AEW star and wrestling veteran MVP has weighed in on the recent controversial topic of WWE significantly raising ticket prices for its live events. The discussion gained national attention after a fan confronted WWE President Nick Khan about the issue, and TKO COO Mark Shapiro later confirmed that the company plans to continue increasing prices to maximize “ticket yield.” MVP, who has seen the business evolve over two decades, believes that while profit is essential, there is a delicate balance that needs to be struck to maintain accessibility for the long-time, “grassroots” fanbase. His comments highlight a potential philosophical difference in business approach between AEW and WWE under TKO.
Speaking on the TMZ Sports’ Inside The Ring podcast, MVP expressed his concerns about pricing out loyal fans.
“I’m weighing my words here because I want to make sure I say this the right way. I think that there has been an emphasis on profit with the increasing corporatization of one side without regard for the fans who help make the company what it is. Sadly, I think that’s happened in not just wrestling. You look at the NFL, the NBA — once upon a time, you could take a family of four to an NBA game and now with the price hikes and the corporate suits, if you’re a father and you want to take your four boys out to an NBA game and you want to get them decent seats and four sodas and four popcorns, that’s a pretty substantial cut of your income.”
He continued by contrasting this with AEW’s approach.
“I think that AEW, we are still very concerned about that grassroots fandom. At the end of the day, it’s all a business. Professional wrestling is a business and you can have your artistry and your artistic take, but you can forget that it’s the wrestling business. If no one is buying tickets, if no one is tuning into your shows, if no one’s buying your pay-per-views, which even that model is going out the door, then there’s no place for you to do what you want to do. So, you got to remember the business aspect of things. However, I question maximizing profit to the point that you price out those grassroots fans who have been there from day one.”
H/T to Fightful for the transcription. Thanks for checking out this article. Make sure to follow Jeff Jarrett and all things GFE on Facebook.
