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Last Updated on: 6th February 2023, 03:15 pm
Whether you’re a pro wrestling fan or not, if you find yourself with WWE tickets, you’ll want to ensure you’re prepared before heading out to your first live WWE event.
While attending a WWE Event is a pretty straightforward experience, there are some important things to know before you go to your first WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown, or another live wrestling event.
To have the most fun, stress-free, and safe night out, here are eighteen essential tips for going to your first WWE event!
If you can think of any tips I’ve forgotten, leave them in the comments so we can share them!
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For English-speaking private airport transfers, book through Welcome Pickups.
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For travel guidebooks to have with you during your trip, I always pick one or two from Rick Steves and Lonely Planet.
Tips for Attending a WWE Event for the First Time: Getting WWE Tickets, finding Live Events Near You, and More!
Here we go!
Should You Go to a WWE Event?
If you’ve already gotten your tickets and you’re pumped to go, you can skip this tip.
However, if you’re still just planning to see the WWE and trying to decide whether or not it’s for you, you’ll be glad to know that you can have a really fun time – even if you’re not a big wrestling fan!
I was not a big WWE fan before I met my husband, but he grew up watching it every week with his family. So over the past six years, I’ve watched a lot of WWE by default.
To be honest, I usually don’t pay that much attention to the show, but it slowly seeped into my brain, and I started to follow some of the plotlines and the careers of some of the wrestlers.
So while I’m still not a huge WWE fan, I knew enough to be curious about what it would be like to see it in person.
And, it was really fun! Very campy and theatrical – think big costumes, big hair, big drama, and big moves.
So if you love the WWE, then you should go and see it in person. But if you don’t, there’s still a lot of fun to be had enjoying the WWE live as part of a fun night out on the town!
And if you’ve never watched any wrestling before, you can start out watching one of the shows or watch the tv shows Glow, Heels, or Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson’s Young Rock which can all help you appreciate the athleticism and passion that goes into professional wrestling.
And of course, movies like Fighting with My Family (a personal fave) and The Wrestler are must-sees for the wrestling-curious.
Pro Tip: Only have time for one? Fighting with My Family is a Stephen Merchant film that is so charming and has a fantastic cast, including Lena Heady and a cameo from The Rock. Start here!
TLDR: Even if you don’t know your babyfaces from your heels, you can have a great time seeing the WWE live!
Finding a WWE Event Near Your
There are quite a few different WWE events – from Monday Night Raw to Friday Night Smackdown to NXT In Your House, not to mention Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Day 1, Money in the Bank, Halloween Havoc, Saturday Night’s Main Event, WWE Crown Jewel, and more!
There are over five hundred WWE events per year! Considering how many different cities (and even countries) these events are hosted in, there’s a good chance that one will be coming to a city near you at some point.
However, if you live in a smaller market with only one or two options a year for shows, don’t worry too much about which event it will be. They are all designed to be as entertaining as possible.
There are three main types of events. There are tapings for the tv broadcasts of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, House Shows that are not broadcast, and live Pay-Per-View events like Wrestlemania.
Since the PPV events, Smackdown, and Raw are shown live, these events follow the storylines you’ll already be familiar with from watching from home, whereas house shows are more like exhibitions for the audience as opposed to part of the current drama.
Tapings include more video footage, including videos of wrestlers who may not be at your performance, since the overall show needs to keep some of the drama and storylines from these wrestlers alive for the audience at home until they make their return.
For example, at the show we saw, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and Alexa Bliss were all mentioned or featured in videos despite not performing at the event.
How to Buy WWE Tickets
My husband found out that the WWE was coming to Oklahoma City while watching Raw on Hulu. This was lucky, as we’d already found out after the fact about an event in Tulsa, just ninety minutes away.
Because the WWE focuses on smaller markets like Melbourne, Toledo, and Albany, along with hosting events in bigger cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Philadelphia, you will probably find that there are events near you if you check in on their schedule periodically.
Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster, so bookmark the page or sign up for email alerts for when WWE events near you go on sale if there aren’t any scheduled yet.
Pro Tip: If there is a WWE event scheduled in your area that you want to go to, buy your tickets early!
While the show may not sell it (but it might), you’ll get the best seats for your money if you buy in advance.
We bought our tickets a month before the show, ensuring nice aisle seats with good views while still staying in the relatively “cheap seats.”
