WWE is projecting a strong financial outcome for WrestleMania 42 despite the ongoing discourse around ticket sales.
A source close to WWE told Sports Business Journal that sales have surged in recent weeks and that the company still expects the event to rank among the largest gates in its history. The SBJ piece was published this week in response to a USA Today story that cited high ticket prices as the primary reason WWE had struggled to fill Allegiant Stadium.
The most recent estimates from WrestleTix show WrestleMania 42 at 42,715 tickets distributed for night one and 43,394 for night two. At the start of April, those numbers stood at 38,381 and 40,003 respectively, representing a jump of more than 7,000 tickets across both nights in approximately two weeks.
Despite that movement, the situation remains notably behind last year’s pace. Dave Meltzer noted in last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that sales were down approximately 20 percent from this point in the WrestleMania 41 build, and that there had been no significant rush on tickets following the angle where Pat McAfee was inserted into the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton storyline.
McAfee offered a 25 percent discount on night one tickets last week, though WrestleMania Sunday still outsold Saturday over that same weekend despite McAfee actively discouraging fans from attending night two. WrestleMania 41 was announced as the highest-gated WWE event ever.
This year’s event returns to the same venue, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, for the second consecutive year. McAfee will be in Orton’s corner when Orton challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on night one on April 18. CM Punk defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns in the night two main event on April 19.
