It’s no secret WWE has been trying to maximize revenue via ticket prices since TKO purchased the brand. Fans have had a lot to say about how much it now costs to sit even great distances from the ring, especially at premium live events. It turns out those elevated seating costs, however, are nothing compared to how much it’ll set you back to make pasta with a wrestler.
A week or so after a WrestleMania 42 VIP Experience with Cody Rhodes went viral that allowed fans to ride on his tour bus for $9,950 per person, an even pricier and more outrageous VIP experience is overshadowing the American Nightmare. On Location, WWE’s partner for higher end experiences, just dropped a new option for Backlash, which is taking place in Turin, Italy in May. For the low low price of $11,500 per person, a lucky fan can get a front row seat to the event, get backstage access, go to a wine tasting and most importantly, participate in a private pasta-making session with an unnamed WWE superstar.
Apart from this being so on the dough since it’s pasta-making in Italy, the funniest part of this experience is that WWE has not mentioned who you get to make pasta with. The tour bus trip is at least known to be Cody Rhodes. There’s a distinct chance this is going to be Kit Wilson or Otis. I love both of those guys and wouldn’t be mad, but if I’m dropping five figures on a PastaMania experience in 2026, I would at least like a heads up on who I’m doing it with.
It might sound like I’m boiling this pasta and in some ways I am, but I’m actually way more fine with this than I am with the general ticket-pricing situation. I get that TKO wants to make more money, and I’m certainly not begrudging the company for increasing revenue. Charging super rich people a lot of money for extra access is a great way to improve the bottom line without affecting the average fan. If they want to charge $11,500 to make pasta or many times more than that for a preshow ring entrance during WrestleMania, that’s fine by me.
What I do have a problem with is pricing out middle class families and kids from experiencing the product live. That might be a good way to increase profits in the short-term, but it’s a really short-sighted long-term strategy. My parents took me to a WWE event when I was a little kid, which probably cost $10 a ticket. I fell in love and now as an adult, attend three or four WWE events a year, plus spend money on action figures and merchandise. They never would have taken me if it was expensive, and I’m sure many other families are in the same boat.
So, yeah, I’m all for this pasta-making experience. If someone wants to pay for that sauce, I say let ‘em. I just hope TKO will use those profits to keep the prices at least somewhat reasonable for the rest of us.
