WWE Called Out For Being Greedy With Ticket Prices
WWE merged with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings on September 12, 2023. Since then, the company has undergone significant management and operational changes under the new leadership. One of the biggest changes has been a notable increase in ticket prices for shows and events.
TKO’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark Shapiro, has publicly commented on this shift. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference in September 2025, Shapiro highlighted that Vince McMahon had focused on affordable, family-oriented pricing for tickets, which limited revenue potential.
Shapiro emphasized that the Stamford-based promotion has “a lot of room” to increase ticket yield and that TKO is replicating UFC’s more aggressive pricing strategy. He also mentioned that WWE will prioritize bringing shows to cities willing to pay higher fees and that cities must meet financial demands to continue hosting events.
This approach contrasts with older practices and has led to increasingly expensive tickets for all of WWE’s major shows, including premium events like WrestleMania.
Paul Walter Hauser Criticizes WWE’s Higher Ticket Prices
Fans have expressed dissatisfaction with these soaring ticket prices, with claims that the increase is excessive and excludes many loyal viewers. Supporting this critique, actor, comedian, and pro wrestler Paul Walter Hauser criticized WWE’s ticket price hikes during an exclusive interview on TMZ’s Inside The Ring.
Hauser condemned WWE’s pricing, highlighting the insensitivity of raising prices in tougher economic times for average fans. He compared WWE’s corporate attitude to the villainous Mr Potter from “It’s A Wonderful Life,” suggesting that the Stamford-based promotion profits at fans’ expense without showing humanity or gratitude.
“Times are tougher than they used to be but the prices are going up. There’s no real humanity from a corporate perspective whereas you can go to an AEW show or a MLW show for 15 to 40 bucks and have a decent seat. To me, that’s like Mr. Potter in It’s A Wonderful Life. You’re getting greedy and ugly, you’re being ugly by doing that. I understand, ‘Well, we have stockholders and shareholders.’ Yeah, be a real person, you d*ck. Be a real person. Do something.”