Nick Khan isn’t losing sleep over social media criticism — because he says he doesn’t read it in the first place.
Speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports ahead of WrestleMania 42 weekend, the WWE president addressed concerns about fan backlash online, including reactions surrounding WWE’s plans to bring WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia next year.
Instead of acknowledging online outrage as a major factor, Khan made it clear that he doesn’t rely on social media feedback when it comes to running WWE or making business decisions.
“I have never read X or Twitter as it relates to our business and I’ve certainly never read it regarding me. That is a vocal minority.”
Khan’s stance hasn’t changed over time either. He previously made similar remarks ahead of last year’s WrestleMania, explaining that social media voices don’t reflect the majority of WWE’s audience.
“As much as we listen to our audience, we won’t listen to social media and respond. We think it’s a small percentage of voices who have a big microphone or megaphone in front of them. It’s a mistake to respond to your business based off of that. You’ve got to base it off your gut and the results.”
While Khan says he avoids reading social media directly, he admitted that complaints from fans still reach him through official channels. According to him, he receives copies of fan feedback submitted through WWE’s customer service system, giving him a clearer view of real concerns from paying customers. Even then, he made it clear that complaints alone don’t drive WWE’s decisions.
“Some of the complaints are, ‘I didn’t like the match — you guys are pieces of shi.’ And I go, ‘OK, I got it.’ Some are, ‘Hey, we had an obstructed view.’ OK — we’ll have you come to our next show. People are allowed to complain, but we don’t adjust our business based on complaints. We adjust based on ratings, revenue, relevancy.”*
Khan explained that WWE’s direction ultimately comes down to what he calls the “three Rs” — ratings, revenue, and relevance — rather than social media backlash or trending opinions. His comments also come as WWE continues moving forward with plans to hold WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia next year, a decision that has drawn mixed reactions online but appears unlikely to change based on internet criticism alone.
With WrestleMania 42 just days away, Khan’s remarks offer a clear look at how WWE leadership views fan reactions — and why social media outrage may not carry as much weight as some believe.
Do you think WWE should pay more attention to social media feedback, or is Nick Khan right to focus only on ratings, revenue, and relevance? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.