Post by wrestlingmvp on Apr 24, 2024 11:25:56 GMT
Don't get me wrong, I'm *delighted* that WWE is finally coming to Scotland for a PLE (and SmackDown!). It is long overdue. Glasgow especially was responsible for the rejuvenation of the UK wrestling scene, pretty much created NXT UK as a result and a lot of the influx of talent in WWE from the UK came from ICW. All that being said, the scheduling, the ticket prices and even the location seems rushed and not well thought out.
1. It is taking place in Glasgow. There is no castle in Glasgow. The most famous castle here is Edinburgh castle, in the capital.
2. It is taking place at the Hydro arena (13-14k capacity) rather than a stadium. I get it, not every PLE takes place in a stadium, but after attracting 62k in Cardiff in 2022 at a stadium, the appetite is most certainly there to make it a spectacle.
3. The scheduling! Taylor Swift plays Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh the weekend before, so that would've ruled out the opportunity to have the show at that stadium. The Friday evening of SmackDown is the same night that Scotland open the EURO 2024 football tournament playing the hosts Germany. It is only the second time Scotland have qualified for a major tournament since 1998 and the first time with fans able to travel (the other time was EURO 2020 during the pandemic). I think WWE underestimates how massive football is here and in the UK generally. There will be a lot of people (myself included, before I seen the prices) that wouldn't attend SmackDown because they'll either be in Germany for the tournament or watching it at home. Surely there were other available slots in the year?
4. The event is just over a month away. They announced it around three weeks ago. Why such short notice? It seems incredibly rushed.
5. The prices! They have only released combo tickets for SmackDown and Clash. I had a look this morning. Seats on the floor, four rows from the front cost almost 2k! The seats four rows from the very back of the arena cost £368! You could buy tickets and pay for some of your travel to WrestleMania for less than that. It is selling extremely well and they've almost sold what they have released today, but how can those prices be justified?
Again, I love that WWE are coming back here, but I really think they've fumbled big time on this one and it won't reach the potential it could've. It'll still be good, the Scottish (and UK) crowds are great, but it could've been so much more both in spectacle and surely financially for WWE too.
1. It is taking place in Glasgow. There is no castle in Glasgow. The most famous castle here is Edinburgh castle, in the capital.
2. It is taking place at the Hydro arena (13-14k capacity) rather than a stadium. I get it, not every PLE takes place in a stadium, but after attracting 62k in Cardiff in 2022 at a stadium, the appetite is most certainly there to make it a spectacle.
3. The scheduling! Taylor Swift plays Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh the weekend before, so that would've ruled out the opportunity to have the show at that stadium. The Friday evening of SmackDown is the same night that Scotland open the EURO 2024 football tournament playing the hosts Germany. It is only the second time Scotland have qualified for a major tournament since 1998 and the first time with fans able to travel (the other time was EURO 2020 during the pandemic). I think WWE underestimates how massive football is here and in the UK generally. There will be a lot of people (myself included, before I seen the prices) that wouldn't attend SmackDown because they'll either be in Germany for the tournament or watching it at home. Surely there were other available slots in the year?
4. The event is just over a month away. They announced it around three weeks ago. Why such short notice? It seems incredibly rushed.
5. The prices! They have only released combo tickets for SmackDown and Clash. I had a look this morning. Seats on the floor, four rows from the front cost almost 2k! The seats four rows from the very back of the arena cost £368! You could buy tickets and pay for some of your travel to WrestleMania for less than that. It is selling extremely well and they've almost sold what they have released today, but how can those prices be justified?
Again, I love that WWE are coming back here, but I really think they've fumbled big time on this one and it won't reach the potential it could've. It'll still be good, the Scottish (and UK) crowds are great, but it could've been so much more both in spectacle and surely financially for WWE too.
