The WWE released the updated numbers for WrestleMania 29 on 4/7 from East Rutherford, NJ, with the show doing 1,048,000 worldwide buys. That is broken down as 650,000 in North America and 398,000 overseas.
For a comparison, it was down 9.1% from the 715,000 buys last year’s show did in North America. It was down 21% from the 504,000 worldwide buys last year’s show did. The WWE increased its price around the world for the show, which likely cost some buys. But with the price increase ($5 per day), as well as a higher percentage of buyers in HD (another $10 per buy), the show still beat the overall revenue records set last year.
While not a perfect model, trends showing U.S. interest were down 6% as compared to last year. With a 9.1% drop, that would indicate a very small percentage of the decline was due to the price increase, but some probably was when it came to marginal viewers and some of the drop is that there wasn’t quite the level of interest this year, even with stronger ratings leading to the show. It was likely the second Rock vs. John Cena match wasn’t going to be as strong as the first, but unless it was Rock vs. Brock Lesnar (at the time planned for the 2014 WrestleMania), there was no other main event that is likely to have come even close to this level of interest since Rock vs. C.M. Punk had been done twice leading to the show and Punk still didn’t have the mainstream appeal of Cena. Overall it would be the most successful main event rematch in PPV history.
Another thing that likely helped this show somewhat was being in New York, as the buys for almost any PPV are strongest in the local market. There is no better market to hold a wrestling PPV in than New York, both because of the ability to generate national publicity, and also local buzz in the most populous part of the country.
The show is currently No. 5 on the all-time PPV list for pro wrestling, and the eighth pro wrestling show in history to top one million worldwide buys. It is possible with late buys that it would end up as No. 4 of all-time, which would give the Rock vs. Cena two plus year program three of the top four spots of all-time, along with the 2007 Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump show. For North America, the show would be in the top ten.
WWE SHOWS THAT HAVE TOPPED 1 MILLION BUYS
1 1.250M 4/1/07 WrestleMania 23 (Lashley w/Trump vs. Umaga w/Vince)
2 1.219M 4/1/12 WrestleMania 28 (Rock vs. Cena)
3 1.124M 4/31/11 WrestleMania 27 (Cena vs. Miz/Rock ref)
4 1.090M 4/3/05 WrestleMania 21 (HHH vs. Batista)
5 1.048M 4/7/13 WrestleMania 29 (Rock vs. Cena)
6 1.041M 3/30/08 WrestleMania 24 (Mayweather vs. Show)
7 1.040M 4/1/01 WrestleMania 17 (Rock vs. Austin)
8 1.020M 3/14/04 WrestleMania 20 (HHH vs. Benoit vs. Michaels)
Last year’s show as far as actual company revenue stemming from the show (ticket sales, their cut of PPV and merchandise sales) was $36.2 million in 2012. WWE will likely make a complete announcement in about two months regarding all revenues from WrestleMania, but given the numbers listed thus far, the best estimate would be $40.4 million this year, because of the record gate from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The difference more than pays for the increase in cost due to having both The Rock and Brock Lesnar on the same show. WWE sources had already said it was both the largest grossing and most profitable pro wrestling event in company history. That would also mean in pro wrestling history, since nothing previously in wrestling is in the same league as a WrestleMania due to the PPV aspect.
No legitimate attendance figure has been released, but a report from MetLife Stadium stated that 72,000 people were at the show. Based on the new business charts WWE put out, the paid attendance was approximately 66,100. The show was a legitimate sellout well ahead of time. Paid attendance for the 2012 show at Sunlife Stadium in Miami was approximately 62,400.
The company announced 80,676 as the attendance for this year’s show. The company’s original press release a few weeks after the show claimed the show topped 1 million buys, but it mentioned and was reported that it could hit 1.2 million. Given late counted buys, it is certainly possible the show will hit the 1.1 million mark when all is said and done. But there are also years when the originally reported numbers stay the same or even decrease. But the 1.2 million figure looks to be out of reach.
The show would be the third biggest North American PPV of the year, trailing the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero fight on 5/4, which nobody has given a number on the record for yet. Richard Schaeffer of Golden Boy said it will top 1 million, but not by much. The 3/16 Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz fight is estimated at doing about 950,000 in North America.
UFC sources indicated this past week that HD buys since February by percentage have gone through the roof. Those in boxing said the same about the recent Mayweather fight, so it’s a consistent change in buying patterns across the board over the past several months.
