TKO Executive Admits Back-to-Back WrestleManias In Las Vegas Was A Mistake (WWE News)
Mark Shapiro knows that running consecutive 'Manias in Vegas was an error on WWE/TKO's part.
TKO President Mark Shapiro appeared to contradict himself when discussing WrestleMania 42 during a chat with Yahoo! Finance. Initially, he relented that running consecutive PLEs in Las Vegas in 2025 and 2026 was "a mistake I made". However, deeper into the interview, Shapiro also said that he has "absolutely no regrets" on taking the biggest event of the entire year back to Vegas for another round.
That doesn't really add up, and it speaks to the slightly confusing/twisted management style that's drawn complaints from fans and major WWE stars like Cody Rhodes recently.
It was Shapiro who convinced Nick Khan that the company had "to move New Orleans down the road". That was the originally intended host site for 'Mania 42, but now New Orleans will have to wait. Saudi Arabia is getting next year's 'Mania 43 as well, and it's all because Mark fancied repeating the financial success of 'Mania 41 in Vegas by returning to the gambling hotbed.
WrestleMania 42 struggled to sell as many tickets for both the Saturday and Sunday legs as it had in 2025. Generally, WWE's live attendances have taken a dip since last year, which is surely down to a tepid product (for the most part) and the audience souring on soaring ticket prices.
WWE/TKO will decrease those prices over the summer, which is a shrewd call. Maintaining the current model looks unsustainable, because it has priced many out of attending events like Raw, SmackDown and other PLEs on the calendar sitting alongside 'Mania.
The biggest weekender on the schedule may never run back to back in the same place again.