@AIRGold_ on X
The Royal Rumble is considered by many to be the second-biggest show of the yearly WWE schedule. This year, the company took the show overseas to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
But while a returning (and victorious) Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar should have been the talk of the show, instead, it was the number of obviously empty seats shown in the temporary venue.
The empty venue, which was a temporary structure that was built in just 35 days and named the Riyadh Season Stadium, sat an estimated 20-to-25,000 fans. However, a number of those seats remained empty.
WWE filmed Friday night’s episode of SmackDown from the venue, and seemingly half the stands were empty for the show. Fans claimed that tickets weren’t sold properly on the official site for the event, and that they instead ended up on the black market, being resold at significantly higher prices.
The cheapest ticket for the event was originally listed for 80 Saudi Riyals, the equivalent of 21 U.S. dollars, but it was later listed on resale sites for 1,012 Riyals, which equates to $270.
Empty WWE Royal Rumble Crowd Left Fans Asking Questions
At the beginning of Saturday’s show, WWE announcers stated that over 25,000 fans were expected to be in attendance. However, wide camera shots made it abundantly clear that many of the seats in the venue remained empty.
While they did fill in slightly as the show progressed, the stadium never appeared to come near full capacity, and fans were quick to take notice.
Am I tripping?? It looks like there’s about 3000 people at the #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/bLoewDnhbO
— He who regains (Kayng da Conqueror) (@k5grizzly) January 31, 2026
“Nothing screams Royal Rumble like a Saturday afternoon and a bunch of empty seats. This is bad. Never again, please,” one fan posted on X.
“This #RoyalRumble has about as much atmosphere as a funeral,” wrote another.
It’s widely expected that Saudi Arabia could host WWE’s flagship show, WrestleMania, in either 2027 or the near future. But if the Royal Rumble is any indication, the company might want to rethink those plans.