WWE Made An INSANE Amount Of Money For Featuring Zombies At WrestleMania Backlash
That zombie nonsense at WrestleMania Backlash was very lucrative for WWE.
Zombies are money.
Ringside News are reporting that WWE bagged a seven-figure payout for featuring zombies at WrestleMania Backlash. The lumberjack bout between Damian Priest and The Miz, as well as the OTT flesh-eating post-match angle, was ridiculed, but it earned the company a pretty penny.
WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. to cross-promote Batista's new 'Army Of The Dead' movie on the pay-per-view. That, according to sources, was worth over one million dollars to WWE.
There's no word yet on an exact figure, but that $1,000,000+ number is insane for such a throwaway midcard angle. Everyone from Chris Jericho to Batista himself poked fun at the zombie invasion on social media afterwards, but WWE's money-men won't care.
They're too busy counting that sweet cash.
The upshot of this long-term may be that WWE seek out out similar sponsorship opportunities in the future. Although countless fans were critical of the idea, it made money. That, realistically, is all Vince McMahon's promotion care about.
At least the pay-per-view's intro, which was narrated by Dave 'Morgan Freeman' Batista, went over well with the core audience.