Is WWE truly the awful company that critics say it is?

Since WWE was sold to Endeavor and merged with UFC to become TKO, the company has received a lot of negative criticism from the IWC, podcasters, and wrestling columnists. Some of that criticism is warranted, while some of it is less warranted. But are WWE and TKO really as bad with their fans as we are told? That’s what this column attempts to determine.

1. WWE Overprices Its Tickets

One of the biggest criticisms online has been about TKO overpricing ticket prices. I always laugh at this criticism because, while I do agree that prices are really high for WWE tickets, especially TV tapings and PLEs, they are around the price of any other product on the level that WWE is right now.

WWE is the major league of professional wrestling, and prices are determined based on that. Do you see anybody criticizing the NFL for overpricing its tickets? How about the NBA and MLB? Heck, some teams in the NHL, especially the Original Six teams, charge higher prices for tickets than WWE does.

The same goes for major concerts. Do you see anybody complaining that they had to pay $500 or higher for Taylor Swift tickets, Rolling Stones tickets, or tickets to see any other top name in music? Not really. They just go out and accept that this is the new reality if you want to see top acts.

The fact is that, since the pandemic ended, inflation has hit everyone. Renting a big sports arena costs a lot more, and the same goes for production costs. Those companies and acts have to charge more to make a profit. That’s the reality with live entertainment. So, if you want to see affordable entertainment, go see shows in smaller venues.

2. WWE Is a Boring Product and Doesn’t Listen to What Fans Want

That’s another criticism that has been going around for years, but it has gotten worse since HHH took over. The question I have is, is WWE a perfect product? Hell no, just like AEW isn’t a perfect product and TNA isn’t a perfect product.

But when WWE hits on all cylinders, they show why they are the major league of wrestling. The perfect example of this is the weekend of shows they just produced.

SmackDown was one of the best shows they have produced in a while and gave us a shocking ending that didn’t please everybody.

RAW was one of the best episodes they have produced all year and made Penta look like a major star.

And just look at what they have done with AAA since they bought it. They took a company that was clearly the number two lucha company in Mexico, and that nobody was talking about, and made it relevant again. It has become a company that is being talked about throughout the wrestling community. They have already produced a few Match of the Year candidates and made a comedy act like El Grande Americano one of the biggest names in Mexico.

And while NXT is struggling right now because of the lack of major stars, it does give talents who aren’t being used on the main roster a chance to reinvent themselves, like Grayson Waller did, and show why WWE may have dropped the ball on them when they were on the main roster.

Again, is WWE a perfect product? Hell no. But they have a much better team running creative now than they did when Vince was running things, and it shows in the quality of the shows and the stories being told across all of the brands.

3. WWE Are Monsters for Releasing Wrestlers or Asking Them to Take Pay Cuts

That criticism shows how little those bitching about this know about business. WWE, just like any other sports league, is a business first. That’s why it’s called the wrestling business.

If they see wrestlers who are making a big salary and aren’t being used, they will either ask them to take a pay cut or outright release them, which is what any big company would do. Nobody wants to overpay an employee, or in this case an independent contractor, for doing less than nothing.

The same goes for lower-card wrestlers they don’t use, especially since WWE has to make room for all of the NXT talent.

That’s how the wrestling business has always worked. When a character becomes stale, you replace him with a newer character. That’s how the business has always worked and will always work.

The only difference between the way WWE does it and the way AEW does it is that, at least in WWE, when they don’t need somebody anymore, they don’t keep them under contract until it ends. They let them explore their options outside the company.

If that makes them monsters, then they are the type of monsters I wouldn’t mind working for.

Conclusion

In the end, is WWE overpricing fans for its products? Some would say yes, but compared to what I’ve seen from other major acts, I think they are on par with all the other major acts, especially when it comes to merchandise. From what I’ve seen, WWE merchandise is actually cheaper than merchandise at major concerts.

Is the product perfect? No, but that’s normal. Just like every wrestling company, WWE has its highs and lows when it comes to creative.

Are WWE corporate monsters for asking some wrestlers to take pay cuts and releasing them early? That’s for you to judge. But for me, they’re not, as WWE is just doing what any other sports league or business in general would do when they have people they don’t use anymore or who have become stale.

Sadly, if your fanbase doesn’t care about you, why would you, as a company, keep you around when you have a roster full of fresher performers who are just waiting to get a shot or get over on the roster?

So my conclusion is that while it’s okay to be critical of WWE for its business practices, maybe we should look at the bigger picture instead of judging them only based on what’s being reported online. You’re not getting the full story online, and when you compare WWE to what other major sports leagues, entertainment companies, and businesses are doing, they aren’t necessarily as bad as their critics make them out to be.