WWE has already started seeking site fees for major events, having received nearly $3 million from the Welsh Government for Clash at the Castle in 2022 and $1 million for Backlash in Puerto Rico in 2023.
According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE is trying to use this approach of using site fees for premium live events for weekly RAW and SmackDown TV shows as well:
“Right now, they’re just getting them for the pay-per-view shows, and not even necessarily every pay-per-view show in the United States.
Although now that the B-shows have been pretty much moved overseas and they’re getting site fees for those shows, and the A-shows are gonna mostly be stadium shows – maybe Survivor Series will probably still be an arena show – but the idea is they’re working on getting site fees.
They already do for Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania, and they’re working on getting them for Money in the Bank and Survivor Series, and now the next step is to get communities to pay them to bring RAW and SmackDown tapings in. Hey, more power to them if they can get it.
I don’t know how many people as far as tourists flock to a city on a Monday or Friday when RAW and SmackDown are in town. They do come in for pay-per-views.
But if they can get it… just to come to your city, they’re gonna want your city to pay. And it’s a great business to be in, it takes away all the risk of running shows if you’re getting paid to come in, that’s for sure.
They’re giving you the building for free, and you’re gonna get paid to come in, and you’re gonna get other benefits from the city – promotional and everything like that, they’ll help you promote your event because it’s incumbent on them for the event to be a success because the whole idea of spending that money is to bring people into the city and come to restaurants and stay at hotels and all that.
We’ll see if they can pull that off. If they do, that’s transformative.”