Where to Sit in the Arena & Tips for Getting the Best WWE Seats for Your Money
The setup for WWE events includes a giant video monitor that plays video behind the wrestlers’ entrances. You can tell which side this will be on by which side of the venue has no seats for sale behind it.
On the other side of the ring, there are floor seats further back behind the announcers, but not as close to the ring as on the other three sides.
If you want to feel like you’re really “in the action,” get tickets for floor seats in front of the video monitor. So much of the drama happens as wrestlers come in and out of the venue.
Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins were especially good at using their time coming in and out of the venue to pump up their storylines.
Anyone near the front row will see a lot of action as the wrestlers pop in and out of the ring to fight on the floor.
There are barricades to protect you from the fighting (and the wrestlers from overzealous fans).
If you want to see the video display, don’t buy seats too close to it.
We couldn’t see it from our seats, but it was fine because the overhead monitors played the same videos.
However, if seeing the wrestlers come in front of the display matters to you, buy tickets at least halfway down the ring or get floor seats.
We chose our seats for maximum comfort – right next to an entrance with restrooms and concessions right outside. I loved our seats, but they were more chill than the seats on the floor. (They also were a LOT cheaper!).
Where to Stay Near the Arena if You are Traveling from Out of Town
If you are coming in from out of town, try to book your hotel early and get one near your venue. You can avoid paying extra parking fees if you can walk to and from your hotel.
I use Booking.com to book hotel rooms when I travel. You can use their map feature to find hotels near your event.
Find the best deals on hotels & vacation rentals on Booking.com.
If you need a car when you’re in town, I like to use Discover Cars for car rentals when I travel.
I also always get travel insurance on trips in case of a medical emergency or something happens to my stuff. You can get a quote for travel insurance from World Nomads.
Costs for Attending a WWE Event
We were quite happy with how much we spent in the evening. Here’s a breakdown of exactly what we spent to see WWE Raw live:
2 Tickets including Ticketmaster Fees: $74.05
Parking across the street: $20
WWE T-Shirt from Amazon: $13.84
Concessions: $67.93
Total Cost for 2 People to Attend WWE Raw: $175. 82 ($87.91 per person)
Notes: We could have seen it cheaper by parking further away or eating and drinking less. However, I’m seven months pregnant so parking close was a must.
Additionally $15 of the concessions was just bottled water – with no water fountains in sight!
You could see the WWE on a budget by buying cheaper seats than we did (which were in the middle of the price ranges available), parking further away, eating and drinking less at the show, and not buying anything special to wear.
The costs are also dependent on the prices of the venue your event is at since parking and food prices are set locally and not influenced by the WWE at all.
What to Bring to a WWE Event
You can’t bring that much. Rules for purses and bag sizes are set by the local venue. I looked up all the rules of the Paycom Center before I left the house since I had an issue with the size of my purse at a local professional soccer game recently.
Different arenas have different security rules that will influence what you can bring with you. For example, look up the size of signs allowed if you want to bring one.
The family in front of us had their signs confiscated for being larger than 7” x 11” – which seems quite small to me!
Make sure to bring your tickets or have them downloaded onto your phone via the Ticketmaster app.
You’ll also want to bring your ID if you want to drink anything that’s 21-and-over.
Don’t bring more than you need, since floor space in these kinds of venues tends to be minimal.
Here’s everything I brought with me:
Cell Phone with Tickets Loaded
Drivers License
Credit Cards*
Keys
Lipstick
Hair Tie
*Our arena is a cashless venue, but bring cash if yours doesn’t take cards for everything.
What to Wear to See the WWE Live
The two best options for planning your attire are to dress up in a WWE-themed outfit or dress super comfortably.
You’ll be sitting in your seats anywhere from four to six hours with stretches of standing during the action, so being comfortable is HUGE.
I wore black leggings with a comfy black ruched thigh-length shirt, and I loved it. For shoes, I wore these comfy knock-off Uggs that kept my feet happy whenever we were standing for the matches.
My husband wore this shirt from Amazon and jeans with sneakers.
We went with a comfy-casual approach.
However, I saw tons of WWE-themed costumes and outfits that were fun, and I completely understand the appeal of wanting to dress up for the show.
If you go the costume route, just make sure you can sit down in it!
