WWE wants SummerSlam to feel like the biggest party of the summer, but those ticket prices are making it look more like a VIP-only event.
Jonathan Coachman and Vince Russo went off during The Coach and Bro Show after looking at SummerSlam ticket prices and the amount of seats still available. The big issue was not just that tickets were still sitting there. It was how much WWE is asking fans to pay, especially families who used to make wrestling shows a big night out.
The conversation started after a fan brought up SummerSlam looking rough on the seating chart. Coach said the lower bowl still had a lot of open seats, and Russo immediately wanted to know what WWE thinks fans are paying for.
“What are they paying for? Is Babe Ruth wrestling? What are you paying for? That’s my question. Who are you paying $2,260 to see?”
Coach then made it clear he believes WWE’s pricing is a major reason tickets are still sitting there. He said the problem is not just about matches being announced late. It is about fans being asked to drop serious money just to get in the building.
“No, it’s because you’re charging $2,200 for one ticket. Five grand after fees to go for two people. What are we talking about?”
That is when Coach got personal. He said one of the best parts of wrestling was seeing kids and parents show up together with homemade signs, ready to see their favorite WWE Superstar. Now, he feels those same families are being pushed out by ticket prices that make no sense for regular fans.
“Producer Man says second row, $3,300 per ticket. The second row. I mean, this is just — guys, it’s so frustrating. And I’m sure a lot of you out there wonder why me and Vince get so upset, because my greatest joy, at least for me, I can’t speak for you, Vince, my greatest joy in wrestling was meeting fans who came to the shows that were beyond excited to meet their favorite wrestler.”
Coach continued by saying this is exactly where WWE loses the family feeling that helped make the company what it is. Then Coach brought the whole thing back to the reality of those prices.
“Call me a softy at this age. I’m straight-up middle-aged, and I get it. I’ve got a daughter who’s leaving the house in three weeks. I’ve got a son sitting upstairs I love more than anything. And Vince, nothing would make me more excited than seeing a daughter and a son and a parent walk in holding their signs that they made at home on the kitchen table, ready to go, and couldn’t wait to see their favorite superstar.”
“And now all of a sudden, mom and dad have to go, ‘Sorry guys, I can’t spend 12 grand to buy four tickets to SummerSlam.’”
Russo agreed with him and said WWE shows used to be something families could actually do together. Now, he feels that has changed in a big way.
“That’s the sad part. This used to be a family environment, and this would be something that the kids wanted to go to and you could take the kids to. It’s just not feasible anymore. It’s nowhere near affordable anymore.”
Coach also shot down comparisons between WWE ticket prices and World Cup prices. His point was simple: the World Cup is once every four years. WWE runs major shows all the time, and fans are being asked to pay huge money again and again.
“Somebody said to me the other day, they’ll send me DMs now because they know I don’t read my mentions. They said, ‘Coach, look,’ and they sent the tickets for the World Cup. They said, ‘Same thing. You complain about wrestling.’ And I said, ‘Oh really? Is SummerSlam once every four years? Is WWE once every four years?’”
Russo backed that up right away, “You can’t compare the two. That’s ridiculous. These are the same prices every single month.” Coach then added that this is not just a SummerSlam problem.
“Every week. SmackDown’s over $1,000 in the Quad Cities.”
WWE is still a hot ticket, but there is a real difference between charging premium prices and making families feel like they have no shot at going. SummerSlam is supposed to be one of WWE’s biggest fan-friendly events of the year, but if parents are looking at thousands of dollars just to take their kids, that is going to leave a bad taste. WWE can stack the card with big names and title matches, but the question is whether regular fans can even afford to be in the building anymore.
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