The WWE Royal Rumble is one of the most exciting and anticipated events in professional wrestling. Fans from all over the world flock to the host arena each January to witness the famous 30-man Royal Rumble match, where superstars compete to earn a title shot at WrestleMania. Tickets for the Royal Rumble are always in high demand, but just how much do they cost on average?
How Much Do Royal Rumble Tickets Usually Cost?
Royal Rumble ticket prices can vary greatly depending on the specific venue, seat location, demand, and other factors. However, looking at ticket sales data from the last several years can give us a good idea of the average price range.
For regular seats in the lower bowl or on the floor, the average price is usually between $150-$300 per ticket. In very high demand years or for front row seats, prices for lower bowl tickets can exceed $500. Upper level seats tend to be the most affordable, averaging between $50-$150 per ticket.
The Royal Rumble often takes place in large stadiums with capacities over 15,000. The cheap seats in the upper decks and nosebleeds typically start around $50-$75 per ticket on average. However, these seats are far away from the ring.
For a ringside seat on the floor, expect to pay a premium price between $300-$600 on average. These coveted floor seats allow fans to be right next to the ring for all of the action.
Factors That Impact Royal Rumble Ticket Prices
Several key factors account for the considerable variation in Royal Rumble ticket prices from year to year:
- Venue size and location – Prices are higher when the event is held in a smaller arena versus a large stadium. Major cities like New York and Chicago command higher prices.
- Supply and demand – When tickets are scarce, prices rise. Likewise, excess inventory leads to deals.
- Card strength – Years with big name superstars and matches have elevated demand and prices.
- Date timing – The later into January, the more prices tend to rise.
- Resell market – Sites like StubHub allow scalpers to inflate prices for high demand tickets.
Promotions looking to maximize revenue strategically consider these factors when setting initial ticket prices. Let’s take a deeper look at how each impacts the average price fans can expect to pay.
Venue Size and Location
The Royal Rumble often takes place in basketball arenas with capacities between 15,000 and 20,000. However, some years it is held in much larger NFL stadiums capable of holding upwards of 70,000 fans. This dramatically impacts the number of tickets available and influences price averages.
For example, Royal Rumble 2015 was held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia with less than 20,000 seats. The average resale price exceeded $300. However, the massive Minute Maid Park in Houston hosted the event in 2020 with over 40,000 seats. This suppressed demand and brought the average price down below $150 that year.
Location also plays a role. Events in major cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles have elevated prices due to the large populations and attraction of these premier destinations. Meanwhile, prices tend to be lower in smaller markets like Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Kansas City.
Supply and Demand
Basic supply and demand economics apply to WWE events. When supply is limited and demand is high, prices rise. When there is excess supply, prices fall to move inventory.
The best example is Royal Rumble 2018 in Philadelphia. With under 20,000 seats, this event still holds the record for the highest average resale ticket price at $315. Why? The event completely sold out and tickets were very scarce, feeding the frenzy and pushing prices through the roof.
In contrast, Royal Rumble 2019 took place in front of 30,000 empty seats at Chase Field in Arizona. With so much excess inventory, last minute tickets were available from just $35.
Card Strength
The strength of the advertised card also impacts demand. Fans anticipate seeing their favorite wrestlers compete in the 30-man Rumble match itself. When major stars like John Cena, Daniel Bryan, or CM Punk are booked, demand grows.
Rumble 2018 again illustrates this. The massive hype around the debut of Ronda Rousey after the match drove prices to record levels. The same phenomenon happened in Miami in 2020 when Edge shockingly returned from injury. Names draw dollars.
Date Timing
The Rumble always takes place in January, but the specific timing varies. The closer to the end of the month, the higher prices tend to trend on average.
This is because the Rumble kicks off the “Road to WrestleMania” as the start of new storylines on the way to WWE’s biggest event in early April. Fans realize it is one of the final chances to see major stars in action on television before WrestleMania.
Royal Rumble 2020 on January 26 was at the tail end of the month and had elevated demand and prices because fans knew it was their last glimpse before WrestleMania 36 went off the airwaves due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Resell Market
Another factor is the active ticket resale market. Third party sites like StubHub allow speculators to buy up inventory and resell at inflated prices to desperate fans.
For example, an original $300 ticket could get marked up to $600 or more. This artificially raises the average price higher than if fans could only buy tickets directly from WWE’s box office at face value.
Scalpers particularly prey on the scarce inventory for popular Rumbles. The greater the demand, the more they can inflate already elevated prices.