Where to Park Near the Event Center
Look up your venue’s parking options ahead of time so you have a game plan. This will also help you budget since you can see prices and how they change over distances.
We parked in the closest possible lot, and snagged a second-row space, by showing up early.
Make sure to find out if the place you want to park takes cash or credit card or has a time limit.
How Early Should You Be to a WWE Show
I’m not a super-punctual person by nature, but my husband wanted to get there when the doors opened so we could take pictures. And it was the right call.
We were able to grab dinner, snap pics, and get to our seats without fighting the crowds that showed up as we got closer to the start time.
For us, this meant we got there a little before the doors opened at 5:00 PM for a show that started its first match at 6:30 PM.
If you don’t care about waiting in long lines or want to head straight to your seats, you can show up closer to the time of the event. Plan for parking to take longer in this scenario.
What Wrestlers Will Perform at a WWE Show
Beware that the wrestlers advertised in advance may not be the people who perform during your event.
There were many names in the initial description that weren’t part of our show. I know Becky Lynch was one, as she’s one of my faves.
This is because they are just listing WWE superstars that could be there, and then as the storylines progress and matches are set, the official lineup gets set.
We got to see Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair in a Tag Team match, United States Champion Seth Rollins face Matt Riddle, Bobby Lashley, Brock Lesnar, the Miz, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Dominik Mysterio, Elias, A.J. Styles, Rhea Ripley, and Dexter Lumis.
Of course, I would have loved to see Becky Lynch, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens, but it wasn’t their time to shine. And while Bayley was in the arena as part of the drama, she didn’t wrestle during the event.
We also didn’t see any Smackdown wrestlers like WWE Champion Roman Reigns, Ronda Rousey, Drew McIntyre, Bray Wyatt, Kofi Kingston, Big E, or Intercontinental Champion Gunther. To see these guys, we need to wait until Smackdown comes to town.
We also didn’t see NXT wrestlers like Shinsuke Nakamura perform, though a couple of NXT wrestlers popped up in the backstage action.
Good to Know: Retired wrestlers are also unlikely to show up unless there’s a very special event happening.
Popular retired wrestlers that would be a dream to see (for me, at least) include The Rock, John Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, Hulk Hogan (who still wants a farewell match!), Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Alberto Del Rio, and Chris Jericho,
What to Eat and Drink During the Wrestling Show
The food and drinks available at concession stands are determined by the venue, not the WWE.
In addition, some of the restaurants that are open during regular season sporting events might not be open during special events like WWE tapings.
We also found that many concessions closed about halfway through the show.
We ended up having nachos, pizza, and chicken tenders, which were all great to eat while dealing with standing up for the matches and having people come in and out of the aisle.
When buying drinks, think about where they will be sitting on the floor or if you’ll have to hold them.
My husband had an aisle seat with a cupholder, but I only had floor space. I bought water bottles with lids so they wouldn’t spill on the floor and I wouldn’t have to hold them the whole time.
How is Going to the WWE in Person Different than Watching on TV
While the drama and action are more fun in person than on tv, there is a big difference that I wasn’t expecting – you can’t hear the announcers!
You’ll get to watch the video packages and hear the wrestlers’ speeches and spats, but if you can’t hear the announcer I think you lose some of the storylines.
It didn’t take away too much, but I wish we could hear them during the show.
Tips for Bringing Kids to a WWE Live Event (Going as a Family to the WWE)
I was shocked at how many people in the crowd were families with school-age kids. And the kids were so into it! They knew all the theme songs and exactly which wrestlers they wanted to win – it was wild.
While I only saw one baby under a year old, families with kids ages three and up were everywhere. If you are planning to attend a WWE Live event with kids, you won’t be alone.
Some of the wrestlers do curse, but it wasn’t more than you’d see watching it at home.
At times the arena was very loud – too loud for very young children – so bringing some ear protection headphones will ensure your kids don’t suffer any hearing loss when the volume goes above 85 decibels. (Recommended for six-month-olds through the early teenage years).
Other things to consider include having a safety plan for if you get separated, setting expectations for meals, and how much to budget for souvenirs.
WWE Souvenirs You Can Buy at the Show
While I find the Alexa Bliss doll terrifying, it’s one of the more popular WWE souvenirs you’ll find at the show.
Overall, souvenirs were pretty typical items like t-shirts, masks, and chains, but there are some high-priced specialty items like replica WWE Championship belts (which…ahem…you can shop on Amazon for much less and bring with you).
