Vince Russo, known for his work as a wrestling writer with TNA, WCW, and WWE, recently voiced concerns about WWE fans potentially overpaying for event tickets since the launch of TKO. The 64-year-old wrestling veteran shared his thoughts on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s *Writing With Russo* podcast, hosted by Dr. Chris Featherstone.
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### WWE’s Sale and the Birth of TKO
In 2023, former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon oversaw the sale of the company to Endeavor. This deal resulted in the merger of UFC and WWE, with Endeavor creating TKO as the parent company overseeing both organizations. Since then, WWE has broken several revenue records, largely driven by a significant rise in ticket prices.
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### Russo’s Concerns Over Ticket Pricing
During the podcast, Russo expressed sympathy for WWE fans, suggesting many are purchasing tickets on credit cards and subsequently facing mounting debt due to interest charges. He remarked:
> “You know what the sad thing is, bro? Because every time I watch all these people and I look at all these people, and I know what the prices are, bro, all these poor people are putting these tickets on their charge cards, so now $2,000 plus the interest. We’re not talking about $2,000 anymore, and before you know it they’re in debt because they’re paying TKO’s debt.”
Russo expanded on this point, emphasizing that many fans may be struggling financially due to the high costs:
> “I really feel sorry for the people because they ain’t paying for those tickets out of their pockets. They’re paying those prices on credit, on plastic, and now we gotta make those payments every month that are far and above what the price of the ticket was, and you’re gonna have a lot of people run into financial problems.”
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### TKO’s Pricing Strategy
Mark Shapiro, TKO’s Chief Operating Officer, recently spoke about WWE’s ticket pricing approach at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference. Shapiro noted that while Vince McMahon preferred a “family-friendly” pricing model, TKO aims to adopt a strategy similar to UFC’s, which involves higher ticket prices.
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### Streaming and Future WWE Draft Plans
Russo also commented on Stephanie McMahon’s indirect encouragement for fans to watch WWE’s premium live events on Netflix rather than ESPN. He suggested that the next WWE Draft should focus around these streaming platforms to better capture audiences.
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### Final Thoughts
Vince Russo’s candid remarks highlight an ongoing debate about affordability and fan experience amid WWE’s evolving business model under TKO. While WWE continues to set revenue records, the rising costs raise concerns about fan accessibility and long-term loyalty.
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*Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling’s **Writing With Russo** when using quotes from this article.*
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### About the Author
**Danny Hart** has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. Growing up a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, Hart pursued a career in sports journalism. Before his current role, he worked as a football writer at Goal.com from 2009 to 2016. He prides himself on original, fact-based, and highly accurate writing, thoroughly proofreading all work and relying only on credible sources.
Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker, admiring his ability to reinvent himself and stay relevant through decades. If he led WWE’s creative department, Hart would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium packed with fans, with some of The Undertaker’s greatest rivals seated ringside for the event.
When not covering sports, Danny enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
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*Edited by Danny Hart.*
https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/news-fans-end-debt-due-wwe-prices-vince-russo-fears-exclusive
