Nothing divides a locker room like friends, family, and suddenly needing a credit card. WWE’s new comp ticket policy, rolled out with all the finesse of a surprise heel turn, has left some talent feeling frustrated and confused.
Comp Tickets Get Complicated
Traditionally, WWE superstars have had access to complimentary tickets for their friends and family—a perk as old as WrestleMania itself. But with the company riding a wave of unprecedented popularity, those days of freebies are drying up faster than a mid-carder’s push.
According to Fightful Select, the new system directs wrestlers to a friends and family pre-sale link, allowing them to purchase discounted tickets before they hit the general public. One unnamed wrestler vented that they’d initially been approved for comp tickets, only to later be asked for their credit card info. Ouch.
Why the Change?
A WWE higher-up (read: corporate buzzkill) explained the shift as a response to soaring ticket demand. Apparently, WWE’s record-setting attendance has made “seat fillers” a thing of the past. You’d think that’s good news, but try explaining that to a wrestler’s cousin who suddenly has to cough up cash to cheer from the nosebleeds.
Is Endeavor the Culprit?
The timing of this change coincides with WWE’s new parent company, TKO Group Holdings, which formed after WWE’s merger with UFC under the Endeavor umbrella. WWE has been breaking gate records left and right, most recently with Money In The Bank in Toronto. But in true corporate fashion, record profits apparently mean “no more freebies.”
For the wrestlers, this policy feels like a suplex to morale. For WWE, it’s another notch in the profit column. Either way, the tension backstage is as thick as Brock Lesnar’s traps.