Whether you’re looking for something to bring home for yourself or a WWE gift for someone at home, there are tons of options available!
How Can Friends and Family Watch the WWE Live While You’re at the Show
As of now, your friends and family can try to find you in the crowd by watching WWE Raw live on the USA Network, while WWE Smackdown is shown on Fox.
If your friends and family want to watch the show while you’re at the taping, then it needs to be one of the live broadcasts. Otherwise, you can watch the PPV together when it airs. And remember, house shows aren’t shown anywhere on tv.
Watching the WWE Event Once You’re Back Home
If you don’t have a DVR to record the program live, you can always stream it the next day.
Both Raw and Smackdown are available to stream on Hulu, albeit in a slightly shortened format.
Peacock also has Raw along with other events from the WWE Network that were traditionally only shown on Pay Per View in the past.
Safety Tips for Going to a WWE Event
I found the event very safe to attend, but I wasn’t anywhere near the ring! The crowds were closer to enthusiastic concert-goers than soccer hooligans, and everyone was extremely polite.
Safety protocols are determined by the venue but expect that everyone will have to go through a metal detector and a bag search to enter.
There are some typical common-sense safety concerns you’ll want to keep in mind, of course:
First, keep track of your belongings. Don’t flash cash or valuables to avoid pickpockets.
Second, don’t imbibe and drive.
Third, don’t try to get into the action – you’ll just get thrown out. But you could end up getting hurt in the process.
Finally, ladies, watch your drinks and be as vigilant as you always have to be because the world is unfair.
Live WWE Event FAQ
I think I’ve covered almost everything, but here are the most common questions people have about going to a WWE event in person.
How can I participate in WWE?
If you want to be a wrestler and not just a wrestling watcher, apply online to see if you have what it takes.
How to find out who is coming back to WWE this year?
Between injuries, retirements, and vacations, knowing who will be wrestling far in advance is tough. Stay up-to-date by watching the shows and checking the WWE website.
How much does it cost to go to WWE?
How much it will cost to go to the WWE depends on your location, which will determine your parking and food options.
We spent nearly $200 for two people to have a moderately-baller time. You could make this much less by following my tips above.
What is the location of WWE?
The WWE is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, but they have shows all over the United States, and even in international destinations like Canada, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Check Ticketmaster for upcoming event locations.
Where will WWE be next?
It’s impossible to answer where the WWE will be next!
Since there are over 500 events per year, the answer changes every single day. Follow the schedule online or via Ticketmaster for upcoming performances.
How do you get into a WWE event?
Get your tickets and head on down!
How long do WWE live events last?
Our show was 6:30 PM until 10:00 PM, with the doors opening at 5:00. Events can be longer or shorter, depending on taping needs.
How early should I arrive at a WWE event?
How early you want to arrive at a WWE event is up to you.
Get there when the doors open to maximize your time to shop, get concessions, and get comfortable in your seats.
Or wait until closer to showtime if you don’t want to enjoy the rest of the festivities.
Can I bring a camera to a WWE event?
Yes, cameras are allowed at WWE events.
Each venue sets its own camera rules. We just took our iPhones, but we could have brought a digital point-and-shoot as long as there wasn’t a detachable lens.
Check with your venue for photography and videography rules.
Can you still take signs to the WWE?
Yes, you can still take signs to the WWE events.
For our show, they had to be pretty small. I saw a few large signs be snuck in, but I also saw some large signs get confiscated.
Who are the current champions of WWE?
Roman Reigns is the current WWE Champion, as of writing this post. However, you can keep up with changes here.
Who is the youngest WWE superstar?
As of writing this, the youngest WWE Superstar is Dominik Mysterio, who actually was one of the wrestlers we got to see!
What is the best WWE event ever?
While this list is destined to change over time, you can check out the ten best wrestling events here.
What is the cheapest way to go to WWE?
To enjoy the show in the cheapest way possible, get the cheapest WWE tickets you can. You can even see if people are reselling them on Ticketmaster below face value as the date approaches.
Research transportation so you can get free or cheap parking by walking further or by taking public transportation if its available.
Eat ahead of time to minimize having to buy food and drink at the show.
Pin this Guide to Watching a WWE Event In Person for Your Own WWE Adventures!
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