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WrestleMania 2026 won’t happen in New Orleans, despite the announcement in February that it would. WWE ticket prices are up. Employee perks are down. Many on staff have been let go over the last 18 months. Others have had raises and benefits limited. There hasn’t been a single domestic house show in 2025 to date. Meanwhile, TKO stock is up 45% over the last year, easily outperforming the major indexes.
It’s tempting to file all this under familiar labels like corporate greed or the demands of Wall Street. But those categories don’t really explain what’s happening or why it’s happening now.
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