Did Jinder Mahal's Push Lead To WWE Backlash 2017 Ticket Sales Stalling?

Business doesn't look good for 'The Maharaja'

Jinder Mahal Randy Orton
WWE.com

Backlash 2017 was WWE's lowest-drawing pay-per-view since the same event last September.

The company didn't announce the show's attendance at the start of the night, and while there few visibly empty seats, the event didn't sell out, as reported by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

This is surprising. Chicago is a passionate wrestling hotbed, but WWE attracted just 9,800-10,000 fans to the Allstate Arena last Sunday, having once believed that a sell-out was a given. By comparison, the last PPV held there (Payback 2016) drew an audience of 13,250.

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Ticket sales reportedly started hot, with around 9,500 sold before the matches were announced. They stalled as soon as the card started unravelling, however, with WWE shifting just a few hundred over the last few weeks. This corresponds with Jinder Mahal's main event push, and while other factors likely contributed towards the stagnation, the timing is too close to be a pure coincidence.

SmackDown ratings have also sunk since Jinder became number one contender on April 18th, and plummeted to just 2.175 million viewers last week - a new low for 2017. The push's long-term impact remains to be seen, but the figures show business has taken a clear hit in recent weeks.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.