Mark Henry Slams WWE Over Soaring Ticket Prices: “My Grandma Couldn’t Afford It Today”

WWE’s new pricing model under TKO is getting serious heat—and Mark Henry is the latest legend to speak out.

On a recent episode of TMZ’s Inside The Ring, the WWE Hall of Famer responded directly to fan outrage over WWE’s expensive ESPN streaming package and sky-high ticket prices. With some WrestleMania seats reportedly going for $38,000, Henry shared a powerful personal story that drove the point home.

“My grandmother couldn’t afford to take me to wrestling today… even into the nosebleeds.”

Henry recalled his early years as a fan when tickets were cheap and wrestling was accessible:

“When I was 9, 12, 13 years old, it was like $8… we’d go to Houston, Lafayette, and Dallas to watch wrestling.”

But those days are long gone. Now, Henry says the experience that made him fall in love with wrestling is out of reach for most families:

“The grandma taking her grandchild to wrestling is almost over… she couldn’t afford to pay $250 for a ticket.”

He urged WWE to bring back more affordable live events:

“Bring back the live events and house shows… so at least you can have a traditional wrestling ticket for the fans.”

Henry also peeled back the curtain on why WWE has scaled back its touring model in the first place—and it’s not about costs:

“The reason that they took the live events away is not because it cost too much… they did it because they want you to be like you’re in the desert… ‘Man, I haven’t had wrestling in forever. I’mma drive 150 miles, get a hotel, miss work, and spend $500 a ticket.’”

And he didn’t hold back on who’s paying the price, “That’s not fair.” Henry compared WWE’s pricing approach to his own model with All Caribbean Wrestling, which prioritizes family access:

“We want family. We want butts in seats… If you sell a ticket to somebody for $500, and there’s 10 people that would pay $50… you’re gonna make your money.”

Mark Henry’s comments came just days after Eric Bischoff also criticized TKO’s strategy on 83 Weeks, calling it dangerous to WWE’s generational audience. Between the ESPN bundle backlash and ticket inflation, the voices against WWE’s premium pricing continue to grow louder.

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