Average Ticket Prices by Year
Looking at historical resale average prices over the past decade reveals the variance year-to-year:
Year | City | Venue | Average Resale Price |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | San Antonio, TX | Alamodome | $225 |
2022 | St. Louis, MO | Dome at America’s Center | $285 |
2021 | Tampa, FL | Tropicana Field | $180 |
2020 | Houston, TX | Minute Maid Park | $150 |
2019 | Phoenix, AZ | Chase Field | $125 |
2018 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center | $315 |
2017 | San Antonio, TX | Alamodome | $250 |
2016 | Orlando, FL | Amway Center | $175 |
2015 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center | $300 |
2014 | Pittsburgh, PA | Consol Energy Center | $200 |
A few key observations:
- The smallest venues with highest demand had the highest average prices – 2018 in Philadelphia ($315) and 2015 again in Philly ($300).
- The large stadiums kept averages down – Houston in 2020 ($150) and Phoenix in 2019 ($125).
- Hosting in a major metro market drove prices up – 2015 & 2018 in Philadelphia and the New York area in 2014 ($200).
- Prices tend to rise as the event gets later into January – 2018 and 2022 had higher averages.
Where to Buy Royal Rumble Tickets
Now that we’ve looked at the factors impacting prices, where can fans actually buy tickets when they go on sale?
Primary Market
When Royal Rumble tickets initially go on sale, the best way to buy is directly from the primary market:
- Official WWE Website – Tickets are sold at face value direct from WWE’s site. Sign up for their newsletter to get early access during presales.
- Venue Box Office – Visit or call the host arena’s box office to buy tickets directly.
- Ticketmaster – WWE’s official ticketing partner also sells at face value. Look out for presales and promos.
Buying from these official sources ensures paying legitimate prices set by the promoters. However, the initial ticket allotments often sell out fast.
Secondary Market
Once the primary inventory is gone, the secondary resale market takes over:
- StubHub – The world’s largest resale site offers Royal Rumble tickets, sometimes at inflated prices for very high demand matches.
- Vivid Seats – Another large resale site with a wide selection of tickets being resold by other fans and brokers.
- SeatGeek – SeatGeek aggregates listings from multiple selling sites to compare options in one place.
The major downside here is having to pay the speculative market driven “market price” that exceeds face value. But for sold out events, it may be the only option.
Tips for Getting the Best Deal
Here are some tips for getting the best deal on Royal Rumble tickets:
- Buy early during the initial ticket launch to get face value prices before they sell out.
- Sign up for fan club or venue presales to get first dibs before the general public.
- Consider upper deck or “cheap seat” sections to pay the face value asking price.
- Don’t wait until last minute when speculative prices really surge.
- Comparison shop across sites to find best value listings from resellers.
- Buy in pairs or groups – singles often cost more than pairs per ticket.
- Consider travel packages that bundle discounts on tickets, hotels, and other perks.
While the average cost can be over $200 per seat, utilizing tactics like these can help fans score tickets for less than face.
Navigating Dynamic Pricing
One modern ticketing trend that impacts costs is dynamic and surge pricing. Event promoters like WWE now use software to adjust prices in real time based on demand.
This is why buying early is key. As an event sells, prices incrementally rise section by section. Front row seats may start at $300 and end up at $600+ closer to showtime. The longer you wait, the higher costs go.
High traffic and searches also trigger price hikes. Even if an event hasn’t sold out, prices may jump if fans are frenzied. Prime matchups like dream Royal Rumble scenarios also goose prices.
Additionally, travel makes a difference. In cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami, promoters know fans are coming in from out of town so they can charge hotel and ticket bundles at premium rates.
It requires adjusting expectations on costs and planning ahead to lock in deals before the price rollercoaster takes off.
Future Royal Rumble Ticket Price Outlook
Projecting into the future, expect Royal Rumble ticket prices to continue climbing over the next 5-10 years as costs to host events rise across the board.
However, the overarching factors of venue, demand, card, and timing will still dictate prices year-to-year. Here are some predictions:
- More stadiums will enable affordability with huge capacities and cheap upper decks.
- Red hot years with major returns or debuts will still shatter records.
- Dynamic pricing will become even more prevalent and significant leading up to events.
- The premium for floor seats and front rows will expand even further.
- Higher overall pricing floors each year, with fewer sub-$100 tickets.
Of course, exogenous factors like the economy and consumer demand can also impact wrestling and live sports. But the Rumble will continue being a top tier marquee event for WWE commanding premium ticket prices for fans.
Conclusion
The Royal Rumble generates great excitement among pro wrestling fans every year. Naturally, that makes tickets in high demand and drives up costs. While cheap seats can start around $50, floor seats average $300-$600 and outfield/lower bowl around $150-$300 in most venues.
Factors like venue capacity, demand, card strength, and timing cause significant variance on pricing annually. When events sell out fast in smaller venues, prices skyrocket based on scarcity. But large stadiums keep things affordable.
Fans can save by buying early, avoiding resale markups, and sitting in upper decks. With dynamic pricing too, buying ASAP is key before rising demand causes costs to balloon out of control.
As a top WWE event, Royal Rumble ticket prices will remain a premium cost. But for diehard fans, the experience is often worth splurging to witness the famous Rumble match live and the thrill of seeing wrestling superstars collide on the Road to WrestleMania.