WWE's Ticket Price Hike Was Intentional — Fans Are Furious at Nick Khan's Revelation

The WWE has for the past few years charged premium prices for its live events, but recent remarks from President Nick Khan suggest the rise in ticket cost wasn't simply market-driven, rather it was a conscious business strategy. Khan revealed that ticket price hikes combined with a deliberate reduction of non-televised events are part of a much bigger plan to build scarcity and lift revenue. But while the numbers show the company is performing strongly, a growing uproar among fans shows two bitter truths: declining ratings and dropping attendance for shows like WWE SmackDown. This indicates that the strategy may already be facing cracks.

WWE's Ticket Price Increase is Strategy Not Accident

During the Q3 2025 earnings call, Khan laid bare the logic behind the rising ticket prices. He explained that WWE had 'increased prices appropriately with the marketplace' and that one of the first steps after the merger into TKO Group Holdings was to cut back on non-televised live events, also known as house shows, in the US, thereby reducing supply and creating 'more scarcity in the marketplace' for televised events such as WWE Raw, SmackDown and other PLEs.

He further pointed to WWE's aggressive international expansion, particularly a European tour that is coming up, which will be leading into the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. He used it to point out how it is an example of another lever to heighten global demand and strengthen the domestic gate.

On the financial side, the results speak loudly. WWE's revenue was up 23% in Q3 as per sources. But that is just the start, because in the new era under TKO, WWE reported higher live event and hospitality revenue and higher media rights and content fees leading to an adjusted EBITDA of over $200 million (approximately £153 million) reportedly. So from the perspective of business strategy, the logic is straightforward, which is that fewer lower tier events, higher price per unit (which in their case would be ticket price), and more importance on premium, televised appearances drive the profit margin up.

Khan is seemingly unapologetic, and reports are suggesting ticket prices won't be going down anytime soon. Therefore for some fans, this strategy feels less like a value-added enhancement and more like being priced out of access.

READ MORE: CM Punk Kicks Jey Uso After Embarassing Botch at SNME — But Was The Heat Real?

READ MORE: Is Triple H Leaving WWE for Politics? Fans Stunned After Comparing Trump and The Rock

WWE's Viewership and Attendance Goes Down

This is the big paradox. While business metrics are impressive, the user experience side tells a different story. As can be seen constantly on social media, weekly fans of WWE have been angry about feeling squeezed by soaring ticket costs, especially for televised shows they already pay for via subscription or cable. The intentional scarcity strategy that Khan touted is now running up against reported signs of resistance: fewer viewers and thinner crowds.

For instance, the October 31, 2025 edition of WWE SmackDown drew only 993,000 viewers and posted a 0.20 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was reportedly down sharply from the prior week's 1.15 million viewers and 0.29 rating. Moreover reports note the timing (Halloween night) and competition from the MLB World Series helped drive a sharp drop, but the decline also exposes much worrisome engagement issues.

In parallel, some house show attendance numbers reportedly shrank as well, feeding the narrative that as ticket prices climb, fans may be opting out. For example, one earlier edition of SmackDown drew only 7,246 attendees in Cincinnati as per sources, well below previous years and tied to alleged complaints by fans of high cost and weaker storyline interest.

This suggests a tension between revenue and access. WWE is successfully monetising the premium tier, yet if the base audience for televised shows (Raw, SmackDown) feels alienated or drained, the long-term halo effect of this 'premium product' begins to fray. Hardcore WWE fans, especially those who live in markets where WWE tours less frequently or sees high seat prices, are expressing frustration on social media and forums constantly.

As the company expands its PLEs and global strategy, retention of the weekly show audience and live event crowd becomes critical. If that audience thins, the scarcity strategy may invert into scarcity of paying fans rather than scarcity of seats.