WrestleMania 42, scheduled for April 18–19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, is reportedly facing significant ticket sales challenges, leading to controversial “blackout” implementation strategies. Data as of February 2026 indicates that only 36,000 tickets have been distributed per night, an 18% decrease compared to WrestleMania 41 at the same point in the previous year. In response to these underperforming figures, WWE distributor Joe Hand has reportedly ordered a media blackout for all establishments within a 50-mile radius of the stadium.
During the latest Road Trip After Hours podcast, Mac Davis and WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long discussed the implications of this blackout. Davis explained the situation: “The news is that the tickets for WrestleMania in Vegas are not selling that well. And I’ve said this for a very long time, ever since I saw prices go up, that I thought that if they weren’t careful, they’re going to lose the average fan. You’re going to price them out of the product. Well, if you know, with all the money in the high ticket prices and how they continue to go up, they’re now trying to figure out how to get people into the stadium, because they can’t sell the tickets. So what they’re thinking now is that if you’re an establishment within 50 miles of the stadium area where the events taking place, whether it’s a hotel bar, a wild wings or something like that, where they have the screens and you can watch with your friends, You can’t do it within 50 miles the arena, those people are not the show WrestleMania, because they’re trying to force people out of those establishments into the seats at the stadium”.
Teddy Long responded by addressing the broader economic context, stating: “You know, like I said, they can do that. And the reason they can do it because they’ve got the power and they’ve got the money to do it. But here’s what you got to understand too. There these people already got money and power, and they’re asking people to give them money that is in that we’re in the worst economy of all time right now. I mean, jobs are not happening. I mean healthcare, just a whole lot of stuff is going on now. People can’t even go and, I mean, I hate you can go on Walmart now, yeah, I mean, it’s ridiculous. Man, the prices and stuff. So how can you feed your family and and then try to entertain them and go to this big event? You can’t do that. Your family’s gonna come first. I would hope so I’m buy me some food and stuff for my family go see anybody. So I just don’t understand it. Man, it’s really amazing. Like I said, I’m with you on that. Vince McMahon would have never done anything like this. Vince would have figured a way out that it would have came out, and everybody would have made money, everybody would have been happy, including all the fans too”.
The financial burden of WrestleMania season has become a primary concern for fans, with nosebleed seats starting at $270 and two-day passes reaching $740, while premium VIP packages top out at just over $42,000, according to Ticketmaster. Davis noted that the blackout specifically impacts fans who travel to the city but cannot afford consecutive nights at the stadium: “Think about this, Teddy. There are a lot of fans who go there. They can’t afford to pay, you know, for two nights. You know, they can buy one night or WrestleMania, but they can’t buy the second night Vegas, and you don’t get to see the, you know, like, let’s say you go the night number one. Well, night number two, you’re still in Vegas. Now you can’t watch night number two, because it’s blocked out, because you have to be at the stadium. So now that person is getting screwed”.
Long concluded by describing the escalating costs of staying in Las Vegas: “And here’s the other thing you got to realize, too, man, you know, if the price is already high as hell, gas everything, so when you go to Vegas now, it’s already high as hell anyway, before WrestleMania even came. Now the prices there are double high for hotels, food, restaurants and all that stuff. I was there last year for the meet and greet there, man. And it was ridiculous how high that stuff was. So how can you afford a hotel? Two or $300 a night hotel, plus you got to go buy food. You got two or three kids, it’s just it’s impossible. You gotta have that. You gotta pay for Uber if you ain’t got a rental car, and you probably can’t get one of them if you ain’t made a reservation by now”.
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