Nick Khan Addresses WWE Fan Backlash Ahead Of WrestleMania 42
Nick Khan says ratings, revenue, and relevancy are what drives WWE.
With WrestleMania 42 set to take place this weekend at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, WWE fans have been vocal across social media regarding a number of complaints surrounding the company, including a lacklustre build to the event itself, certain talent being absent from the show, and rising ticket prices.
Speaking during Wednesday’s CAA World Congress of Sports, Nick Khan was asked if he ever worries about the pushback WWE could get from decisions such as WrestleMania 43 heading to Saudi Arabia, to which he appeared largely unfazed.
“I have never read X or Twitter as it relates to our business and I’ve certainly never read it regarding me. That is a vocal minority.”
-Nick Khan
Nick Khan continued, noting that whilst he’s copied in on every complaint that comes into WWE’s personalised fan service, the company will continue to evaluate their success based on three key indicators.
“Some of the complaints [in WWE’s personalized fan service] are, ‘I didn’t like the match — you guys are pieces of sh*t.’ And I go, ‘OK, I got it.’ Some are, ‘Hey, we had an obstructed view.’ OK — we’ll have you come to our next show. People are allowed to complain, but we don’t adjust our business based on complaints. We adjust based on ratings, revenue, relevancy.”
-Nick Khan
Beyond complaints regarding rising ticket prices, which have been addressed both on screen and through promotional offers in order to boost sales, fans across social media have also been critical of IYO SKY’s absence from WrestleMania 42, with Dave Meltzer reporting earlier today that her match with Asuka appears to be off the card.
Another point of contention has been the increasing celebrity involvement ahead of the event, with WWE Superstars reportedly free to openly criticise Pat McAfee’s onscreen presence. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the backstage reaction to criticism towards WWE ahead of WrestleMania 42 as soon as we hear more.
H/T to Sports Business Journal for the transcription.
