A former WWE announcer has criticised WWE’s current direction under TKO, arguing the company is prioritising profits over producing the best possible wrestling product.
Speaking on 2 Count Tuesday, Jonathan Coachman reacted to comments made by TKO President Mark Shapiro during the company’s latest earnings call, where Shapiro discussed balancing fan experience with profitability.
Coachman questioned whether WWE’s priorities are in the right place.
“If TKO was not chasing every last dollar… Mark Shapiro did an earnings call for TKO and he said they got two focuses, the fan experience and also profitability, and not necessarily in that order.”
As an example, Coachman pointed to WWE’s decision to move September’s AAA event in Las Vegas to the MGM Grand Garden Arena. He argued the move appeared to be driven by ticket sales rather than improving the experience for fans.
“You’ve already sold out in Vegas… now they’re moving it to the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Why are we going to a place that only has a couple thousand more tickets? Make this make sense.”
Coachman also criticised the presentation of SummerSlam, saying the event felt overloaded with sponsorships and promotional content.
“What is the fan experience? We at home are part of the fan experience too… We were bombarded with Wingstop ads… I got two half shows. If that’s the fan experience, I had a terrible time.”
He went on to claim WWE’s leadership is unwilling to acknowledge when decisions fail to resonate with fans.
“At some point, when are we going to admit maybe we’ve made a mistake? They never admit it. Triple H won’t admit it. Shapiro won’t admit it.”
Jonathan Coachman Believes WWE’s 2-Night PLE’s Are Only About Making Money
Jonathan Coachman also argued that two-night Premium Live Events have become more about generating additional revenue than improving the quality of the shows themselves.
“Nothing, not even WrestleMania, should be two nights. If you sell 55,000 to one night, that’s a big freaking night.”
While Coachman acknowledged WWE’s business success under TKO, he believes commercial considerations are increasingly shaping the on-screen product, at the expense of the overall viewing experience.
