Tickets to WWE's first stadium event—called Clash at the Castle—in the United Kingdom in over 30 years haven't sold as well as the company was hoping. Numerous WWE superstars are being connected to the show, and there are various VIP levels available for purchase. Early returns haven't been great for the company, however.
As soon as ticket prices for the Clash at the Castle event became known, some fans immediately took to online forums such as Twitter and Reddit to voice their concerns. Some of the higher-end VIP packages include hotel stays and vouchers for merchandise which were listed at £4,000—nearly $5,000 USD. Some of the cheaper seats with no amenities included were hovering around the £100 mark, which would translate to roughly $125 for nosebleeds in an arena that seats more than 74,000 people. At the time of writing, no tickets were available for less than £168.75, or around $210.
Based on a tweet from Dave Meltzer, WWE expected the Cardiff show to be an "instant sellout," writing that it's "(n)ot even close" to that at this time. Fans who were up in arms about the ticket prices appear to represent the majority here, and while the show could eventually move more units, initial demand has waned compared to what the company was wishing for.
Ahead of tickets actually going on sale, various WWE superstars, including Cody Rhodes, talked up how much demand there already was for the event. That may have been the case when Clash At The Castle was initially announced, but a lot of that interest quickly gave way to irritation and, in some cases, anger, over the cost of attending. Lack of sales momentum can't be blamed on the talent at this juncture. WWE has put the majority of its media might behind turning Roman Reigns into a must-see attraction but expecting more than 70,000 people to shell out north of $200 to watch him wrestle is a huge ask.
Drew McIntyre will likely be featured heavily leading up to the show given that he's from the United Kingdom, but prodigal-son-returns-home only goes so far when the cost is that high. Even if fans end up with a McIntyre vs Reigns main event at Clash at the Castle, is there any reason to believe that the hometown hero will go over in that fight? It just seems like another attempt at giving Reigns a financial feather to stick into his cap. For fans in the United Kingdom who've been waiting for this long for a major event, these ticket prices from WWE are a bitter pill to swallow.