Reason Why Many Seats Looked Empty at WWE Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia

WWE’s first-ever Royal Rumble in the Middle East was promoted as a massive milestone—but the optics inside Riyadh led to a lot of criticism. Now, we have an explanation for the noticeable empty sections seen during the broadcast.

According to PWInsider on February 1, 2026, sources within WWE claimed that the appearance of a low turnout was actually due to a new production experiment gone wrong. Specifically, the use of LED lighting on the seats caused the venue to appear emptier than it really was on TV.

“For those who have asked about the look of emptiness of The Royal Rumble event last night, we are told that the setup for the LED lights actually made the venue look as if it wasn’t as full as it actually was.”

WWE officials stated that around 25,000 tickets were moved for the event—a figure that, if accurate, would make Royal Rumble one of the company’s largest international shows ever. However, the LED seating effect failed to translate properly on the broadcast feed.

“WWE sources indicated they had 25,000 tickets moved for the event but the LED lighting from the seats on the broadcast did not come across as well as it did live.”

One source reportedly admitted that this specific production approach likely won’t be used again when WWE returns to Saudi Arabia:

“One person noted that they did not expect to try that production element again when they return to Saudi Arabia.”

The clarification comes after fans on social media, particularly in Saudi Arabia, blamed the visibly sparse sections on ticket resale chaos and inflated third-party prices. Original tickets priced around 80 Riyals (roughly $21 USD) were reportedly being resold for as much as 1,012 Riyals ($270 USD), causing many locals to stay home.

While production may have played a part, the conversation around ticket accessibility and crowd experience remains a hot topic.

Do you believe WWE’s explanation about the lighting setup—or was ticket resale chaos the real issue? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.