Why WWE ticket prices have skyrocketed in recent years - Report

WWE and UFC merged under TKO Group Holdings in September 2023.

Fans have recently been very vocal about the ticket pricing for WWE events. A new report has highlighted data to point out how dramatic these increases have been.

According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the average price for a domestic TV event has nearly doubled since the TKO merger, which was finalized in September 2023.

Using data obtained from Pollstar, Wrestlenomics reports that domestic WWE ticket prices for main roster events have significantly increased compared to pre-merger prices. When adjusted for inflation, the average ticket price from 2020 to 2023 was $59, whereas the average price without adjusting for inflation was $52.

In 2024, the average price of WWE tickets in the United States and Canada, when adjusted for inflation, was $75. By 2025, that price has increased to $118.

The analyzed data has revealed a significant rise in ticket prices starting in early 2024 and continuing into 2025. This follows a more gradual increase in prices throughout the 2010s and early 2020s.

While the data doesn’t cover every Raw and SmackDown, the 27 domestic events recorded in 2025 so far, along with 50 events per year before the pandemic, still represent a significant sample size.

Despite the incline in ticket prices, estimates from WrestleTix indicate that ticket distribution for WWE events has seen growth for the third consecutive year. In 2025, the average number of tickets distributed per show is 11,500, up from 11,000 in 2024, 9,900 in 2023, and 7,600 in 2022.

TKO has no plans to slow down

In an appearance last month at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro criticized Vince McMahon for historically pricing tickets with families in mind, rather than maximizing revenue.

“WWE is not where the UFC is yet on ticket yields. We have our work to do there. We’ve seen a meaningful increase, as evidenced by the 59% margin we did in the second quarter. Ticket sales and site fees play a big part in driving that.

We know we have more room to go. Why do we know that? UFC is breaking records everywhere they go. We know we have a lot of room there because Vince McMahon was primarily pricing tickets for families and wasn’t totally focused on maxing the opportunity there.

We see what we can do with the UFC and we’re replicating that in terms of ticket yield and advance sales when it comes to OnLocation on the WWE side. It’s really working out well.”

This comment from the TKO President and COO signals that the aggressive increase in WWE ticket prices is likely to slow down.

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