Matt Hardy: WrestleMania 42 Ticket Prices Draw Fire as SmackDown and Raw Individual Tickets Go on Sale Feb. 24
Individual event tickets for Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw during WrestleMania 42 Week go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 1 p. m. ET/10 a. m. PT, and TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy has publicly criticized ticket pricing for the two-night WrestleMania as a hardship for many fans. The ticket rollout and Hardy's comments matter because they highlight demand dynamics, pricing strategies and fan access for one of pro wrestling's biggest annual spectacles.
SmackDown and Raw individual tickets: sale details and schedule
WWE, in partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, announced that individual event tickets for Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw as part of WrestleMania 42 Week will go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 1 p. m. ET/10 a. m. PT. General presale for those individual event tickets will begin today at 1 p. m. ET/10 a. m. PT. Friday Night SmackDown will take place at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, April 17, and Monday Night Raw will take place at T-Mobile Arena on Monday, April 20.
WrestleMania 42 weekend schedule and Las Vegas return
WrestleMania 42 is set as a two-night main event at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026. The return to Las Vegas was announced in June 2025 following a record-breaking WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium. WrestleMania 42 will mark the third time Las Vegas has hosted WWE’s biggest event of the year, with the city hosting in 2026, 2025 and 1993.
Matt Hardy on ticket prices and fan affordability
Matt Hardy addressed rising ticket prices for WrestleMania 42 on an episode of his podcast, The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy. As TNA World Tag Team Champion and a veteran who has appeared at multiple WrestleManias, Hardy expressed concern that current pricing makes attendance a "tough sell" for many fans. He noted that expensive tickets, combined with travel and lodging costs in a destination like Las Vegas, put the event out of reach for some households still adjusting to post-pandemic economic realities.
Hardy emphasized that fans may feel priced out after attending the previous year: some may have attended last year and found it costly enough that a repeat trip is not feasible. He framed the issue as a broader affordability challenge for average fans weighing discretionary entertainment spending.
Pricing details, resale figures and promotional countermeasures
Current resale get-in prices are cited at approximately $264 for Night 1 and $276 for Night 2, with two-day passes starting near $652. Premium seats and packages have commanded substantially higher sums, with some top-tier options exceeding several thousand dollars per night before fees. The company has responded to slower sales with promotions, including a reported 25% discount at Allegiant Stadium and internal meetings to reassess pricing strategies. Despite promotional efforts, attendance projections are noted as trailing the pace set by the 2025 event, which drew massive crowds and generated substantial revenue following the company merger into TKO Group Holdings.
Fan experiences, priority packages and ticket channels
Official Priority Pass Packages for Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw are available now through an exclusive partner, offering premium seating, a dedicated entrance and additional amenities. WrestleMania 42 Priority Pass ticket packages are also available. Fans can still purchase tickets for WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium for the two main nights through the primary ticketing platform. Additionally, WWE World, a five-day interactive fan experience, returns to WrestleMania 42 from Thursday, April 16, through Monday, April 20, at the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall, featuring new immersive experiences; tickets for that fan experience are currently on sale.
Industry context: newsletter previews, event recaps and MMA crossover news
The latest wrestling newsletter issue opens with an early look at the upcoming WWE Elimination Chamber and provides an update on WrestleMania 42 ticket sales. The same issue recaps last weekend’s AEW Grand Slam Australia and offers an early preview of next month’s AEW Revolution. It also examines a major fight announcement of Gina Carano versus Ronda Rousey that is not for the UFC, and includes a follow-up obituary-style piece for The Great Mephisto. The newsletter packages those items alongside broader pro wrestling and MMA week coverage.
Where things stand and what to watch next
Tickets for individual SmackDown and Raw events are moving into public sale at the specified Feb. 24 time, priority packages are being offered for fans seeking premium access, and Matt Hardy's public critique has amplified concerns about affordability and market choice. Observers should watch ticket velocity after the public on-sale, any further promotional activity or pricing adjustments, and whether event organizers consider changes to format or market selection to broaden accessibility. Hardy hinted at preference for new markets rather than repeating Las Vegas back-to-back, but that line of thought is unclear in the provided context.
