A sharp divide is taking shape in professional wrestling over ticket pricing, with TKO Group moving WWE toward higher costs while AEW President Tony Khan reasserts his company’s stance on affordability.
The discussion gained momentum last week when TKO President Mark Shapiro spoke at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference. Shapiro explained that WWE would step away from Vince McMahon’s family-oriented pricing strategy, saying McMahon “wasn’t totally focused on maxing the opportunity there.” He confirmed that ticket prices are expected to rise, pointing to UFC’s model as the blueprint.
Khan addressed the issue directly during AEW’s All Out media call, drawing a clear contrast between the two companies. He reiterated that AEW’s guiding principle is to keep its shows accessible to a broad audience.
“AEW’s ticket pricing is designed to be very family-friendly and it has been that way since the very beginning,” Khan said. “Everybody who’s been involved in AEW from the start will tell you that we always wanted to maintain affordable ticket prices for the fans, and particularly to bring families and young fans to the show, and make it accessible for fans of all backgrounds, of all ages.” (h/t Ringside News)
Shapiro also made it clear that WWE’s new strategy will not stop with fans. He cautioned that cities will have to pay higher fees to host Raw, SmackDown, or even NXT, warning that otherwise the company would look elsewhere.
As WWE positions itself around a premium, revenue-driven model, AEW is doubling down on its role as the family-friendly, affordable alternative in the industry.