WWE's last-minute show change is a victory for fans, Vince Russo thinks

Vince Russo was WWE's co-head writer in the late 1990s before joining WCW. In a recent podcast, the 64-year-old addressed the news about NXT's upcoming venue change.

WWE planned to stage the May 27 episode of NXT at the 10,500-seat Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida. However, the show has been moved to the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, after fewer than 2,000 tickets were sold.

Russo has been outspoken about expensive ticket prices in recent months. On his Coach and Bro show with Jonathan Coachman, the veteran writer praised fans for choosing not to attend the NXT event.

"Guys, I am not gloating that the WWE had to cancel a show," Russo said. "That does not affect me one way or another. What I'm gloating about is you guys kinda drew a line in the sand, and you said, 'Four nights in a row at these ticket prices? You know what, we can't do this.' And, guys, the only reason they are going to rethink ticket prices is when you stop paying insane prices." [8:28 – 9:05]

The NXT episode was supposed to mark the fourth consecutive day of shows at the Yuengling Center. The venue is still due to host Saturday Night's Main Event on May 24, NXT Battleground on May 25, and RAW on May 26.

Jonathan Coachman applauds WWE fans after NXT venue change

From 1999 to 2008, Jonathan Coachman worked as a WWE interviewer and on-screen personality. He returned to the company between 2018 and 2021 as a commentator and kickoff show host.

Coachman agreed with Russo that fans deserve credit for refusing to pay high NXT prices. He also mentioned that WWE has struggled to sell tickets for NXT Battleground.

"Vince, they've only sold half for Sunday night [Battleground], so I think they will run it because it would be unbelievably embarrassing to cancel two of the four shows, but they're only selling half, so I also applaud the fanbase because at this point, Vince, you can still turn this thing around, but putting a lipstick on a pig and always saying 'the highest-grossing event' instead of 'the highest-attended event,' all the ways they go about doing it, and the fanbase is not stupid," Coachman said. [10:39 – 11:11]

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Six matches have been announced for NXT Battleground, including Joe Hendry's TNA World Championship defense against Trick Williams.

Please credit Coach and Bro and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart