WWE is facing an unexpected challenge heading into WrestleMania 42, set for April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, as ticket sales lag behind expectations. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter from Dave Meltzer, advanced tickets are hovering around 36,000 per night—roughly 10,000 fewer than the same point last year for WrestleMania 41, which eventually drew 56,000–60,000 fans per night.
Meltzer cites high ticket prices, limited international tourism, and external distractions like the World Cup as key factors contributing to the 18% year-over-year decline.
Despite the slump, WWE reportedly has no plans to lower prices.
WWE Scrambling Now To Stack the Card and Promote the Show
Instead, departments are pushing new promotions and reconsidering strategies to drive interest. Meltzer notes that the company is also reevaluating the WrestleMania card.
So far, only one match is confirmed: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship, following Reigns’ Royal Rumble victory and challenge. All other matches remain “up in the air,” with some recent speculation that Brock Lesnar might battle LA Knight in a singles match. Other rumors suggest that Bad Bunny may return and wrestle Logan Paul.
Backstage frustration is mounting over the repeated reshuffling of plans. One insider told Meltzer, “They really should be sticking to the plans because the plans are good.” However, injuries to stars like Bron Breakker have thrown the head of creative head Paul “Triple H” Levesque into a bit of a panic mode. Perhaps unfairly, some say it feels right now like it did under Vince McMahon. To be fair,the past couple of WrestleManias saw major last-minute changes as well.
A company-wide meeting was reportedly held this week to address sales concerns and brainstorm new ways to boost ticket demand.
It seems unlikely that WWE won’t sell out the stadium, packing in fans to the tune of 65,000+. It’s likely just taking longer than expected. For WWE, WrestleMania 42 is shaping up as a high-stakes scramble to turn early hype into a must-see spectacle.
