WWE Declares WrestleMania 40 "Most Successful Event" In Company History
WWE lays out metrics showing record-breaking gate, viewership, merchandise, and more.
WWE wasted little time Tuesday in declaring that WrestleMania 40 and its ancillary events in Philadelphia during the long weekend broke all kinds of records, citing monetary, social media, and attendance metrics as evidence.
In a release, WWE's corporate office boasted that Wrestlemania 40 was the "most-successful and highest-grossing event in company history".
Among the highlights:
GATE: WrestleMania XL broke the previous record set by WrestleMania 39 by 78 percent, with 145,298 in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field over two nights. The event drew fans from all 50 states and 64 countries worldwide.VIEWERSHIP: WrestleMania XL viewership was up 41 percent across both nights versus last year’s record-setting audience.MERCHANDISE: In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales were up more than 20 percent versus the previous record set at WrestleMania 39.FAN EVENT: WWE World at WrestleMania, in partnership with Fanatics Events, is now the highest-grossing and most-attended fan event in company history.SOCIAL: WrestleMania XL became the most socially viewed WrestleMania of all-time, with over 660 million views consumed over the two days. WWE’s YouTube channel saw its most-viewed day in channel history on WrestleMania XL Sunday with more than 67 million views in 24 hours.
WWE also noted that SmackDown and Raw drew the largest gates in their shows' respective histories, while NXT Stand and Deliver drew the largest in-person audience in NXT history. All three events took place at the Wells Fargo Center next door to Lincoln Financial Field, where WrestleMania 40 emanated.
The company has not announced a location for WrestleMania 41 yet, but given these records and their penchant for wanting to break records on an almost annual basis, it's likely WWE will choose a destination designed to draw fans and pack a stadium next April.