From the WWE Rumor Mill: Attendance figures for Hell in a Cell lesser than claimed numbers

What’s the story?

WWE announced a sellout of 16,200 for the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, but those numbers have been refuted by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter who said the number was closer to 13,000.

In case you didn’t know...

This week’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view emanated from the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan and was headlined by the Hell in a Cell matches between The Usos and The New Day, and Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon.

Other matches of note from this past Sunday were the SmackDown Women’s Championship match between Charlotte Flair and Natalya, the triple threat United States Championship match between Tye Dillinger, Baron Corbin and AJ Styles, and the WWE Championship bout between Jinder Mahal and Shinsuke Nakamura.

The heart of the matter

A report published in the Detroit Free Press says that the capacity for the Little Caesar’s Arena fluctuates depending on the event, but that the maximum number of people that can be accommodated is 22,000.

WWE announced a sellout of 16,200 which more than likely suggests the number of tickets available for purchase, but even that number appears to be false.

The footage of McMahon doing his elbow drop from the top of the cell revealed several rows of empty seats during the main event and presumably throughout the entire the show.

The Little Caesar’s Arena opened back in Sept. 5, 2017, and the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view was the first WWE event to take place at the venue. The WWE previously used the Joe Louis Arena for the majority of their events in Detroit, including house shows, Monday Night Raw and other pay-per-views over the years.

What’s next?

The WWE has a history of claiming inflated ticket sales that date back to WrestleMania III, and is a practice they will more than likely continue.

The next pay-per-view is the Raw exclusive TLC show and the WWE will more than likely announced a different number of ticket sales if they aren’t as high as they wish for them to be.

Author’s Take

Despite the low attendance, Hell in a Cell was considered by many to be a solid show; consistent good shows will bring more fans for the WWE.