A WWE Hall of Famer has given some insight into the complimentary tickets situation, and how they are no longer able to secure seats for the show.
Former Intercontinental Champion Rikishi, who was a major part of the company during The Attitude Era, spoke about the struggle on the latest episode of his Off The Top podcast. Rikishi noted that he did not know the current ticket prices, and that despite his family asking, along with the fact that he is under a legends deal with the company, he is unable to get any free tickets for the events:
“I don’t know about the ticket prices with TKO because even my family members now, they will usually call me for tickets but it’s too difficult now. There’s a lot of loopholes you have to go through and blah blah blah,” Rikishi said. “Even though I’m not with the company full, I’m still in the legends contract with WWE.”
He continued, “So you know, you would think that family members and friends, close friends, you’d still have those comp tickets, but there is no comp tickets. I can probably try to get them discounted, but I don’t know what’s discounted nowadays. Like a $1000 ticket for a family of five and a man working nine to five through the whole week and the family loves wrestling. It’s very difficult to be able to take a family to events.”
A member of the Anoa’i Family, Rikishi has multiple relatives currently signed to the WWE roster. Along with his kids Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa, Naomi is also married to Jimmy Uso and extended members of the family are a part of the MFT faction, which is led by Sikoa.
Why WWE No Longer Gives Away Free Tickets
The lack of comp tickets has been discussed by various stars in the past, with active wrestlers also noting that they have had to pay to have their family attend shows. The reason why free tickets are no longer available is reportedly due to the fact that WWE owners TKO are looking to maximise revenue wherever possible. This is along with the boom in 2024 that saw the company consistently sell out arenas and stadiums due to a surge of interest in the product, mostly due to the Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes storyline.
H/t to Fightful for the use of transcription.
Featured image: WWE
