Market Data 
In a couple of days, WrestleMania 41 will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two-night extravaganza showcases a variety of feuds, including two main event matches: a triple threat match on night one featuring CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, and a championship match on night two between defending champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and John Cena. WrestleMania weekend has become an international event, drawing thousands of fans from around the world. From a financial standpoint, WrestleMania has attracted massive viewership and generated substantial revenue. Historically, which WrestleMania events have been the most successful?
The concept of WrestleMania was created by Vince McMahon, a second-generation wrestling promoter who served as the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for four decades before resigning from his role with the company in 2024. In 1985, the inaugural WrestleMania was launched, marking the first pay-per-view wrestling event in history. It was a smash hit, featuring a main event in which Hulk Hogan teamed up with Mr. T to face Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in front of nearly 20,000 people at Madison Square Garden. WrestleMania’s success was partly attributed to its connection with mainstream music, television, and pop culture, featuring notable celebrity guests in meaningful roles such as Muhammad Ali, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Martin, Mr. T, Bob, and Liberace.
In 1987, WrestleMania 3, held at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan, set an indoor attendance record for a sporting event with 93,173 fans in attendance and generated $10.3 million in pay-per-view revenue, a record that stood for nearly 30 years. WrestleMania 3 was highlighted by two standout matches: a technically sound marathon between Randy “The Macho Man” Savage and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, and Hulk Hogan’s victory over André the Giant in the main event. Two years later, WrestleMania 5 featured a compelling a main event match between rivals Hulk Hogan and Randy “The Macho Man” Savage. This match presented a storyline involving manager Miss Elizabeth and jealousy between both competitors.
Although overall viewership for professional wrestling declined during the early to mid-1990s, business picked up by the end of the decade, largely due to the Monday Night War between WWE and its rival WCW, as well as WWE’s Attitude Era—a period characterized by a significant shift from programming designed for a younger audience to a more edgy, adult-oriented product. At the time, pay-per-views were one of the biggest revenue generators for WWE. In 2001, WrestleMania 17 achieved a then record buy rate of over one million buys (1,040,000), providing a monumental main event match between rivals “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Both superstars have since become two of the wealthiest wrestlers of all time, according to SI.com. The following year, WrestleMania 18 showcased a dream match between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, setting a record for attendance at the Toronto SkyDome.
In 2007, WrestleMania 23 made history by grossing $5.38 million in ticket sales and achieving 1.2 million pay-per-view buys, records that have since been broken. This WrestleMania featured a main event between John Cena and Shawn Michaels, as well as a Battle of the Billionaires match between Donald Trump and Vince McMahon. In victory, Trump won the right to shave McMahon’s head, which was a stipulation for the match. John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson headlined back-to-back WrestleMania shows in 2011 and 2012, drawing large crowds and breaking previous earnings records.
In 2019, WrestleMania 35 featured the first all female main event when Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match, which broke the previous revenue record from 2012 by grossing $16.9 million at Met Life Stadium. A year later, WrestleMania was transformed into a two-night format and has continued to thrive. WrestleMania 39, held at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in 2023, generated over $20 million in sponsorship revenue and made $21.6 million in gate revenue in 2023, both of which were records. ABC7 Los Angeles reported that the 39th annual event helped produce $215 million for the Los Angeles economy. The main events featured Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens winning over The Usos for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship on Night 1 and Roman Reigns defeating Cody Rhodes in the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match on Night 2.
WrestleMania 40, held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia last April, became the most profitable show in the event’s history setting a record with 145,298 fans in attendance. The event attracted fans from all 50 states and 64 different countries, while breaking viewership records. In addition, WWE World at WrestleMania is now the highest-grossing and most attended fan event in sport entertainment history.
The recent WWE deal with Netflix is projected to significantly boost revenue for this year’s WrestleMania. WrestleMania 41 is expected to be a major attraction once again. Based on its history, wrestling’s biggest event has evolved into a highly profitable global success and shows no signs of slowing down, even after former owner Vince McMahon left the company in 2024.
