The Undertaker draws big money; new information disputes WWE claims on recent success
WWE hosted the 40th annual WrestleMania this year, which has been touted as the most successful event in the company's history. The Undertaker is retired from active competition, but he continues to be a strong draw for the promotion. Newly obtained information has revealed how successful recent events were while casting doubt on previous announcements.
WrestleMania XL Week in Philadelphia included several events - the five-day WWE World fan convention, The Undertaker's one-man show, the go-home SmackDown with the Hall of Fame ceremony, NXT Stand & Deliver, two-night WrestleMania 40 event, and the RAW after 'Mania. Officials previously announced new records set in the gate and attendance, viewership, merchandise sales, sponsorship, social engagement, and convention attendance, plus individual gate records for RAW, NXT, and SmackDown.
New records obtained from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission reveal additional data for WrestleMania XL Weekend, as well as some conflicting information, according to Wrestlenomics. Overall, the State of Pennsylvania collected just over $2 million in commission taxes from the 'Mania events that ran from Thursday, April 4, through Monday, April 8, plus a $100 Enforcement Fee applied to each event. The data is based on documents the company sent to the Commission.
The Undertaker's "1deadMAN SHOW" was hosted that Thursday at The Fillmore nightclub. While no matches took place, WWE still had to pay tax to the state for the event. Taker's show was sold out, with 928 tickets purchased and 42 comp tickets for a draw of $180,325.00. The PA State Athletic Commission received a 5% tax on ticket sales, or $9,016.25, plus the $100 Enforcement Fee.
SmackDown and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony from the Wells Fargo Center had 12,699 tickets sold and 896 comp tickets for a gate of $2,022,405.06. The Commission received $101,120.25 for their 5% cut, plus the $100 fee. The RAW after WrestleMania, held at the same venue, had 626 comps and 13,151 tickets sold for a gate of $2,043,014.99. The Keystone State received $112,150.75 for RAW, plus the $100 Enforcement Fee.
NXT Stand & Deliver, also held at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, had 9,545 tickets sold and 753 comps. The gate was $1,109,254.00, and the 5% to the Commission was $55,462.25, plus the fee of $100.
On Night 1 of WrestleMania XL, 56,147 tickets were sold, and 3,889 comps were distributed. This totals 60,036 tickets distributed for Saturday's event. The company announced an attendance of 72,543 for the first night. WWE sold 56,758 tickets for Night 2, along with 3,445 comps. This totals 60,203 tickets distributed for Sunday's event. The company announced an attendance of 72,755 for the second night.
It was noted that the WrestleMania numbers may not include people watching from suites or credentialed media. The viral WrestleMania 40 event holds the all-time pro wrestling gate records for the #1 and #2 highest ticket gross in history, not adjusting for inflation. Not including ticket fees, Night 1 has the #2 spot with a gate of $17,656,964.62, while Night 2 holds the #1 spot with a gate of $18,433,325.39.
Average ticket prices for WWE WrestleMania XL Weekend
World Wrestling Entertainment celebrated the 40th annual WrestleMania with five nights of action in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in early April. The company is already set for a major payday at WrestleMania Vegas in 2025.
New internal WWE records obtained by Wrestlenomics from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission have revealed the average price for sold tickets at the 6 biggest events of the week. The list is as follows:
- The Undertaker's 1deadMAN SHOW on Thursday, April 4, at The Fillmore: $194.32 per average ticket sold
- WWE SmackDown and Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, April 5, at the Wells Fargo Center: $159.26 per average ticket sold
- WWE NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday, April 6, at the Wells Fargo Center: $116.21 per average ticket sold
- WWE WrestleMania XL Night 1 on Saturday, April 6, at Lincoln Financial Field: $314.48 per average ticket sold
- WWE WrestleMania XL Night 2 on Sunday, April 7 at Lincoln Financial Field: $324.77
- WWE RAW on Monday, April 8, at the Wells Fargo Center: $170.56 per average ticket sold
Internal records show that WrestleMania on Saturday and Sunday were sell-outs, with no unused tickets, and Triple H has given major credit to another key name. It should be noted that the records also indicate no unused tickets for NXT Stand & Deliver, despite the Saturday afternoon event distributing a few thousand fewer tickets than RAW and SmackDown in the same arena.