Source: WWE/Getty
WrestleMania 2024 weekend is officially in the books, and while WWE isn't as popular as it was in the late 90s, it still made history as the highest-grossing event in the company's history.
According Variety, WrestleMania 40 broke all kinds of corporate records. It has been billed as the most successful live event ever, as fans tuned in to see Cody Rhodes beat the odds and “Finish The Story” by taking the WWE Undisputed Championship from Roman Reigns in a classic main event on Sunday (April 7). Eagerly building to the moment in recent years, wrestling fans made sure to be in attendance and watch from home to witness the American Nightmare's dream come true and help WWE make some historic profits in the process. .
Variety References:
WrestleMania 40 was held over two nights at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. According to WWE, the gate for the event was up 78% compared to the previous record set during WrestleMania 39, with 145,298 in attendance over both nights this year. The company also says viewership is up 41% over last year, while merchandise sales – in partnership with Fanatics – are up more than 20% over last year.
But the live events on Saturday and Sunday night are only part of the story. WWE built a massive presence in Philadelphia Thursday-Monday. The company hosted the WWE World Experience at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where fans could pay to get up close and personal with authentic WWE memorabilia from their archives as well as take part in immersive experiences. This was paired with the WWE Superstore, which featured a wide range of branded merchandise from apparel to toys and more.
Combine that with the 660 million views generated on WWE's social channels and the WWE YouTube channel reaching 67 million views in 24 hours on Sunday, and you have a recipe for massive success.
While WWE has its work cut out for it if it plans to top those numbers at WrestleMania 41, it may once again center around Cody Rhodes as it looks like they're setting it up for Rhodes vs. The Rock. The Peoples Champion was mentioned as wanting to take the gold from Cody on Monday night's episode of RAW. There are also rumors that The Rock would challenge his cousin, Roman Reigns, but at this point it's anybody's guess what route WWE callers will take for WrestleMania 41.
What do you think? Who Should Main Event WrestleMania 41? Let us know in the comments section below.
