WWE PPV Buyrate Hits New Low With Stomping Grounds

The numbers are in, and it doesn't make good reading for Vinny Mac and Co.

by Andrew Pollard
WWE Stomping Grounds Empty Seats
ewrestlingnews.com/WWE

The Stomping Grounds numbers are in, and it is far from good news for WWE.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have already seen the shocking images (such as the one above) from this past Sunday’s PPV; entire sections completely tarped off. When taking into account that the Tacoma Dome venue which housed the show can hold up to 18,000 for a wrestling show, the attendance figure of approximately 6,000 was a major gut punch for WWE. Still, it was hoped that the event may fare better when it comes to pay-per-view numbers.

As reported by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Stomping Grounds only managed to bring in 9,800 PPV buys in the US. This alarming number gives Stomping Grounds the prestigious honour of being the lowest bought PPV in the current era. Adding further panic to WWE, the previous record low for pay-per-view buys was this month’s Super ShowDown event that emanated from Saudi Arabia.

Advertisement

To put some perspective on this, an average WWE PPV is expected to bring in around 16,000 buys in this day and age; only 10% of viewers purchasing WWE events through the traditional PPV method, whilst the majority of fans subscribe to the WWE Network.

Worryingly, of those 6,000 people who attended Stomping Grounds, only 4,500 were paying customers. Despite offering free tickets and 2-for-1 deals, the company could still only pull in 6,000 people to watch what, to be fair, was actually a solid show from an in-ring standpoint.

Advertisement
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.