Report Reveals Awful Year-Over-Year SmackDown Ticket Sales in AEW’s Hometown

Ticket sales for tonight’s WWE SmackDown from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, are significantly below where the company was the last time it ran the building.

According to WrestleTix, 6,704 tickets have been sold out of a current setup of 7,877, leaving approximately 1,173 tickets still available on the primary market ahead of the show.

The comparison to WWE’s most recent Jacksonville date makes for difficult reading. When WWE last ran the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 17, 2024, the company sold 10,093 tickets for a SmackDown taping — a difference of roughly 3,400 tickets from where tonight’s show currently sits.

The two dates are similar on the calendar, separated by only about a week in the time of year, making the drop-off harder to explain away as a seasonal factor. However, it is interesting that it is happening in a city that has been viewed as AEW’s home since its inception in 2019.

This is the go-home SmackDown for Backlash on Saturday in Tampa, a card that would typically generate elevated interest in the surrounding television programming. WWE’s year-to-date average for 2026 sits at 10,556 tickets per show, meaning tonight’s attendance will fall well short of that benchmark even if the remaining tickets are sold before bell time. 

Tonight’s SmackDown card features Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss taking on Fatal Influence in a six-woman tag match with Backlash title match implications, Tiffany Stratton defending the Women’s United States Championship against Kiana James in Stratton’s first title defense, a Gunther in-ring promo following his attack on Cody Rhodes, and a Gingerbread Man funeral segment involving Sami Zayn as part of the build toward his United States Championship rematch at Backlash.

Fans have been more vocal than ever regarding the product that WWE is giving its audience, as TKO looks to max out any return they can for profit to pay down debt taken out to buy WWE. WWE will look to rebuild any mistrust with the fans, or they will risk losing out on more fans.