.”
When asked by co-host Jon Alba about the issues with running the same venue for a second year, the potential problems of international travel under the current political climate, and the general lack of creative buzz heading into WrestleMania 42, Matt added:
"I still think WWE does have a lot of buzz overall. I feel like just how they've diversified themselves over platforms, Netflix. I feel like WWE still feels bigger than ever. But, with that being said, I also feel like they don't have a white-hot character, a white-hot story right now. That is the thing you need. That is what drives those great ticket sales. It looks like, right now, from the initial promo, the Roman Reigns/Punk thing is their best chance of getting that."
As it stands, ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 are reportedly around 19% lower at this point than WrestleMania 41 was last year, and the event has sold in the range of 17,000 less tickets across both nights than 'Mania 41 had by this time last year. It's also worth noting that Allegiant Stadium ran a promotion last week for 25% off WrestleMania 42 tickets, all as WWE has held meetings to address concerns about slower ticket sales.
It was recently revealed that WWE took home a mammoth $66 million from WrestleMania 41, setting an all-time gate record for the promotion. Tickets for each day of WrestleMania 42 currently range from $250 up to $16,000. As an indicator of just how much prices have increased in recent years, per Wrestlenomics' Brandon Thurston, the average ticket price for WrestleMania 39 was $169, the average for WrestleMania 40 was $341, and WrestleMania 41 was a staggering $635.
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