Teddy Long has offered a sharp critique of WWE’s current ticket pricing strategy under TKO Group Holdings, labeling the high costs as “greed” and questioning the affordability for average families in today’s economy. The WWE Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on his “Road Trip After Hours” podcast in response to a fan question.
A listener wrote in stating that WWE’s “ridiculous” ticket prices are making it unaffordable for a father to take his kids to a show anymore, and asked if WWE might be reaching a “wall” with fans. “Well, you know, here’s what I think about that. You know, it’s kind of called greed,” Teddy Long responded bluntly. “And when you get greedy, sometimes that causes your problem.”
Long contextualized his point with the current economic climate. “Right now, you know, you’re living in this world. The economy is really not in a whole lot of good shape… a lot of people out of work out there, so they can’t afford to buy those tickets,” he said, before sharing a personal anecdote: “I went in Walmart today, and I just got a few things, and I got this $200 [bill]. You know. And I’m like, Jesus Christ… what can you do? You have to have these things. I just thank God I had the money to pay for them. But there’s some people are not going to be that lucky.”
Host Mac Davis supported Long’s view, contrasting the current TKO-led approach with that of the previous regime. “I never saw Vince McMahon, or never felt like he was trying to get every penny out of somebody’s pocket. And I feel like that’s what WWE is right now,” Davis opined. “I feel like they’re trying to suck every single penny they can out of your pocket without care as to what it may do to you or your family or or maybe your fan base dwindles because they can’t afford to come see your show anymore.”
While Long acknowledged that fans did buy expensive tickets for WrestleMania, the discussion highlights a concern from the veteran personality that the current pricing model under TKO may alienate the average fan over time.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Road Trip After Hours with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
