WrestleMania 39 took place on April 1st and 2nd in Inglewood, California, and the event was a huge success for WWE.
In a press release, the company revealed that WrestleMania 39 “became the most successful and highest-grossing event in company history.” The spectacular set new records for “viewership, gate, sponsorship, merchandise, and social media.”
Night two of the event passed the existing global viewership record by 33%, just 24 hours after night one surpassed it by 28%.
The overall gate generated a whopping $21.6 million breaking the previous record by 27%. WWE states that the total attendance across both nights was 161,892.
WrestleMania 39 also surpassed previous records for both sponsorship and merchandising. Sponsorship revenue passed $20 million, which was “more than double” the previous record. Merchandise sales were up 20% on the previous record set in 2022.
WWE also claims that WrestleMania 39 was the “most social” of all time, with over “500 million views and 11 million hours of video consumed over the two days.” A 42% increase from the previous year.
WWE Announces Huge Merger With UFC
Fresh off the back of WrestleMania 39, WWE announced a new merger with UFC. The deal will see the company join with the MMA promotion under parent company Endeavor.
The deal will see the creation of a new publicly listed company that will be 51% owned by Endeavor and 49% owned by WWE. A press release stated that the merger is worth a staggering $21 billion, and Ariel Emanuel will serve as CEO with Vince McMahon as Executive Chairman.