Jonathan Coachman Blasts WWE’s Out of Touch Strategy After NXT in Tampa Gets Pulled

Jonathan Coachman is back—and this time, he’s not just calling out WrestleMania politics. In a new video posted to social media, Coachman tore into WWE and TKO Group for abruptly canceling the May 27, 2025 episode of NXT on The CW, calling it a clear sign that the company is out of touch with its fans.

The episode, which was scheduled to take place at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, was pulled due to poor ticket sales—reportedly fewer than 1,700. WWE opted to move the show back to the Performance Center in Orlando, a decision Coachman says actually reflects a deeper issue within the company’s current business strategy.

“Emergency wrestling take: why WWE cancelling NXT could be a good thing.”

Coachman, who has worked 16 WrestleManias and spent years behind the scenes with WWE, used the moment to sound the alarm.

“The fans have spoken, and I hope that they keep speaking louder and louder and louder for those of us who love the wrestling business, ticket prices to allow fans and families to get in starting with WrestleMania. And before that, absolutely absurd.”

He pointed out that the same issues were already showing at Elimination Chamber earlier this year, which led to WWE calling in The Rock.

“You guys heard The Rock. He got called in to Elimination Chamber. Why? Because ticket sales were slow.”

The bigger issue, Coachman said, is that WWE keeps pushing a narrative that everything is selling out—even when it clearly isn’t.

“So when you got one of your top executives going on every single financial show and saying we’re selling out so fast every single show, we’re clearly not charging enough for said tickets—well, the fan base, the families that had to spend thousands of dollars to go to all these big events in the last six months are finally saying enough’s enough.”

Coachman then walked through what was supposed to be a four-night stretch in Tampa: Main Event, Battleground, Raw, and NXT.

“Four nights in Tampa was supposed to be Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Main Event, Battleground for NXT, Monday Night Raw, and then NXT on Tuesday. They’ve now cancelled Tuesday—less than 1700 tickets sold.”

To him, the NXT cancellation isn’t just about one bad gate—it’s about a company that’s stopped listening to its fan base.

“You can’t walk into every single event and every single week and just blindly say, ‘Yep, no matter what we put out there, people are going to buy tickets.’ This is a family business and families come to said shows.”

He closed with a direct warning to WWE leadership:

“The faster that TKO executives can understand that or listen to the likes of Triple H and those that have been in this business for a really long time, the faster they will turn this thing around. Just because you’re making the most money you’ve ever made does not mean the business is thriving. You got to look yourselves in the mirror. And cancelling a show less than a week before it was set to take place? That’s a good place to start.”

This follows Coachman’s earlier video where he blasted WWE’s reported decision to pull WrestleMania 42 out of New Orleans and return it to Las Vegas. While that post sparked heavy discussion online, his latest message hits even harder—because it’s not about next year. It’s about right now.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.